Senior UX Designer Travel & Transportation
IBM logo Apple logo IBM MobileFirst logo ÖBB logo

ÖBB Tickets — Digitizing Rail Workforce Operations

Replacing paper-heavy conductor workflows with a consolidated, iOS-native mobile ticketing experience.

"Train conductors across ÖBB's network were relying on paper tickets, handwritten logs, and separate handheld devices just to sell a ticket, apply a discount, or check a schedule. I led the end-to-end UX strategy for a single consolidated iOS app — replacing that fragmented, paper-heavy workflow with one streamlined tool for ticket sales, seat upgrades, cross-sell offers, discount application, cash management, and schedule access."

IBM + Apple: Strategic Alliance Overview - Reimagining Enterprise Mobility

Apple and IBM announced a first-of-its-kind partnership: pairing IBM's enterprise data and analytics expertise with Apple's native iOS platform to build a new class of business apps. As part of this alliance, I led design across three flagship products — Train Tickets, Safe Site, and Field Connect — spanning transportation, industrial safety, and field operations. This case study focuses on the first: Train Tickets.

The Core Ecosystem

A historic joint-venture deploying IBM's big data capability onto native iOS frameworks to deliver elite enterprise mobility suites to sectors spanning Travel & Transportation, Healthcare, and Retail.

Design & Execution

Led deep end-to-end alignment across UX, UI, and Information Architecture. Guided the core system through three distinct data-driven deployment cycles to optimize scaling app catalogs.

Technical Velocity

Scaled cross-functional design frameworks to support the integration of native machine learning, bridging IBM Watson-ML with Apple Core ML for intelligent on-device workflows.

Pillar 1

App Consolidation & Information Architecture

iOS Application Strategy

01

Unified Ticketing Surface for Multiple Ticket Types and Journey Routes

Conductors needed one place to handle diverse ticket types, discount systems, and route complexities instead of juggling separate tools and paper logs.

  • • Facilitated consolidation vs. separation conversations through process flow visualization and lo-fi prototyping.
  • • Owned complex information architecture for ticket types, journey routes, and discount systems.

"Led end-to-end UX strategy for the Train Tickets app, specifically owning the complex information architecture for ticket types, journey routes, and discount systems while driving cross-functional collaboration between PM, engineering, and client stakeholders."

Pillar 2

Process Flow & Journey Mapping

IBM Design Thinking

02

Day-in-the-Life Mapping for Mobile Workforce Transformation

Winning user trust required deep understanding of conductor workflows in motion—on crowded trains, under time pressure, and without desk-based comforts.

  • • Created personas, journey maps, and empathy maps through direct engagement with a board of train attendants.
  • • Applied IBM Design Thinking methodology to align PMs, POs, and Engineering around real-world usage patterns.

"Created personas, journey and empathy maps, and engaged with a board of users to build day-in-the-life journey maps that directly informed the mobile interaction model."

Pillar 3

Landing Screen & Ticket Complexity

High-Density Mobile UI

03

Simplifying a Crowded Entry Point Without Losing Functional Depth

The landing screen was the app's most contested surface—conductors needed instant access to ticket sales, schedule info, and cash tools without cognitive overload.

  • • Iterated on the landing screen to wrangle ticket-types, journey routes, and connecting-train scenarios.
  • • Maintained close feedback loops with ÖBB train attendants to validate use-case alignment.

"Tackled various UI iterations including the landing screen which was quite challenging, wrangling various ticket-types and journey routes while verifying how passengers would deal with connecting trains and their schedules."

01 / Project Deep Dive

App Consolidation & Information Architecture

Consolidating ticket workflows into a single app required resolving the client's push for separate apps per ticket type, which would have recreated the very fragmentation conductors needed to escape.

Senior UX Designer iOS Application Strategy & IA

ÖBB conductors were burdened by paper logs, separate systems, and inconsistent interfaces for different ticket types. The client team initially pushed for separate apps to reduce technical complexity, but that would have fragmented the conductor's daily workflow and increased training overhead.

System Metrics & Complexity

  • Platform: iPhone / iOS
  • Core Persona: Train conductors
  • Constraint Type: App consolidation vs. separation

The Operational Friction

Conductors switched between paper ticket books, handheld devices, and fragmented app interfaces throughout a single journey. They had no easy way to check opening cash float or end-of-day remaining balance, and each ticket type and discount category lived in a separate workflow, slowing transactions and increasing error rates during peak travel times.

The Architectural Response

I advocated for a consolidated app experience and backed the decision with process-flow visualization and lo-fi prototypes. The unified information architecture grouped ticket types, journey routes, and discounts into a single scannable hierarchy, reducing cognitive load while accepting higher initial integration complexity.

ÖBB Tickets — consolidated iOS ticketing interface on iPhone 15 Pro
ÖBB Tickets — consolidated ticket screen detail
02 / Project Deep Dive

Process Flow & Journey Mapping

We translated field observations from moving trains into concrete interaction decisions through IBM Design Thinking workshops and direct conductor engagement.

Senior UX Designer IBM Design Thinking & User Research

Designing for a workforce that rarely sits at a desk required embedding ourselves in the conductor's environment. We used IBM Design Thinking to translate observational research into concrete interaction decisions.

System Metrics & Complexity

  • Method: IBM Design Thinking
  • Research: Journey & empathy maps
  • Users: ÖBB train attendants

The Operational Friction

User research surfaced five recurring pain points: conductors were overburdened by heavy and archaic equipment, struggled to sell certain ticket types, lacked an easy way to apply discounts, needed clearer opening and end-of-day cash float visibility, and had difficulty answering passenger questions about train delays and schedules. The lack of a shared mental model between stakeholders also led to conflicting app proposals and delayed decision-making.

The Architectural Response

I created personas, journey maps, and empathy maps with direct user input, then used those artifacts to align PM, POs, and Engineering. Daily scenario discussions and recorded pain points were prioritized by frequency and severity, giving the team a defensible roadmap grounded in actual conductor behavior.

ÖBB Tickets — day in the life empathy and journey mapping
ÖBB Tickets — train ticket screen flow diagram
03 / Project Deep Dive

Landing Screen & Ticket Complexity

Designed a high-density mobile entry point that gave conductors instant access without overwhelming them at the start of each interaction.

Senior UX Designer High-Density Mobile UI

The landing screen had to compress multiple job functions into a single starting point: ticket sales, discount application, cash management, and schedule lookups. Each function carried its own edge cases and stakeholder priorities.

System Metrics & Complexity

  • Surface: iPhone landing screen
  • Challenge: Multiple ticket types & routes
  • Goal: Zero learning curve

The Operational Friction

Early concepts either buried critical actions behind deep navigation or crowded the home screen with every possible function. The team also struggled with how connecting-train schedules should surface without creating duplicate mental models.

The Architectural Response

I iterated on the landing screen using feedback from ÖBB train attendants, sorting functions by frequency of use and visual grouping. The final layout prioritized ticket sales and cash actions while tucking schedule lookups into a contextual, easily reachable secondary layer.

ÖBB Tickets — landing screen and find tickets UI iterations
ÖBB Tickets — sign-in and landing screen iterations
Shipping Reality

Project-Wide Reflection

Shipping an enterprise mobile app for a public transportation workforce required navigating hard constraints around legacy backend systems, user trust, and launch timing.

What Engineering Called Impossible

Engineering initially pushed for separate apps for different ticket types to reduce integration complexity. I advocated for a consolidated experience, accepting higher upfront development effort in exchange for a unified mental model and reduced conductor training burden.

MVP Cuts & Phasing Strategy

Legacy backend systems couldn't support real-time inventory updates, so we implemented an optimistic UI with periodic sync—accepting slight data staleness for significantly improved perceived performance. Advanced server-side filtering and deeper automation were cut from the MVP and scheduled for follow-up releases.

In the News

Coverage & Press

TIME: Apple & IBM Enterprise Partnership

Context on the broader Apple + IBM enterprise mobility initiative behind the project.

Forbes: Design Over Data

Perspective on why the Apple + IBM partnership mattered for enterprise design.
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