About:
EasyTicket is a mobile app concept that gives riders a free SMS ticket for Prague public transport. Instead of paying, you watch a few ads, and the number of ads matches the length of the ticket.
Category:
Mobile app concept
Year:
2018
Location:
Prague, Czech Republic
Tools:
Figma
Research
Define
Prototype
Test
The problem:
Short trips in Prague feel overpriced, so many people walk or skip the ticket, especially in the centre.
Goal:
Design a free, account-less way to get an official ticket, paid for by advertising and proportional to the length of the trip.
My role:
Mobile research, user interviews, brainstorming, idea iteration, user testing, UI design and customer reports.
Methods:
•
Mobile research
•
User interviews
•
Brainstorming
•
Persona
•
Visual thinking
•
Wireframing
•
Prototyping
•
Moderated user testing
Research
Prague has good public transport, yet short trips still felt overpriced. I started with the people who quietly walk instead of buying a ticket.
/01
Desk research
I looked at how fares, zones and ticket types work in Prague and how people actually move through the city, including what they share about everyday commuting. A single ticket costs the same whether you ride two stations or forty minutes, so short trips are where people opt out.
/02
Persona: Jana, 32
A travel lover working full time at a publishing house, who enjoys coffee and the city.
“I often wonder whether to walk or take public transport. I love to take pictures and there is always so much to see in Prague that I don't even keep up with my schedule.”
“I don't want to buy a ticket that is overpriced for only two stations, so I often walk around the city centre and only buy a ticket for longer journeys.”
/03
Strategy
Four statements shaped the concept: we need to build better options; a different business model for Prague public transport; a free mobile app; a free service for everyone. The ticket stays a real DPP ticket. Only who pays for it changes.
/04
Moodboard
City life, platforms and people on the move set the tone: dark, photographic and fast, with one strong accent colour for action.
Define
One flow, from opening the app to a valid ticket in your SMS inbox.
/01
The flow
Sign in with just a phone number and a four-digit SMS code, no account. Then pick a fare quickly, or let the smart map recommend one from your route. Watch the ads that pay for it, and the official ticket arrives by SMS. Skipping the ad returns you to the fare choice, so nobody gets stuck.
Develop
Grey wireframes first, to test structure before style.
/01
Recommended fare and automatic location
The home screen asks one question, “where are we going?”, and answers it with a recommended fare. The map fills in your current location automatically, so most trips need a single tap.
/02
From fare to SMS
Choosing the fare, starting the ad and receiving the SMS ticket were wireframed as one continuous strip, so every step clearly leads to the next.
Deliver
Redesigned for Prague in 2026: a light, calm interface built on the city's own line colours, with one red action per screen.
/01
Onboarding
Phone number, a four-digit SMS code and you're in. No account, no card: the welcome screen promises one thing, a valid ticket for zones P, 0 and B.
/02
Ticket flow
Home asks where you're going and prices every fare in ads: 2 for 30 minutes, 6 for 90 minutes, 20 for a day. The route view recommends the fare that covers the trip, the ad player shows progress, and the ticket arrives as a live card with a countdown, a QR code and an SMS backup.
/03
Prototype
Ordering a ticket end to end: from the welcome screen to a valid 90-minute ticket and the SMS on the lock screen.
Outcome
A concept, not a shipped product, and an honest look at what it would take.
/01
What the concept shows
A free ticket can stay a real DPP ticket while advertising pays for it. The design keeps the rider's effort proportional to the trip: a short hop costs two short ads, a three-day pass costs many more.
/02
What I learned
The hardest part of a free service is the price nobody sees. Making the cost explicit, in ads per fare, kept the model honest and the interface simple.
/03
Next steps
Validate the ads-per-fare ratio with DPP and advertisers, then test the flow with commuters and tourists, especially the moment people decide whether watching seven ads is worth a 90-minute ride.
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