User-led design: inside the Virgin Trains Ticketing app’s new railcard purchase feature
From research to release: how user insights shaped the new railcard feature in the Virgin Trains Ticketing app.
Understanding user needs
When developing the Virgin Trains Ticketing (VTT) app, early user testing and Virgin Red’s Diary Studies helped us understand the real-world challenges users face when travelling.
Many VTT customers were using a railcard with their bookings in order to benefit from a discount and one recurring insight was clear: customers wanted to be able to purchase railcards through the app as well as purchase their tickets; a one-stop shop!
This need directly influenced our approach to designing and building the railcard retailing feature. Here’s how we went about it.
Working with partners
Railways in the UK is a regulated sector; every machine or system which sells inter-available tickets for travel on the National Rail network is subject to accreditation. So, when preparing to sell VTT railcards, it was natural for us to approach our existing partner, Fast Rail Ticketing Group (FRT), who have a Cloud Railcards product, rather than reinventing the wheel ourselves.
The basic flow for purchasing railcards can be summarised as:
- Presenting customers with a white-labelled website, produced by FRT, which enables the purchase journey and provides after-sales support, such as confirmation emails with a download code, support for railcard renewals, and FAQs.
- Integrating the FRT and VTT systems through APIs developed on both sides to enable the railcard feature to work efficiently.
Feature design and planning
As is customary for Brightec clients, there was a period of UX & UI research and design planning; exploring how Railcard Retailing would be integrated into the app, followed by a build phase where engineering ensured everything worked as expected.
App Development - new screens and purchase flow
- A new Railcard section of the app was designed that could both signpost how to purchase your first railcard and serve as a home for any railcards a customer had already purchased:
2. Clicking on the CTA to purchase a Railcard takes the customer out of the VTT app and into the white-labelled website where the customer can choose the type of railcard and make their purchase:
3. A purchase confirmation email contains a download code that the customer uses to add the railcard to their app:
4. There are strict specifications for how a valid railcard should be displayed within the app, including the background colour, layout and font sizes. There are also built-in security measures to prevent screen recordings, so a design file is used to show how it looks:
5. Multiple railcards can be added to the app and a carousel is used to display them all:
Railcard launch
The railcard retailing feature went live in August 2024 and was accompanied by a very popular bonus point campaign for every railcard purchased. Additional assets were designed and strategically placed within the app to announce the availability of Railcard Retailing and show users where to find it.
In addition to the white-labelled website, we also created a railcard section on the VTT website, supporting the new feature and providing a quick link into the purchase journey.
Hot off the press
In hot-off-the-press news, the latest release of the app (3.39.0) also contains a small change sparked by recent customer feedback. Users told us that if they’ve booked a ticket using a railcard and already have that same railcard saved in the app, it should be easier to access it during their journey. So now, from the eTickets screen, customers can tap straight through to view their linked railcard.
A feature shaped by real journeys
From user diaries to final delivery, this feature is a great example of how listening closely leads to better design. By understanding how people really travel, we’ve built a railcard experience that’s simple, integrated and genuinely useful.
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