Snap Inc. Internship: Snap x LA Metro Collaboration

As a Design Intern at Snap Inc., I crafted a potential partnership with LA Metro that included a Snapchat feature aimed at incentivizing public transit usage.

Early ideas included a Transit Mode displaying transit paths and wait times on Snapchat Maps, but I figured existing apps do those things well enough. Ultimately, I decided the main feature should be a collection of unique, Metro-branded Snapchat lenses users unlock by scanning Snapcodes found at transit stations.

A collage of brainstorming notes. One panel shows my thoughts on how to promote the feature. One panel shows a list of some of my initial ideas for the feature, and one panel shows my sketch of a redesigned chillah ghost.
Some brainstorming notes and ideation sketches.

I considered how to ensure users get on transit in order to interact with the Snap x Metro experiences. Snapchat users love gamification and achievement symbols like streaks, so I thought about including a Transit Score on people's profiles. Scanning a Snapcode and using the Metro-branded Snap lenses would increase a user's score; once their score reached a certain amount, they could redeem various rewards like free Metro passes or trial subscriptions to Snapchat Plus.

A mockup of a chat screen inside Snapchat. The screen shows the user receiving messages from Team Snapchat about a new feature called Transit Score made in collaboration with Metro. The message says users can use Snapchat to show themselves using transit around LA and receive special rewards from Metro. There is an image of a snap code placed on a wall with a person standing in front of it, and the user is informed about special Snapchat QR codes at transit stations.
Example of a "Mass Snap" sent to Snapchat users in Los Angeles to promote the feature and partnership.
Two iPhone screens showing a Snapchat user's profile. The first screen shows that user Ashley Long has a Transit Score of 28. The second screen shows a modal that opens when the Transit Score is clicked; the modal simply shows the user how many Metro-branded snaps they've sent, as well as their transit score.
Example of the Transit Score on a user's profile.

Since LA Metro makes special editions of TAP cards, I thought one great way to promote the collaboration and encourage usage of both companies' products would be a Snap-branded TAP pass with a special ghost logo; users who ordered the pass would get 300 points added to their Transit Score.

Snap now often uses their ghost logo as a canvas for theming and messaging, so I did the same by incorporating elements iconic to LA Metro: the Metro “M,” the design of the rail station signs, the layout of their maps, and the bus signs found on street corners across Los Angeles.

Metro TAP passes with unique illustrations and special designs.
An example of TAP passes with special designs.
Snap Inc ghost logos crafted with special illustrations.
Examples of the Snap Inc. logo being used to communicate a message (All images property of Snap Inc.).
A mockup of a Metro transit card in collaboration with Snapchat. The card is Snap's company yellow color, with the company's ghost logo in the center. Inside the ghost is a black and white collage of photos that represent Metro, like bus stop signs and a transit map.
Mockup of the branded Metro TAP card to promote the feature and partnership.
iPhone screen showing an advertisement on Snapchat. The ad has a yellow background with a Snapchat-branded Metro card in the center of it. It has text saying, 'Order your limited edition Snap x Metro Tap Card and add 300 points to your Transit Score.' At the bottom, there is a link to a Snap and Metro collaboration website.
Example of an advertisement within a user's Stories promoting the partnership.