As the world moves towards digitalization, businesses are continuously striving to provide better user experiences to their customers. One such business is a bike taxi service that has gained popularity in recent years due to its affordability and convenience. In this case study, we will explore the redesign process of a bike taxi service, focusing on the approach taken, the challenges faced, and the outcomes achieved.
The aim of the redesign was to improve user experience, increase efficiency, and address various pain points. The approach taken was the Double Diamond method, a design thinking process that involves four stages: discover, define, develop, and deliver. We will focus on the approach taken, the challenges faced, and the outcomes achieved during the redesign process.
Double-diamond process
Initial vision
The initial vision for this redesign project was to enhance the safety features in the Rapido app, with a focus on improving the experience for women riders. The aim was to create a safer and more inclusive environment for women who use the app, ultimately increasing their confidence and comfort while using the platform.
Discover phase
This phase involves understanding the user’s needs and identifying the problem that needs to be solved.
- It involves conducting extensive research, gathering data, and analyzing user behaviour to gain insights into their pain points and challenges.
- The goal is to identify the key problems that needs to be addressed and develop a deep understanding of the user’s needs and motivations.
- The Discover phase lays the foundation for the entire design process and helps to create user-centered solutions that meet the needs of the target audience.
- Through research and analysis, opportunities for innovation and design solutions that will provide a seamless and intuitive user experience can be identified.
Research
Research question: What are the safety concerns faced by women while using ride-sharing services like Rapido?
Literature review insights
- While ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft have introduced new safety features like driver background checks and in-app panic buttons, there is still a need for more research on the effectiveness of these measures in reducing the risk of sexual harassment and assault.
- Women were significantly more likely than men to experience harassment and violence while using ride-hailing services. The authors suggest that ride-hail companies could do more to address this issue by improving driver training and communication, as well as implementing more effective reporting and response mechanisms for incidents of harassment and violence.
- A comparative study on the safety features offered by Uber and Lyft found that both companies had similar safety features, such as driver background checks and in-app emergency buttons, but noted that these features may not be enough to fully address the safety concerns of female passengers.
User interviews
In order to gain insights into the needs and pain points of women riders who use the Rapido app, a series of user interviews were conducted. The interviews focused on topics such as frequency of app use, experiences with harassment or discrimination, ratings of the overall experience, and ideas for potential safety features and design strategies. The results of these interviews were used to inform the design of the new features and improvements to the app.
Insights
App reviews
Observational study
- User Engagement Issues: The app’s user interface design lacks a minimalistic approach, and some prominent features are not easily accessible, resulting in a lack of finesse. The overall look and feel of the app do not meet user expectations in terms of ease of use and visual appeal.
- Lack of Flexibility and Efficiency: Although novice users can easily book a ride, experienced users would like more control over their preferences, such as setting a default payment type or saving frequently visited locations. The app does not offer such flexibility, leading to frustration and inconvenience.
- Poor System Status Visibility: The app fails to keep users informed about the status of their bookings. For example, the estimated time of arrival (ETA) is displayed before the booking is confirmed, which is not precise, and the one-time password (OTP) confirmation is not legible due to its placement.
- Aesthetics and Visual Appeal Issues: The app’s design violates certain design aspects, such as misaligned text placement and outdated visuals, making it less visually appealing to users.
Pain points
To facilitate the development of solutions, the pain points of both women users and general users regarding safety and other features were classified into priority groups, such as high, medium, and low.
UI audit
As designers, we know that creating an effective mobile app requires more than just a pretty interface. A well-designed app must also be intuitive, accessible, and optimized for usability. That’s why we’re excited to dive into our UI audit of the Rapido mobile app, focusing on its spacing rules, typography, colour palette, and contrast ratio. By examining each of these design elements in detail, we can identify areas where the app could be improved, and ensure that the user experience is both visually appealing and easy to navigate.
- Spacing
In any design, the spacing between elements can have a huge impact on the overall look and feel of the interface. The spacing is used throughout the Rapido app was examined, to look for areas where adjustments could be made to improve the hierarchy and balance of the layout.
- The spacing system between elements uses the 4-point rule to define a clear structure hierarchy and rhythm between the content as seen before.
2. Typography
- Effective typography can make or break the legibility and clarity of an app. Topics such as typeface, font size, and line height are used in the Rapido app was analysed, and how they contribute to the overall user experience.
- Rapido uses the font Roboto which is quite easy to read.
- The typography has been picked keeping in mind the heavy mobile usage and also ensuring a good quality on lower-end phones as well.
3. Colours
- The colours used in the Rapido app were examined to look for areas where the colour scheme could be adjusted to better support the user experience and convey the brand’s personality.
- Contrast is essential for ensuring that the app is accessible to all users, regardless of visual impairments. The contrast ratio of the app’s typography, as well as its colour scheme, were analysed to ensure that it meets accessibility guidelines.
- Rapido’s visual design incorporates optimism, energy, and happiness, and it can help to create a sense of positivity and excitement around a brand.
- The contrast ratio between the text and the background passed the WCAG 2.0 level AAA test for most of the content.
UX laws
Applying UX laws is essential when conducting a UI audit to ensure a positive user experience. Focus was given on applying fundamental UX laws to check the overall user experience and interface design.
By applying these fundamental UX laws during the UI audit of the Rapido mobile app, areas where improvements could be made to optimize the user experience and interface design were identified. Prioritizing the needs of the user and applying these essential UX principles, helped to create a more user-friendly and effective interface.
Competitor analysis
The competitor analysis was done to gain insights into the strengths and weaknesses of Rapido’s competitors in the market. This analysis provided valuable information on key areas such as user experience, pricing strategies, and features offered by competitors. This information will help to make data-driven decisions to improve the platform and better meet the needs of customers.
- Namma Yatri, also based in Bangalore, offers a similar service to Rapido but with a larger fleet of bikes. However, Namma Yatri is still in its early stages and does not have the same level of brand recognition as Rapido, Ola, or Uber.
- Ola and Uber, on the other hand, are well-established ride-hailing services that have expanded to offer bike taxi services in India. Ola has the advantage of being an Indian company and therefore has a better understanding of local markets. Uber, however, has a global presence and is known for its high standards of service and technology.
- Ola and Uber have more diverse offerings, including luxury vehicles and carpooling options, which may give them an edge in terms of customer retention.
Define phase
The Define phase involves synthesizing the insights gathered during the Discover phase and using them to define the problem statement and design criteria.
- During the Define phase, the research findings and identify patterns, themes, and user needs will be reviewed. This information will then be used to create a problem statement that accurately reflects the needs of Rapido’s users. This problem statement will serve as the guiding principle for the rest of the design process.
User persona
Two user personas were created to better understand the needs, frustrations, motivations, and personalities of our users.
- The first persona is Medha, a 25-year-old woman who values her safety while using any mode of transportation.
- Megha has had a bad experience in the past with a ride-hailing service where the driver was reckless and didn’t follow traffic rules.
2. The second persona is Kavin, a 30-year-old man who values his time and convenience.
- Kavin often has to attend multiple meetings throughout the day and prefers to use Rapido to avoid traffic and save time.
- The challenges and needs of the users were identified and this information will be used to guide our redesign efforts to ensure a better user experience for all our users.
Empathy map
By putting ourselves in their shoes and considering their experiences, emotions, and motivations, we can design products and services that better meet their needs.
- In this context, we have created two user personas for Megha and Kavin
- This empathy map is to gain a deeper understanding of the above personas by exploring their feelings, behaviours, and beliefs.
- With this information, we can design a user-centered app that not only meets their functional needs but also resonates with them emotionally.
User Journey Map
User journey maps are a representation of the steps that a user takes to achieve their goals and complete a task.
- When it comes to transportation apps like Rapido, the user journey can be broken down into four distinct stages: pre-booking, booking, during the ride, and after the ride.
- Each stage has its own unique set of challenges and opportunities to provide a great user experience.
- By breaking down the user journey into these stages, we can better understand the user’s needs, pain points, and opportunities for improvement.
Information architecture
Redesign goals
Based on the personas and their needs, these were some potential redesign goals that was considered for the Rapido app.
- Enhance user experience
- To provide a seamless and hassle-free experience by focusing on improving the app’s user interface, making it more intuitive and easy to use.
- While redesigning the app I was driven by the motive to make the app visually appealing and seamless to use.
2. Improve user engagement
- The first paramount of an application is the look and feel. In my opinion, the original app is not very accurately designed in terms of UI, as the prominent features aren’t easily accessible and the application lacked minimalism which people are looking for i.e., a simple interface to interact with. The application lacked the finesse to be precise.
3. Flexibility and efficiency of use
Novice users can easily book a bike in the default manner; however, an experienced user would want to set up preferences by entering a default payment type or save frequently visited places like work or the gym.
4. Improve the visibility of system status
- When users make a booking, the system does not do a good job of informing the users about what is going on.
- ETA is displayed before the booking has been made, which isn’t precise.
- When a booking has been confirmed, the OTP isn’t legible because of the placement.
Problem definition
To redesign the Rapido mobile app from the rider’s perspective, with the goal of improving the overall user experience, addressing common issues faced by regular users, and ensuring a seamless and safe ride.
Design phase
This phase involved creating low and mid-fidelity wireframes as a means of exploring and refining potential design solutions.
- These wireframes serve as a roadmap for the next phase of the project, where they would be transformed into high-fidelity mockups and prototypes.
Low-fidelity wireframes
Mid-fidelity wireframes
Conclusion
This redesign project used a structured approach to understand what our users need and create new designs that are user-friendly and visually appealing. Mid-fidelity designs were created that fit with what we learned about users and received feedback from them to make them even better.
Looking ahead, there are several avenues for future work that will be explored. The mid- fidelity screens will be refined to create high-fidelity prototypes and test them with real users to ensure they work well in practice. A new design system will also be proposed for the app that can be used to guide future development and maintain consistency across different features and sections.
