CitySense
Exploring how to make city infrastructure information easier to find, understand, and use.
I looked at how people find information about local disruptions, where that information breaks down, and what they want to know when something affects them.
All testers said they would
use Keurig Sync regularly.
METHODS
User Interviews + Affinity Mapping
+ Usability Testing
DELIVERABLES
Research Synthesis + Information Architecture
+ Interactive Prototype
ROLE
UX Research + Information Architecture
+ Interaction Design
TIMELINE
Sep- Deс 2025
THE PROBLEM
When something goes wrong nearby, people often see the disruption without knowing what caused it, how long it might last, or who is working on it. Without that context, city systems can feel distant and difficult to understand.
When city infrastructure is hidden, it’s harder to understand what’s happening.
Patterns from Research
PAIN POINTS
The goal was to turn complex city information into something residents could quickly understand
and use.
How might we make hidden city infrastructure visible, understandable, and useful to residents?
Design Opportunity
Before
After
We simplified the steps and made it easier to see what happens after a report is submitted.
Making Issue Reporting Clearer
01
Show residents what they need to know without overwhelming them.
Testing showed us where the reporting process could be clearer and easier to follow.
Design Evolution
Make Updates Actionable
Design Around Location
The research helped us define three principles that guided CitySense's design.
Design Principles
Simplify the Experience
Make nearby updates easy to find and relevant to where people are.
Show what’s happening, when, and how it might affect them.
Explore the Project
Explore the interactive prototype and key user flows.
02
Making Local Issues Easier to Understand
After
Before
03
Simplifying
Infrastructure Information
We made complex utility information easier to read and understand.
Before
After
We simplified the map so residents could quickly see what was happening nearby.
CitySense taught me that good design isn’t about showing people more information, but helping them quickly understand what matters. Simplifying the way updates are organized and making reporting more straightforward helped turn complex city information into something easier to understand and use.
Project Takeaways
To understand how CitySense would fit into everyday life, we tested the experience with 10 participants over 10 days, combining daily tasks with follow-up interviews.
Field Study & Validation
Legend
Project Details
Report
Map
Dashboard
CitySense brings the most important city updates into one place, so residents can quickly see what’s happening around them.
Final Design
01
City infrastructure is easy to overlook
People often notice it only when something stops working.
02
Small disruptions affect daily routines
Even small issues can interrupt daily routines.
03
Information is
hard to find
Updates are often scattered and unclear.
04
People wanted more context
They wanted to know what was happening and why.
05
People wanted one place to check
People wanted one place to quickly check what was happening nearby.
Personas
These personas are based on people I interviewed and reflect different needs around local information and disruptions.
Reliable timeframes
NEEDS
“Just tell me what’s being fixed and for how long.”
Physiotherapist
Ananya
PAIN POINTS
Relevant local information
Clear, simple updates
Scattered city updates
Last-minute disruptions
Information feels overwhelming
NEEDS
Switching between sources
Unexpected disruptions
Fragmented information
One place for city updates
Location-based information
PAIN POINTS
Diego
Cafe Owner
"I shouldn’t have to check different places to know what’s happening nearby"
Timely local alerts
Synthesizing the Research
I grouped interview notes and quotes in Miro to look for recurring needs, frustrations, and patterns across participants.
01
Give people context, not just alerts
Show what happened, why it matters, and what people can expect next.
02
Prioritize
what’s nearby
Show updates that matter based on where people are and where they’re going.
03
Show who is behind the work
Show who’s behind the work so updates feel more personal and easier to understand.
Utility Lines
AR Map Icons
Project Takeaways
CitySense changed how I think about simplifying complex information. Showing less isn’t always the answer. What mattered more was giving people the right context when they needed it, without making them piece the story together themselves. It made me more interested in how information design can shape people’s understanding of complex systems.
Design Implications
These patterns helped me focus on three
design priorities.
How might we make hidden city infrastructure easier to see, understand, and navigate?
Design Opportunity
The goal was to give people enough context to understand what was happening nearby without overwhelming them with technical information.
CitySense brings local updates, infrastructure information, reports, and worker profiles into one place so residents can understand what’s happening nearby and what to
do next.
Making city infrastructure easier to see and understand.
The Solution
Show residents only what they need to know, without overwhelming them.
The research helped me define three principles that guided CitySense's design.
Design Principles
Simplify the Experience
I simplified the steps and made it easier to see what happens after submitting a report.
Making Issue Reporting Clearer
01
Testing helped me see where people hesitated, missed information, or needed a clearer next step.
Design Evolution
I grouped infrastructure details into clear categories so people could find what they needed faster.
Simplifying
Infrastructure Information
03
We tested CitySense with 10 participants over 10 days to understand how the experience worked in everyday use.
The final experience brings city updates, reporting, infrastructure information, and the people behind the work into one connected system.
Final Design
Field Study & Validation
Explore the Project
Dashboard
Critical Alert Details
Report an Issue
Explore the interactive prototype and key user flows.
02
Making Local Issues Easier to Understand
Before
I simplified the map so residents could quickly see what was happening nearby.
After
After
After
Before
Before
Show what’s happening, when it matters, and what residents
can do next.
Make nearby updates easy to find and relevant to where
people are.
Make Updates Actionable
Prioritize What’s Nearby
Map
Workers
Worker's Profile
CitySense
Making city information easier to find and understand.
Exploring how to make city infrastructure information easier to find, understand, and use.
ROLE
UX Research & UX/UI Design
UX Research + Information Architecture + Interaction Design
METHODS
User Interviews, Usability Testing
User Interviews + Affinity Mapping + Usability Testing
TIMELINE
Semester Project
Dec-May 2025
DELIVERABLES
Research, IA, UX/UI Design
Research Synthesis + Information Architecture+ Interactive Prototype
THE PROBLEM
City infrastructure is everywhere. Understanding it isn’t.
When city infrastructure is hidden, it’s harder to understand what’s happening.
Construction, utility work, and street closures are part of everyday city life. But when something happens nearby, it’s not always easy to know what’s going on, why it’s happening, or how long it will last.
When something goes wrong nearby, people often see the disruption without knowing what caused it, how long it might last, or who is working on it. Without that context, city systems can feel distant and difficult to understand.
Patterns from Research
I looked at how people find information about local disruptions, where that information breaks down, and what they want to know when something affects them.
01
City infrastructure is easy to overlook
People often notice it only when something stops working.
02
Small disruptions affect daily routines
Even small issues can interrupt daily routines.
03
Information is hard to find
Updates are often scattered and unclear.
04
People needed clearer answers
They wanted to know what was happening and why.
05
People wanted one place to check
People wanted one place to quickly check what was happening nearby.
Patterns from Research
I looked at how people find information about local disruptions, where that information breaks down, and what they want to know when something affects them.
01
City infrastructure is easy to overlook
People often notice it only when something stops working.
02
Small disruptions affect daily routines
Even small issues can interrupt daily routines.
03
Information is hard to find
Updates are often scattered and unclear.
04
People needed clearer answers
They wanted to know what was happening and why.
05
People wanted one place to check
People wanted one place to quickly check what was happening nearby.
Target Users
Personas
Personas
I focused on people who want to quickly understand what’s happening in their neighborhood and how it might affect them.
These personas are based on people I interviewed and reflect different needs around local information and disruptions.
Ananya
Physiotherapist
“Just tell me what's being fixed
and for how long.”
NEEDS
Clear, simple updates
Reliable timeframes
Relevant local information
PAIN POINTS
Scattered city updates
Last-minute disruptions
Information feels overwhelming
Diego
Cafe Owner
“I shouldn't have to check different places to know what's happening nearby.”
NEEDS
One place for city updates
Timely local alerts
Location-based information
PAIN POINTS
Fragmented information
Unexpected disruption
Switching between sources
PAIN POINTS
Fragmented information
Unexpected disruptions
Switching between sources
NEEDS
One place for city updates
Timely local alerts
Location-based information
Diego
Cafe Owner
“I shouldn’t have to check different places to know what’s happening nearby.”
PAIN POINTS
Scattered city updates
Last-minute disruptions
Information feels overwhelming
NEEDS
Clear, simple updates
Reliable timeframes
Relevant local information
Ananya
Physiotherapist
“Just tell me what's being fixed and for how long”
Synthesizing the Research
Synthesizing the Research
Synthesizing the Research
I organized interview notes and quotes in Miro to find patterns and see what came up repeatedly.
I grouped interview notes and quotes in Miro to look for recurring needs, frustrations, and patterns across participants.
Key Insights
Design Implications
Three things came up repeatedly during the research.
These patterns helped me focus on three design priorities.
01
People want clear answers
Give people context, not just alerts
People want to quickly understand what’s happening nearby and how it affects them.
Show what happened, why it matters,
and what people can expect next.
02
City updates feel fragmented
Prioritize what’s nearby
Prioritize
what’s nearby
Important updates are often spread across different places and are hard to find.
Show updates that matter based
on where people are and where they’re going.
Show updates that matter based on where people are and where they’re going.
03
Local relevance matters most
Show who is behind the work
Show who is
behind the work
People care most about updates that directly affect their neighborhood and daily routine.
Show who’s behind the work so updates
feel more personal and easier to understand.
Design Opportunity
How might we make hidden city infrastructure visible, understandable, and useful to residents?
How might we make hidden city infrastructure easier to see, understand, and navigate?
How might we make hidden city infrastructure easier to see, understand, and navigate?
The goal was to turn complex city information into something residents could quickly understand and use.
The goal was to give people enough context to understand what was happening nearby without overwhelming them with technical information.
The Solution
Making city infrastructure easier to see and understand.
CitySense brings local updates, infrastructure information, reports, and worker profiles into one place so residents can understand what’s happening nearby and what to do next.
The Solution
Making city infrastructure easier to see and understand.
CitySense brings local updates, infrastructure information, reports, and worker profiles into one place so residents can understand what’s happening nearby and what to do next.
Design Principles
The research helped us define three principles that guided CitySense’s design.
The research helped us define three principles that guided CitySense’s design.
Simplify the Experience
Simplify the Experience
Show residents what they need to know without overwhelming them.
Show residents what they need to know without overwhelming them.
Prioritize What’s Nearby
Prioritize What’s Nearby
Make nearby updates easy to find and relevant to where people are.
Make nearby updates easy to find and relevant to where people are.
Make Updates Actionable
Make Updates Actionable
Show what’s happening, when, and how it might affect them.
Show what’s happening, when it matters, and what residents can do next.
Design Evolution
Testing showed us where the reporting process could be clearer and easier to follow.
Testing helped me see where people hesitated, missed information, or needed a clearer next step.
01
Making Issue Reporting Clearer
I simplified the steps and made it easier to see what happens after a report is submitted.
I simplified the steps and made it easier to see what happens after submitting a report.
Before
After
02
Making Local Issues Easier to Understand
I simplified the map so residents could quickly see what was happening nearby.
I simplified the map so residents could quickly see what was happening nearby.
Before
After
03
Simplifying Infrastructure Information
I grouped infrastructure information into clear categories, making it easier to find what you need.
I grouped infrastructure details into clear categories so people could find what they needed faster.
Before
After
Final Design
CitySense brings the most important city updates into one place, so residents can quickly see what’s happening around them.
The final experience brings city updates, reporting, infrastructure information, and the people behind the work into one connected system.
Dashboard
Map
Critical Alert Details
Report
Report an Issue
Map
Workers
Worker Profile
Utility Lines
Map
Workers
Project Details
AR Map Icons
AR Map Icons
Worker Profile
Utility Lines
Field Study & Validation
We tested CitySense with 10 participants over 10 days to see how it worked in their everyday routines.
We tested CitySense with 10 participants over 10 days to understand how the experience worked in everyday use.
10
Participants
Residents and local business owners across New York City.
10
Days of Field Study
Participants used CitySense as part of their everyday routines.
10
Daily Tasks
Each day focused on a different part of the experience.
Project Takeaways
CitySense taught me that complex information doesn’t have to feel complicated. The challenge was figuring out what people actually needed to know and making it easy to find.
CitySense changed how I think about simplifying complex information. Showing less isn’t always the answer. What mattered more was giving people the right context when they needed it, without making them piece the story together themselves. It made me more interested in how information design can shape people’s understanding of complex systems.
Explore the Project
Explore the interactive prototype and key user flows.