Freelance design for Helsinki Transit
I pitched this self-initiated project to Helsinki Transit.
It changed how they approach design for non-native speakers.
Good luck learning Finnish
as a foreign language.
Problem
Non-native speakers miss buses because of language confusion.
Signage switches between two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. About 20% of Helsinki's population doesn't understand either.
Finnish
Official language in Finland
Switches to Swedish
Official language in Finland
Key Insight
But the issue isn't translation. It's timing.
Using field ethnography, I mapped the end-to-end service journey to find out exactly where confusion happened and how the existing system communicates.
Service map detail
Full service map scale
Opportunity
So information should adapt to where people are in their journey.
What if, instead of showing more information, only the right information is shown exactly when it's needed?
Current
Journey overview only
New
Phased navigation
Approach
Shifting from static to real-time navigation.
I designed a new navigation flow that activates after people plan and select their route. It follows the stages and key decision moments of the bus journey.
Waiting
Relational location to find right bus on time
Riding
Ride progress to indicate time until next action
Stop
Highlight that physical action is required
Destination
Journey ratings for more consistent data flow
Challenge
But real-time navigation also means real-life chaos.
Designing for stress cases and human factors, not just ideal happy paths.
Low battery
Lite version through notifications
Route changes
Flexible plans for missed buses
Motion sickness
Eyes-free updates through audio
Product Thinking
And real-life implementation needs bite-sizing.
I broke down the product into meaningful, testable phases. Each phase delivering standalone value while building toward the full real-time navigation vision.
Bus usage onboarding
Travel notifications
New home screen
Journey flow
Tracking + voiceover
Maps integration
Handoff
I pitched this unsolicited to Helsinki Transit.
— Helsinki Transit Designers
I reviewed the project directly with the Helsinki Transit team. The phased product breakdown was used right away as a planning tool to start testing V1.
Impact
The onboarding in V1 has been implemented. Government changes halted implementation but the framework stuck.
Now, transit designers consider those who don't speak Finnish, reshaping design for 200k+ daily riders around inclusivity.
What I learned:
You don't have to wait for permission to make change happen.