Transit Stats App
As a daily Chicago CTA rider, I wanted to track my own transit data accurately, but nothing existed to do it. So I built Transit Stats, the first app designed to turn public transit rides into meaningful personal analytics. From concept to App Store launch in four months, I designed the brand, all the UI/UX, and website while writing the backend code as well as the frontend code with the help of AI tools.
- Role
- Founder, Product Designer
- Years
- 2025-2026
- Scope
- Strategy, UI/UX Design, Branding
Challenge
Public transit generates an enormous amount of data, yet almost none of it ever reaches the rider. As a daily CTA rider, I had no way to track my trips, measure my impact, or understand my habits over time. I wanted to take Chicago’s overlooked transit data and make it personal, useful, and fun.
Impact
1,500+
Users Acquired
100+ Premium Users
Paying for Pro
400+
Daily Active Users
4.7/5 Rating
On the App Store
Data
0
Rides Taken
0
Miles Traveled
0
Hours Recorded
Who I Designed For
I designed with two types of users in mind. The daily commuter takes the same routes every day and wants to understand their habits, which I learned from friends who commute to work on the CTA. The city explorer is always riding somewhere new and wants to see that impact. That one is me. Every feature in the app serves one or both of them.
User Type 1
The Daily Commuter
Rides the same lines from the same stops on a regular basis
Wants to understand their habits: time, distance, and most-used lines
Wants their daily commute to add up to something visible
Interested in baseline stats, leaderboard, and environmental impact
User Type 2
The City Explorer
Always going new places, riding new routes and visiting new stops
Treats the transit map like a checklist to complete
Wants credit for every new stop and line they reach
Interested in total coverage, achievements, and leaderboards
User Type 1
The Daily Commuter
Rides the same lines from the same stops on a regular basis
Wants to understand their habits: time, distance, and most-used lines
Wants their daily commute to add up to something visible
Interested in baseline stats, leaderboard, and environmental impact
User Type 2
The City Explorer
Always going new places, riding new routes and visiting new stops
Treats the transit map like a checklist to complete
Wants credit for every new stop and line they reach
Interested in total coverage, achievements, and leaderboards
Feature Mapping
I organized my own ideas as well as feedback and thoughts from friends into core feature categories, then detailed the capabilities within each one, grounded in what I wanted as a daily CTA rider and what my friends in Chicago wanted from the app.
Design Process
The app design evolved from early sketches to two rounds of wireframes before reaching the final polished UI. This progression shows the refinement and thinking that shaped Transit Stats from concept to launch-ready product.
Key Experiences
Key Experiences
Live Tracking
At the core of Transit Stats is live tracking. One tap starts a ride in real-time, smart GPS and geohashing detect your line and stops automatically, and battery-optimized tracking captures distance and time efficiently.
Coverage Map & Ride History
Ride history and the coverage map let riders explore how they move through the city. Every trip is quickly logged, filterable by transit type, while a personal map reveals the stops you’ve visited and tracks your progress across the entire network.
Stats & Achievements
Detailed stats break down distance, ride time, trips, CO₂ saved, and most-used line across weekly, monthly, and yearly views, while the achievements system celebrates milestones from a first CTA ride to mastering the entire network.
Leaderboard
City-wide leaderboards bring a competitive, social dimension to Transit Stats, ranking riders by trips, distance, and emissions saved. Filterable by time period, they were designed to boost engagement and give riders a reason to keep coming back.
Website
The marketing site had to explain the app clearly and simply as well as turn visitors into downloads. I designed and built it to carry the brand identity through every piece of the site.
Branding, Marketing, & Advertising
I designed the brand and marketing presence, from the logo, palette, and typography to advertising built to drive downloads.
Surprise Appearance on the Chicago News
Transit Stats caught the attention of local media, earning a spot on Fox 32 Chicago. I sat down on-air to talk about the app, the story behind it, and what it means for the city’s transit riders.
User Feedback
Feedback from users sharing their experience after the app launched.
Ridiculous overkill for neurotic transit nerds. I love it.
matthewmagellan
Transit Stats User
Woah this is so sick. I have to say, as a UI designer the app is really well built, easy to use, and super fast! Awesome job on the backend.
Confident-Rabbit-876
Transit Stats User