Designing for Precision: Subway Map
UX Design • 2025 • Kakao Maps
Duration:
March 2025 - June 2025
Role:
UX Designer, Interaction Designer
Tools:
Figma, CursorAI, Protopie
The Brief:
The subway map is a crucial tool for commuters and tourists in Seoul. It is used to navigate the city's extensive subway system, which is one of the most efficient and convenient ways to travel around the city. However, the current subway map is not very user-friendly and does not provide enough information for users to make informed decisions. The goal of this project is to redesign the subway map to be more user-friendly and provide more information for users to make informed decisions.
Impact:
The main challenge was balancing information density with usability. Subway maps inherently contain complex networks of lines, stations, and connections that must be displayed clearly without sacrificing accuracy. Users need to quickly identify their route while understanding transfer points, accessibility features, and real-time updates.
My Solution + My Role at a Glance
In this project, My role included designing interactive elements, refining information hierarchy, and ensuring accessibility across devices. Through iterative testing and user feedback, I optimized the experience for fast decision-making without overwhelming the user.
In this project, My role included designing interactive elements, refining information hierarchy, and ensuring accessibility across devices. Through iterative testing and user feedback, I optimized the experience for fast decision-making without overwhelming the user.
In this project, My role included designing interactive elements, refining information hierarchy, and ensuring accessibility across devices. Through iterative testing and user feedback, I optimized the experience for fast decision-making without overwhelming the user.
Before vs. After: Redesigning Subway Train Visibility
Problem
Most users were unaware of the text-based subway arrival feature which lacked visibility and context.
The Research
How did we start?
We started by conducting user research to understand the pain points of the current subway map.
We started by conducting user research to understand the pain points of the current subway map. We also conducted a competitive analysis of global subway map systems to see what other companies are doing well and what they are doing wrong.
Key considerations included:
• Visual hierarchy to prioritize important information
• Color accessibility for users with vision impairments
• Responsive design for various screen sizes
• Real-time integration with service updates
• Multilingual support for international users
Purpose of Use & Target Users
Why and For Whom
| Users Most Likely to Click (High Intent Users) | Discovery Paths |
|---|---|
| Users planning to board the subway | Case 1. Upon app launch → Shows trains near the user's current location |
| Users currently riding the subway | |
| Users who've selected a subway station and are checking arrival info | Case 3. While panning/zooming the map → Trains appear based on map center |
| Users approaching a specific subway station during travel | Case 4. When a subway is the first result in a directions search, or when the detailed route includes a subway segment |
| Users casually exploring the map and intrigued by dynamic elements → e.g. Post-spectator, goal-based, or exploratory users |
Building it + Prototyping at the Speed of Thought
Rethinking the POC Process with AI
Traditionally, we go through multiple static screens and time-consuming handoffs just to validate a basic idea. For this project, I asked: "What if we skipped Figma polish and jumped straight into interaction?"
Why It Mattered
Stakeholders didn't just see the idea — they used it. This approach helped:
• Align the team faster (decision-making sped up 10×)
• Get immediate feedback on what felt intuitive vs unnecessary
• Free up time to focus on real user needs, not mockup polish
How AI transformed our design process:
| Old Workflow | New Workflow with AI |
|---|---|
| Dozens of static screens | 1 interactive prototype less than few hours |
| Long feedback cycles | Instant feedback via real usage |
| Focus on visuals | Focus on experience & logic |
Results
1. User Engagement & Growth
After the launch of the Live Precision Subway feature:
Subway feature usage increased by 27.24% in two weeks.
Navigation mode usage also rose, with 6.29% (Week 1) and 5.30% (Week 2) of Kakao Maps users engaging with it.
2. User Behavior Metrics
Train Location Button Engagement:
Week 1: 1,155,103 clicks.
Week 2: 1,577,456 clicks.
These insights validate high user interest in real-time train data and suggest effective visibility and interaction design.
3. Positive Feature Reception
Feedback highlighted descriptors like:
"Fascinating", "Cute", "Intuitive", and "Mesmerizing"
This points to a strong emotional and experiential connection with the new design.
