EMTY Commuting App

EMTY was my introduction to UI/UX and to building something collaboratively. We started with a simple question: could knowing which subway cars were crowded help people decide where to board? I designed a Figma prototype around that idea, including crowding and car-condition information. We completed the interface and prototype, but never connected it to live subway data.

Designing for a quick decision

The important decision was simply where to board so I wanted the interface to make crowding and car conditions easy to compare at a glance, especially for elderly, pregnant, or mobility-impaired passengers who may not be able to move between cars once they are on the train.

Letting the team change the pitch

EMTY was my idea, so I was quite protective of how it was presented. Still, one teammate was better at turning it into a pitch, and giving them that space made our presentation stronger. I focused on the design and technical questions while my teammates helped frame why the idea mattered.

We eventually won the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for New York’s 13th District and presented EMTY at the U.S. Capitol.