Authority Joins Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Pharrell Williams, Jennifer Garner, Ava DuVernay, Dr. Fauci, Comedy Central, HBO Max and NASA in Winning Prestigious Contest
Innovative Digital Map Wins Webby and Webby People’s Voice Award for ‘Best Mobile User Experience’
Map Developed in Partnership with Brooklyn-based Global Design and Technology Firm Work & Co Allows Customers to Navigate Subway System in Real Time
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) selects Webby winners, while People's Voice awards are voted by the public
2021 Webby Awards Received more than 13,000 entries from 70 countries
View MTA's Award-Winning Live Subway Map
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that its Live Subway Map has won the Webby Award and Webby People Voice Award for “Best Mobile User Experience.” The first-of-its-kind map gives riders the power to navigate the subway system like never before. The map allows riders to plan trips more easily by taking into account service changes and seeing train movements as they happen in real-time. The creation of the map was the byproduct of an 18-month-long public-private partnership between the MTA, the Transit Innovation Partnership and Brooklyn-based global design and technology firm Work & Co.
The beta version of the Live Subway Map launched October 2020 and has been a key tool for keeping riders informed with up-to-the-minute service information. Work & Co designed and developed the web-based digital tool on a completely pro bono basis with the goal of making the lives of New Yorkers easier. Highly customer friendly, the map allows customers to navigate the system in an intuitive and digital way. Customers will no longer have to read through printed station signage to determine how they should travel throughout the system.
“The goal of this digital map was to give riders up to date information in as easy a way as possible. To see that this website is being recognized for its design and simplicity is truly an honor,” said Sarah Meyer, MTA Chief Customer Officer. “I'd like to thank Work & Co for their hard work in making New Yorkers’ commutes faster and easier.”
“For the past eight years, our mission has been to build digital products that millions of people love using every day,” said Felipe Memoria, founding partner at Work & Co. “Our team is at its best when those products also have a positive impact on the world, and today is further proof that breakthrough digital and improving our society are not mutually exclusive endeavors.”
“We applaud our partners at the MTA and Work & Co for this achievement,” said Natalia Quintero, Senior Vice President of Innovation at the Partnership for New York City. “We celebrate this opportunity to provide modern and transformative digital tools to New Yorkers as they return to the system, better than ever.”
Filmmaker Gary Hustwit documented the creation of the live map, in a short film released in late 2020 called The Map. The documentary examines the evolution of wayfinding and user interfaces, and shows how good design and the latest digital technology can simplify one of the world's most complex transit systems.
The Live Subway Map has also earned press accolades from New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Ad Age, and recognized with the following awards since its launch last October:
- Communications Arts winner
- Indigo Awards: Digital Design of the Year and Gold in both Innovative Use of Technology and Best Tools and Utilities
- Creative Review: Best Website
- Horizon Interactive Awards: Gold for Responsive Design and Government Website categories.