OFF-RAIL
Encouraging Seattle exploration through curated light rail zines.
4 Designers
Team
UX Researcher
Visual Designer
Role
Winter 2026
8 weeks
Duration
Procreate
Illustrator
InDesign
Figma
Tools
Full video demo
Sample product photos
RESEARCH
Cracking the “Seattle Freeze”
To understand our demographic and key challenges better, our team went through a series of semi-structured interviews with eight participants. We recruited a mixture of Seattle transplants, long-time residents, and small business owners.
Here were our key participants:
Boba
Seattle resident of four months.
Works hybrid for a professional services firm.
Cake
Seattle resident of ten years.
Works remotely for a technology startup.
Coffee
Seattle resident of more than twenty years.
Owner of a popular local sports bar in Seattle.
Tomato
Seattle resident of two years.
Works hybrid for a global technology company.
Because I have to account for transit time, I'm less willing to just do things on the fly. If I don't already have plans made, I’ll just stay home.
The barrier to go out and explore a third space has to be incredibly low, because trying to get past shallow talk and make deeper connections here in Seattle is already hard enough.
Tomato
Insights and opportunities
Interviewees expressed a strong desire for novelty and community, but felt hindered by the high “logistical tax” of socializing in Seattle. Between the effort of planning around transit schedules, the financial burden of going out, and the pressure of initiating conversations, retreating to the comfort of home often became the easiest choice.
An overload of variables induces decision paralysis, preventing people from inviting connection.
Many variables affecting social interaction cannot be controlled, putting significant pressure on the quality of the possible choices. Fatigue from the decision making process of everyday life makes isolation the easier choice over high-pressure social situations.
Decision Paralysis
Familiarity cushions vulnerability but blocks novelty.
People crave the novelty of a new crowd but rely on the familiarity of a trusted friend to mitigate the risk of entering the space alone. Paradoxically, this safety net becomes a barrier. The comfort of the known group insulates them from new connections.
Novelty and Familiarity
Digital spaces maintain connections through the sharing of information while physical spaces strengthen those bonds through sharing of experience.
However, because the "logistical tax" of transit, cost, and energy is so high, face-to-face interaction has shifted from a daily habit to a high-pressure planned event, and people retreat to digital spaces instead.
Digital v.s. Physical
Synthesizing and combining ideas
After gathering our ideas together, we did a general “vibe check,” identifying which concepts excited us and which should be discarded. We also discarded ideas that felt “incomplete,” either because they didn’t address our How Might We properly, or required additional features.
We then grouped similar ideas together by theme, evaluating the rest of the ideas through the lens of insights and pain-points we identified through our original contextual inquiry.
Our 60 unique ideas
HMW STATEMENT
How might we design low-pressure, shared third-place experiences that help Seattle residents overcome the barrier of exploring their city and build local belonging and meaningful connections?
Settling on the Off-Rail concept
We decided to go with our concept of Off-Rail as it directly addressed the issue of convenience and accessibility, utilizing the existing transit system in place in Seattle while also helping foster social connections.
3 final concepts posters
Participatory design posters
Insights and opportunities
Feedback revealed that our initial idea of a large screen/jumbotron at each station, creating a neighborhood map, felt too "gimmicky" and public. Our users liked the form factor of the passport, however, preferring a light, easy-to-read product. They enjoyed that the product was low-pressure and sparked interaction without feeling restrictive. Additionally, they also emphasized they would want this product to have playful branding that feels uniquely "Seattle."
This led us to simplify the concept into an easy-to-read physical zine with neighborhood-specific branding that encourages shared exploration and connections.
Various prototypes we made
User feedback
Our participants preferred the zine as it was more pocket-sized, discreet, and community-oriented. We also received valuable feedback on considering seasonality, as many Seattle activities depend on the season.
Moodboarding and concept development
FINAL CONCEPT
Zines centred around neighbourhood exploration and shared experiences in Seattle.
Off-Rail is a biannually updated series of transit zines designed to transform everyday Seattle light rail commutes into shared neighborhood explorations. Zines feature specific third places, contain information about upcoming events, and provide conversation starters through fun activities such as bingo and a reflection page.
Our final deliverables included the overarching Off-Rail brand and advertising campaign, alongside two fully realized, uniquely branded zines for the International District and Capitol Hill.
A big thank you to my wonderful teammates: Ceci, Nancy, and Lili!
BACK TO TOP
SYNTHESIS
Defining our solution space
Based on our research, we identified three key insights to use as guiding stars in our design solution, and developed a how might we statement that reflected these findings.
CONTEXT
Why does exploring a new city and finding a community feel so exhausting for Seattle’s young professionals?
Seattle is a rapidly growing city of transplants who frequently experience social isolation and feel disconnected from the culture of their new neighbourhoods. We chose to focus on this space because young professionals want to build community, but they constantly struggle to overcome the daunting initial barriers of effort, cost, and time required to actively explore an unfamiliar city.
Brainstorming and exploring the possibilities
After establishing our solution statement and insights/design principles, we rapidly sketched 60 potential solutions (15 each!), focusing on creativity and concept rather than a perfect solution.
IDEATION
From 60 unique ideas to one core concept
We narrowed down the initial Our first concept, AMIO, was a Tamagotchi-style keychain that nudged users to connect with their friends. However, one user stated the "cute" form factor and nudging would annoy them after a long day of work. This feedback pushed us to empathize strongly with our demographic, even if we were more biased towards an idea.
DOWNSELECTION
Creating rough prototypes for user feedback
We created a low-fidelity prototype of a potential zine and other form factors we were exploring such as a brochure/pamphlet. We presented this physical prototype along with a storyboard to our two users to gain feedback on the physical form and the experience of the storyboard before proceeding with high-fidelity prototyping.
PROTOTYPING & USER FEEDBACK
Creating a branding concept with the zines
To be paired alongside the zines, we decided to come up with a branding concept in order to advertise this product. Ultimately, we designed two medium sized posters and one large billboard poster to be displayed in the light rail stations.
BRANDING EXPLORATION
Uncovering hidden spots of Seattle’s light rail neighbourhoods
Off-Rail is a design solution that transforms the “logistical tax” of commuting into an opportunity for social discovery. By activating Seattle light rail stations with neighbourhood-specific zines, the project encourages those in Seattle to break the “Seattle Freeze” and build deeper connections with the city’s informal gathering spots.
OVERVIEW
Co-designing with our users
To further refine our Off-Rail idea, we led two participatory design workshops with two Seattle workers who regularly use the light-rail to help shape a stronger central idea. Through activities focused on drawing/moodboarding, roleplaying, and responding to scenarios, we gained valuable insights into our design direction.
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN