How I Designed Iraq’s First Public Transport App: From Chaos to Clarity

Introduction

Getting around Baghdad’s public transport system feels like solving a puzzle without all the pieces. There are no fixed bus stops or timetables, and information is mostly shared by word of mouth. As a result, people rely on private cars and taxis, making public transit an underused option.

Transit Lab is Iraq’s first bilingual transit app, designed to change that. This case study walks you through how we tackled the challenge, making public transport more accessible and user-friendly.

👩🏻‍💻🧑🏼‍💻👨🏽‍💻 Team:

Collaborated with a team of developers, a senior designer, and the founder.

⏰ Timeline:

4 months to launch, with iterations that continue to this day.

🛠️ Tools used:

Figma, Miro, Zoom, Notion, and Maze.

The Problem

Public transport in Baghdad is a mystery:

• No fixed bus stops or timetables
• No centralized source for routes or schedules
• Tourists struggle due to language barriers

This forces many to depend on cars, worsening traffic and limiting access to affordable transportation.

Objectives and Goals

We aimed to increase the percentage of users who report increased reliance on public transport after using the app. This would be measured through user feedback.

Transit Lab provides clear, up-to-date transit information, allowing users to:

✅ View bus routes on a map

✅ Search for destinations

✅ Check estimated schedules

✅ Report changes to improve accuracy

✅ Use the app in Arabic and English

Research and Insights

With limited time and resources, I turned to secondary research. I studied similar apps, analyzed public transport systems in comparable cities, and brainstormed with team members in Baghdad. This approach allowed us to design a practical and user-friendly solution despite constraints.

Pain Points:

🚍 Lack of information: Users struggle to find reliable information.

📍 No fixed stops/timetables: This creates uncertainty and confusion for users.

🚗 Over-reliance on cars: To avoid the chaos of public transport, people rely on cars creating traffic congestion and environmental strain.

🗣 Language barriers: Local guidance is needed for tourists and people who don't speak Arabic.

Ideation and Concept Development:

We addressed these pain points in our brainstorming sessions by creating: 

🚍 A centralized source for routes and schedules

📍 Estimated schedules and user-reported updates

🚗 A user-friendly alternative to encourage public transit use

🗣 Bilingual support in Arabic and English

Design Process

We prioritized simplicity, knowing some users might have limited smartphone experience.

🔹 Wireframing & Prototyping: I started with sketches and then moved to Figma, iterating based on team feedback.

🔹 Visual Design: Clean interface, readable typography, intuitive icons, and a minimalistic layout for easy navigation.

🔹 Testing & Refinement: Interactive prototypes were tested internally, leading to multiple refinements before development.

Challenges and Solutions

🚧 No official transit data: We relied on crowdsourced reports while working to collaborate with local authorities.

📲 Adapting to constant changes: Users can report route updates, keeping information relevant.

Outcome

🚀 The English version of Transit Lab is live! This marked a big step toward making public transportation in Baghdad more accessible.

🔜 The Arabic version is on the way.

📊 Impact will be measured through user feedback, focusing on increased public transit use. The accuracy will increase with time as more and more users report inconsistencies.

🔄 Continuous updates will improve accuracy and usability over time. Continuous iterations and updates will help Transit Lab evolve alongside its users’ needs and create a lasting solution for Baghdad’s urban mobility challenges.

In the long term, the impact of Transit Lab will be measured through user research. Our main KPI focuses on increasing the percentage of users who rely more on public transport after using the app.

Reflection

Working on Transit Lab was an incredible learning experience that challenged me to think creatively and adapt quickly. 

✨ Creativity thrives under constraints – Limited resources pushed us to find alternative research methods. I learned to use secondary research, open-source solutions, and informal feedback to design a helpful app.

✨ Iteration is key – Launching an MVP allowed us to improve based on real-world feedback.

✨ User collaboration matters – Crowdsourced data ensures accuracy and relevance.

If I could do things differently next time, I would advocate for more time and resources to conduct thorough user research early on. Gaining deeper insights from users would help uncover hidden pain points and create even more user-centric solutions.

Conclusion

This project was a journey of creative problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration, showing that even. Although it is too early to assess the full impact, its potential to improve urban mobility is immense. I’m excited to see how Transit Lab evolves with user feedback and ongoing improvements, and I look forward to applying the lessons learned here to future projects that make a real difference.

Interested in user-friendly, accessible design? Let’s chat! 😊

Email me at: hajarshakir0@gmail.com

Find me on LinkedIn and Behance