Context: Traveling During the Pandemic

The year was 2021… people were slowly leaving their homes again after months of isolation. The country (and the world) was still breathing fear, but also a renewed sense of hope.

Buser was growing as a more accessible alternative to traditional bus terminals — not just due to digital convenience, but mainly because tickets could be up to 60% cheaper than those at physical counters.

“In a moment of reunions, our challenge was simple and enormous at the same time: making the digital experience feel warm and human.”

This price difference made the service more inclusive and democratic, allowing many more people to travel and reunite with their loved ones — and I had the privilege of being the designer responsible for the app’s redesign.

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The Challenge

We were speaking to an audience that was often:

• not digitally savvy,

• low-income,

• and in many cases, traveling via an app for the first time.

We needed to translate Buser’s value proposition — safety, affordability, and freedom — into a simple, empathetic, and human-centered experience.

The primary goal was to alleviate user anxiety throughout the entire journey, from purchasing the ticket to boarding.

Everything needed to be self-explanatory — even for someone who had never completed an online purchase before.

“More than an app, we created a travel companion.”

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Design That Comes From the Streets

I went to the field.
I spoke with passengers at several boarding points in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, observed their experiences, and took actual trips myself to experience the journey firsthand.

“Nothing replaces the learning that happens there — with the sun hitting the screen, the noise of the bus station, and the fear of missing the bus.”

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A Multiplatform Experience: Designed for Mobile and Desktop

a) Inclusion, accessibility, and consistency as redesign pillars

While most trips were purchased through smartphones, especially by frequent Buser users, a significant number of people booked on desktops — in lan houses, old computers, or even with the help of family members.

Ignoring this audience would mean limiting the product’s accessibility.

So from the very beginning, we treated the redesign as a multiplatform project, ensuring the same clarity, predictability, and safety on any device.

b) Consistency across screens, components, and flows

We created visual and behavioral patterns that worked seamlessly on both mobile and desktop:

• Information hierarchies adapted to both small and large screens

• Responsive components derived from the Andromeda Design System

  
  

• Simplified structures focused on frictionless checkout

• Equivalent micro-interactions to reduce mental friction

• Consistent icons, colors, and spacing for immediate recognition

This ensured users didn’t have to “relearn” Buser every time they switched devices.

By offering a robust, lightweight, and intuitive experience across both platforms, we made the product more democratic and expanded its reach.

“The redesign wasn’t just about interface — it was about experience, strategy, and accessibility across multiple devices.”

c) Perceived Results

Customer Support's team began receiving fewer questions from users switching between mobile and desktop, thanks to unified visual language and mirrored journeys.

Internal analyses also showed a higher completion rate on desktop after the checkout simplification.

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The 5 Most Impactful Experience Improvements

1 — Clearer Trip Status

Clear status indicators reduce uncertainty — one of the biggest triggers of user anxiety in transactional apps.

• We implemented clear visual states (color, icons, micro-interactions) for each moment:

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• “Trip confirmed”

• “Boarding soon”

• “Boarding in progress”

• “Trip completed.”

This reduced support calls related to trip status by 42% and increased passengers’ sense of control.

💡 Best practices applied: progressive disclosure, state indicators, and emotional design principles to reduce uncertainty and make status easy to understand.

2 — More Human Messaging

With human-centered language, we reduced emotional friction and improved understanding.

Users feel calmer when they know what’s going to happen — before it happens.

Instead of “Bus delayed,” the message became: “Your bus is on the way. Traffic is heavy, but don’t worry — you’ll be notified as soon as it arrives.”

This simple UX Writing change generated a +37% increase in satisfaction (NPS).

💡 Best practices applied: empathetic tone and focus on emotional reassurance.

3 — Bus Photo + License Plate

We added visual cues + text + context, combining visual and verbal cognitive styles.
Real images connect the digital experience with the physical environment.

• We included a real photo of the vehicle and its license plate — reducing confusion at busy boarding points.

• This directly resulted in a 25% reduction in incorrect boardings reported to support.

💡 Best practice applied: recognition over recall — reducing users’ cognitive load and preventing errors.

4 — Route, Photos, and Maps of Boarding/Drop-off Locations

Maps help users build a mental model of where they are and where they need to go.
Real photos work as urban landmarks, extremely effective for navigation.

Many passengers didn’t know the city they were boarding in.

• We added real photos, interactive maps, and clear descriptions (“next to Hotel Golden Tulip”, “inside Shopping Colinas parking lot”).

• This led to a 48% drop in location-related doubts.

💡 Best practice applied: spatial orientation and landmark-based navigation, supported by NN/g and Google Material studies.

5 — Simplified Payment Checkout

The old checkout required several redundant screens and fields. I redesigned it to be linear, direct, and supported by real-time validation.

Removing unnecessary steps reduced cognitive load — allowing users to focus on the purchase, not the interface.

The result was a 31% increase in payment conversions.

💡 Best practice applied: frictionless UX, optimized form design, and cognitive load reduction.

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The Real Impact After the Redesign

Although the entire project was guided by empathy, real conversations, and fieldwork, the impact of this redesign goes far beyond emotion.

It can — and should — be measured.

Because in the end, a good experience isn’t just felt — it’s proven.

The numbers tell the story, but they are only part of it.

Behind every metric, there’s a person who traveled with more safety, less anxiety, and more confidence.
And that’s where design fulfills its purpose: turning data into meaning, and technology into care.

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