I think the MTA’s display of which trains are next is better than mine — sorting primarily by the direction the train is going, and showing all the trains headed that way. Most people will be interested in more than one train, especially in Manhattan (for instance, I can take the N or the W back to my apartment in Astoria, and I might even want to grab the Q on the weekends to try to catch up to the local N or W that may have just left.)

My design sorts by the train letter, showing next arrivals in both directions. This may display more information in a logical way, but it doesn’t quite answer the question as well which is “what trains are coming next in my direction?”

The MTA also does a nice job combining this feature with a “nearby stations” finder which is very useful for people less familiar with the system who don’t know their desired station already.

All that said, it’s incredibly unclear how to use this. On mobile, you enter your location and get a list of nearby stations. Tapping one opens the list of next trains to arrive, but does it way lower on the page and doesn’t scroll you down to that location. The net effect is the appearance that nothing has happened. A huge problem, but a simple fix.

The Desktop View

So how does this all expand to larger screens? Much as you’d expect, with some tweaks to account for the likely different context of viewing on a large screen: you’re probably at home or in an office, or coffee shop — the information you’re seeking is likely more future-oriented than “I’m in the station now, where is the train?”