DESK RESEARCH
Studied domestic and global practices for ideas on where transit signage could go next.
LA STAP Display Design
Real-time e-ink displays for the bus shelters of LA's Sidewalk Transit Amenities Program (STAP), so riders can see arrivals, weather and alerts at a glance.
0K+
BUS SHELTERS CITYWIDE
0K
RIDERS EACH WEEKDAY
0+
RIDERS INTERVIEWED
CHALLENGE
How might we improve bus signage to make the LA bus journey more user-friendly and accessible?
CLIENT GOAL
Provide shade and heat relief for commuters in high-ridership areas, with shelters ready for the 2026 Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics.
INTERNAL TEAM
Creative director, UX design lead, product manager, 3 interaction designers and 2 industrial designers.
PARTNERS
- DEVELOPER
- Tranzito-Vector
- ARCHITECTURE
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
- UI / UX
- Designworks, a BMW Group company
- URBAN DESIGN
- Studio One Eleven
- FABRICATION
- Tolar Manufacturing
- LIGHTING DESIGN
- HLB Lighting
RESEARCH
FIELD IMMERSION
Rode LA buses, photographed stops along the way and evaluated their signage.
USER INTERVIEWS
Interviewed 30+ LA bus riders with the internal team: commuters, tourists, event attendees, riders with disabilities and multilingual riders.
PAIN POINTS
P1
Chaotic transit signage
Mixed transit branding and cluttered signs make it slow and hard to find what you need.
P2
Lack of real-time information
Most stops rely on static signs, so riders can't see arrivals or delays.
P3
Lack of human-centered experience
Most LA bus stops lack a cultural or identity layer, with very little human touch.
SOLUTION
One answer to each pain point, built into the same two-screen display.
S1
Unified display system
ANSWERS P1 One layout at every stop: a message or forecast on the top screen, arrivals on the bottom, in the same type and icons.
S2
Real-time info display
ANSWERS P2 Live arrivals with route, destination and minutes, plus Now, Delayed and Night Bus states. More buses page over.
S3
Weather forecast for confident travel
ANSWERS P3 The stop's name and today's weather, hour by hour. In an emergency, one alert takes over the screen.
VALIDATION & TEST
Explorations
BUS SHELTER PHYSICAL DISPLAY
CUT
- Weather cards with UV, air quality and humidity were too busy and hard to feed from the data API.
- Small text, unclear progress bars, confusing icons and all caps slowed reading.
- Dark, dense layouts were hard to see and to render on an e-ink screen.
KEPT
- A clear hierarchy with a single message on top.
- Bus information in the middle, one row per route.
- A QR code for more, then the time and day.
Testing criteria
ON SITE
- LETTER HEIGHT (ADA)
- Top screen read from 15 ft with 2 in letters; bottom screen from 6 ft with 5/8 in letters
- VIEWING ANGLES
- Checked what stays readable from points across the 18 ft sidewalk
- CONTRAST RATIO
- Black on white and white on black, both 21:1
- MODES
- Dark and light layouts compared on the real e-ink panels
FINAL DESIGN
One display that knows what to say at every hour, including when there's nothing to show.
Final designs
- SLEEP / NIGHT TIME
- Good Night, with when service resumes in the morning
- UNAVAILABLE
- Says live updates are temporarily down and points to the LA Bus Stop app
- EMERGENCY ALERT
- A single warning takes the top screen; arrivals stay below
- MORE THAN 6 BUSES
- Arrivals split across pages, marked 1/2 and 2/2
On the street
SUNSET & HIGHLAND