2025/11 - 2025/12
TTC Website Redesign
Overview
The TTC website’s structure makes it difficult to efficiently access key transit information.
This project improves the information architecture and interface to create a clearer, more efficient experience.
My role
• Identifying key user tasks
• Designing the information architecture
• Homepage redesign
Team
Jennifer Jiang
Chonlawat Rojanawisit
Nathan Richards
Nhu Hua
Why redesign the TTC website?
The TTC website contains a large amount of transit information, but the way content is grouped and structured is not always intuitive. In some cases, unrelated information appears within the same section, making it difficult for users to understand where to find what they need.
Additionally, certain navigation paths lead to pages filled with multiple links, creating a deep and fragmented information hierarchy. While users are still able to find key information such as routes, fares, and service updates, the process is often inefficient and requires unnecessary effort.
How did we approach the problem?
To understand the problem, we combined structural analysis, user testing, and task-based evaluation to identify where users experience friction.
This process included:
Step #1 – Conducting a current website analysis to identify usability and navigation issues
Current website analysis
→ We analyzed the current TTC website to understand how information is structured and presented across key pages.
This process revealed several usability issues, including information overload, unclear grouping, and inconsistent navigation, making it difficult for users to quickly understand where to go.
Step #2 – Mapping the existing information architecture to understand how content is structured
→ To understand the structure of the TTC website, I mapped out the existing information architecture. This helped reveal how content is grouped and how users are expected to navigate the site.
Through this process, several structural issues became clear:
🚩 The main content area contains too many links, creating visual clutter and making it difficult to scan
🚩 Some navigation labels are long or unclear, making it harder to quickly understand where to go
🚩 Information is not always grouped logically — for example, unrelated content such as jobs appears under the “Current Service” section
🚩 The overall structure creates a deep hierarchy, requiring users to navigate through multiple layers to find key information
Step #3 – Defining key user tasks based on common user needs
We defined key user tasks based on common goals, focusing on what users typically visit the TTC website to accomplish. These tasks guided both testing and design decisions.
Task 1
Find fare information for a single Adult.
Task 2
Find where they post general service updates.
Task 3
Plan a trip from Union Station to Royal Ontario Museum for Saturday, November 8, 2025.
Step #4 – Running user testing to observe user behavior and pain points
Using these tasks, we conducted user testing to observe real user behavior. The results highlighted issues in navigation, unclear information grouping, and friction in completing common tasks.
“Do I need to buy this Presto card just for one weekend? Oh wait, I can just tap my credit card. That took a minute to figure out.🧐” — Tester ＃1
“I see lists of delays here, but I don't know if 'Keele Station' is near where I'm going, so I'm not sure if this affects me.🤔” — Tester ＃2
“The trip planner is really obsolete.😵” — Tester ＃3
“I know I just need to take Line 1 North to Museum station. The planner is painfully slow compared to just knowing the route.😩” — Tester ＃3
“It was confusing where to find where I could plan.🤨”
— Tester ＃1
Step #5 – Creating user flows based on the current experience to identify inefficiencies in task completion
→ We mapped user flows based on the current experience to understand how users complete key tasks.
Although the flows are relatively simple, the homepage contains a large amount of unprioritized information, making it difficult for users to identify where to start. As a result, users often navigate through unnecessary content before reaching their goal.
This highlights that the main issue lies in the information architecture, rather than task complexity.
Key Insights
The research findings revealed several key insights that guided the redesign:
How did we redesign?
Based on the key insights, the redesign focused on:
Improving clarity
Simplifying navigation
Restructuring the IA around users’ primary needs
We reorganized the content based on key user tasks, ensuring that essential actions such as checking routes, viewing service updates, and planning a trip are easier to access. The new structure reduces unnecessary steps and creates a more intuitive navigation experience.
At the same time, the homepage was redesigned to prioritize important information and provide clearer entry points, helping users quickly understand where to start and how to proceed.
Redesign process included:
Step #1 – Redesigning the information architecture based on key user tasks
→ Based on the identified user needs, I restructured the information architecture to better align with how users approach the TTC website.
Content was reorganized around key tasks such as checking routes, checking prices, viewing service updates, and planning a trip. This helped reduce unnecessary layers and made navigation more intuitive and predictable.
Step #2 – Redesigning the homepage to provide clearer entry points
New TTC website - Homepage
Scroll to see details
→ With the new structure in place, I redesigned the homepage to better prioritize essential information and guide users toward key actions.
The new layout reduces visual clutter, highlights important content, and creates clearer entry points, allowing users to quickly understand where to start and how to proceed.
Step #3 – Validating the redesign through user testing
To evaluate the effectiveness of the redesign, we conducted another round of user testing based on the same key tasks.
The results showed that users were able to navigate more efficiently, identify entry points more quickly, and complete tasks with less effort, indicating improvements in clarity and overall usability.
“Wow! It is rare for the TTC site to be this user-friendly🤩” — Tester ＃1
“Everything I need is right here. I don’t have to look around anymore.😆” — Tester ＃2
“Planning a trip feels straightforward now. I didn’t get lost like before.🤓” — Tester ＃3
“OH the fare information is easier to understand now.😙” — Tester ＃3
“ts so easy, its the first thing you see.😌”
— Tester ＃1
What was the impact?
The redesign made it easier for users to navigate the TTC website and access key information.
Users were able to
Identify entry points quickly
Complete tasks efficiently
Spend less time interpreting information
While the number of steps did not change significantly, users were able to complete tasks faster and with greater confidence.
Before v.s. After
💡 The biggest improvement was not reducing steps, but reducing the effort required to understand where to go.
What did I learn?
This project showed me how strongly information architecture shapes the user experience. Even when tasks are simple, unclear structure and lack of prioritization can significantly increase user effort.
It also reinforced the importance of designing for clarity — helping users quickly understand where to start, rather than simply reducing the number of steps.
💡 Ultimately, the challenge was not complexity, but clarity.
© Jennifer Jiang, 2026