Uber Redesign: Case Study
Roles: Project Management, User Research, Content Strategy, Visual Design
Team: Sharon Banh, Jenny Wu
Scope: 8 weeks
As adults, many of us have had first-hand experience moving around with few resources and a tight budget. Rideshare apps like Uber are a staple and an accessible go-to, but not all drivers are ready to handle cargo when we need to carry large belongings like luggage or furniture. Renting cars and moving-trucks are quite costly and sometimes not ideal when you only need to transport items a short distance. There is no current systematic solution in the current Uber app.
After talking to my peers, I was surprised to see that this problem was so prevalent. I wanted to pursue this project because I was curious how drivers react and what their role is, what and how riders use Uber to move their belongings, and to ease some of the pain on both the rider and driver’s ends.
Objective
Our team aims to develop a specialized feature to aid Uber riders in transporting them and their cargo smoothly, pleasurably, and quickly.
Note: Though Uber is a two-facing app, we focused on redesigning the rider experience because it would widen our research pool and because we only have access to the rider side of the app.
Research
Interviews
To find specific pain points, my team and I conducted one-to-one interviews with both riders and drivers. Though we were only redesigning the rider experience, we still gathered driver insight since the new design would affect both parties.
Rider Key Takeaways:
- Riders lack an established way to transport cargo on Uber
- Riders experienced poor customer service from unpleased drivers
- Riders do not see a way to contact drivers about their situation
Driver Key Takeaways:
- Some passengers use Uber Pool, but their cargo is hard to accommodate with other passengers in the car.
- Drivers usually assist their riders in putting the cargo in and taking it out of the car.
- Drivers would like to be notified beforehand of any cargo
- Drivers often have to turn down riders if they cannot be accommodated, which reflects badly on their personal Uber record.
Problem: Uber riders do not have a convenient way to notify their driver that they are carrying surplus cargo, resulting in uncertainty in whether the driver is equipped and willing to carry the cargo until pickup time.
Personas
After developing a problem to solve, we created 2 personas based on our target users from our interviews. We made sure to capture the diverse Uber user base to capture edge cases in our later designs.
Marie is a part-time undergraduate student living in an urban apartment. Ridesharing apps like Uber are her main source of transportation. As a leader in her student organization, she often has to transport boxes and large items for her events. She wants to be quick and cost-efficient, but she feels like a nuisance to Uber drivers and doesn’t know if they have space for her items.
Lou is a 72-year old senior citizen who suffers from chronic joint pain. He is trying to go to the airport with his wife. He uses Uber regularly to get around, but finds it difficult to get out of cars. He wants a car that can fit his luggage, and would like assistance taking his belongings out of the car. Like Marie, he worries that he is a nuisance to drivers.
Competitive Audit
We compared Uber to apps that were specific for users to order a vehicle to help them transport various cargo.
Key Competitive Audit Takeaways
Solution
After doing a competitive audit, we went into creating 2 unique user flows. We made two unique UX flows.
Option 1 — Toggle
Option 2 — Listed Option
UI Sketches
After creating two UX flows and before paper prototyping, we started sketches of what they would each look like.
Prototyping
We prototyped each UX flow so that we could explore two drastically different designs and gain feedback from user testing to see which parts of each users preferred and found most intuitive.
Toggle Variant 1
Toggle Variant 2
Toggle Variant 3
UberCargo Prototype
This prototype ensures the rider a ride that will be able to fit the cargo, and allows the driver to be aware of a rider’s cargo prior to accepting the ride.
Testing Takeaways:
- Users preferred having the toggle feature in the ride pickup specification step
- The least intrusive way for the riders to show drivers what they have is to take a picture in the app.
High Fidelity Prototyping
We prototyped in high fidelity a mix of both options. We used a toggle that allows riders to indicate whether they have cargo with them, and asked users to take a picture and list their items. Though it would be extra steps, users we tested felt it was just enough to complete their task. It would also be beneficial for the driver in making the best decision possible if they can fit the cargo in their car.
Refinement
After further testing and feedback, we eliminated the need to take photos of the items and instead made it optional. We also broke up the listing items and taking photos into separate steps to reduce user cognitive load.
Final Prototype
Reflection
I was really excited to interview Uber drivers to gain insight on how they work with their riders. I found surprising that most drivers I interviewed are always willing to go the extra mile to make their riders happy. Despite how common it is for ridesharers to bring large items, Uber’s current product does not address this edge case. Our redesign hopes to bridge the communication between the rider and driver so that the rider feels confident to order a ride that can fit their needs and the driver knows before pickup that they can accommodate their rider. If time and resources allot, my group and I would explore taking our redesign into the driver’s app.