PRODUCT DESIGN • RESEARCH
Redesigning mobile tickets for faster, frictionless validation
The challenge looked simple: the QR code was difficult to scan.
But the deeper problem was bigger. The ticket had to work across different validation methods, physical hardware, ticket types and agency requirements — while still making the most important action obvious to users.
Team & my role:
Senior Product Designer working closely with a Product Manager and a team of 4 engineers. I owned UX and UI end-to-end, from discovery to delivery.
Problem area
When digital tickets meet physical hardware
A mobile ticket can look perfectly usable on a screen and still fail when someone tries to use it in the real world.
The old ticket design placed the QR code at the bottom of the screen. During validation, users had to position their phones awkwardly in front of physical validators, sometimes rotating or repositioning their device to get a successful scan.
At the same time, the ticket was becoming more complex. More ticket information and new ticket states meant the QR code risked being pushed even further down the screen — making the most important part of the experience harder to access.
The problem wasn't simply: "The QR code needs to move."
The problem was:
How do we design a ticket around the moment of validation, while still supporting everything users and transport agencies need?
That became the foundation for the redesign.
Research
Understanding the validation moment
Solution
Designing around validation
The first change was to rethink the hierarchy of the ticket.
Instead of treating the QR code as another piece of ticket information, we made validation the primary focus of the experience. The QR code became easier to access and position against a validator, while the most important ticket information remained visible and easy to understand.
The redesign also made the ticket state much clearer. When a ticket is active, users need to be able to recognise that immediately — particularly in situations where a ticket is being visually inspected rather than scanned.
The result is a simpler hierarchy that works for both users and inspectors, without adding unnecessary complexity to the interface.
Early validation
Clearer moments, more confident validation
The first month after launch showed a 12% increase in validation success rate. That result matters because it reflects an experience that works more reliably in the real world — not just in a design review. The biggest learning was that a ticket is only successful when its most important action is easy to recognise, reach and complete in the physical context where it is used. By giving validation clearer visual priority while keeping key ticket information accessible, we improved confidence for riders and made the moment of inspection less fragile.
