A Digital Future for TfL

UX, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, PRODUCT DESIGN

In the lead-up to the 2012 Olympics, Transport for London (TfL) needed to future-proof its digital presence. As part of the BAE team appointed as TfL’s digital partner, I was one of the leads for the design strategy and UX for one of the world’s most visited transport websites.

Challenge

TfL’s legacy digital estate faced growing pressure from emerging third-party services. With over 250 million visits a year, a seamless and trusted digital experience was critical, especially with the Olympics approaching. Our brief was broad: imagine the digital future of TfL.

Approach

Conducted in-depth discovery including workshops with TfL stakeholders, on-the-ground user research, and competitor benchmarking.
Developed TfL’s first experience principles, aligning internal teams around a shared vision for digital transformation.
Delivered user-centric UX and code templates, working device-agnostically across mobile, tablet, and desktop.
Created a modular design framework to support scalable content delivery and ongoing operational efficiency.
Integrated real-time data and journey planning tools, prioritising speed, relevance, and personalisation.

Outcomes

Launched a bold new homepage, supported by live journey planners, real-time updates, and an interactive Tube Map.
Introduced a ‘Nearby’ feature surfacing local transport options, from Tube lines to bike hire.
Enabled third-party innovation via a single open API, adopted by over 17,000 developers and powering hundreds of apps.
Delivered immediate performance gains: +10% journey planner usage and +54% weekday mobile traffic in the first 10 weeks.
Won the People’s Lovie Award for Best Government & Civic Website (2014).

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