The new OMNY readers are being tested on the 456(IRT). They are being affixed to the right side of the subway turnstile. Makes sense, because that’s where all the turnstile’s guts are situated. And that makes sense, because almost everyone is a righty and putting a token in the slot/swiping a MetroCard is easiest in your dominant hand.

One of the nicest features OMNY is the ability to use a smart device (like a watch) with a pre-stored transit card to “just tap and go.” But overwhelmingly, people wear their watch on their left wrist. Not looking so sensible anymore.

This is either going to lead to a new “subway shuffle” dance, or people inadvertently activating the turnstile to their left. Interesting to see how it shakes out as the rollout expands in the coming years. Either way, it’s a great example of engineering and finance’s requirements getting prioritized over user experience.

Category: 🚇💳📱⌚️