Introducing TomRider, the navigation and live traffic APP for delivery riders
Delivery guys, couriers, or riders as we call them in Spain, are some of the names used to describe the thousands of workers who form one of the most precarious sectors of society.
Endless working hours, low earnings per delivery, and renting of accounts to illegal immigrants are just some of the realities we uncovered in our search for solutions to the challenge: Could we improve the working conditions of a sector with one of the highest risks of workplace accidents and diseases?*
*Source: National Confederation of Labor (CNT), 2020.
Identifying the problem
As we learned more about riders, we realized we knew nothing about them, and what little we assumed was far from reality. Despite several hours of desk research-reading, watching, and listening to everything we could find-the questions kept piling up.
Coming from the advertising industry, the easy path would have been to come up with an idea after a few hours of Google research, but I wanted to trust the process, the methodology, and the wise words of Raúl Marín and Olga Muñoz.
Before generating possible solutions, it was essential to understand the real problem. As we sorted out all the unknowns, we formulated Research Questions that framed the main issues to investigate and then clustered them under three categories: user, service, and competition.
Having clarified what we knew and needed to know, we had to empathize with the users and understand their daily challenges next. First, we infiltrated their Telegram groups but hit a wall: zero responses.
SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS
Based on the Research Questions, we designed a research plan consisting of surveys and interviews, to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data.
As for the surveys, we drafted two models to capture both perspectives: riders and customers.
Based on surveys, we found:
- 60% of riders are Venezuelan.
- 66.7% are self-employed.
- 33.3% answered very unprotected, and 26.7% unprotected when asked Do you feel unprotected on the road?
- The average salary is €1,000 to €2,000, depending on the hours. Low salaries, considering the risks and precarity they face.
- And the most interesting finding: 86.7% claimed to work more on rainy days, while 75.4% of the surveyed consumers of delivery platforms stated that they are NOT more likely to order on bad weather days out of solidarity with the riders. Moreover, specifically, 50.8% of them also believe that the working conditions of the riders are terrible.
By asking this question, we found our first significant finding: rainy days are the days with the most number of orders. In fact, many of them only work on those days. It’s not hard to conclude that these are also the most dangerous days for those who mainly use bicycles.
In their natural environment, the streets.
We prepared several types of interviews, but resistance persisted. They were suspicious of us, and our purpose, and unwilling to share their reality.
We decided to do some contextual observations, literally stalking our users through safari research, to better understand their working conditions. We took advantage by asking some questions: There isn’t a rider who hasn’t had an accident, Rebeca tells us. I started working yesterday morning, Nelson says at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
It was evident that not all responses were as candid, and we started to glimpse the tip of the iceberg of the delivery platforms problem: undocumented migrants, drivers without licenses, account trafficking, and a sector muted by unions and associations. Long story short, a fast food mafia orchestrated by delivery companies.
The Rider Law and expert interviews
An important topic, impossible to ignore in each of our interactions, was the famed and controversial Rider Law. The Rider Law mainly seeks to regulate the rider’s work, prevent false self-employment (the vast majority), prosecute crimes such as renting accounts to illegal immigrants, as well as guarantee decent working conditions. On the streets, the reality is very different, and most riders oppose the implementation of this law.
In order to better understand our protagonists, we interviewed their main representatives. We met with Guss Gaviria, Repartidores Unidos leader in Madrid, and with Horacio Gómez, the Autoriders spokesperson in Barcelona. Through these in-depth interviews, we gained a better understanding of what the riders think and want.
The in-depth interviews helped us identify real problems, and in some cases, they confirmed findings already validated by the surveys:
- They denounce the false belief that they want employment over self-employment. 80% of riders claim to want to be self-employed, according to a recent study.
- They demand algorithmic transparency from the delivery platforms. Their knowledge is limited to rumors and beliefs. As an example, they don’t know how many rejections result in fewer orders.
- Confirmed: there is high demand during rainy days. Also, we found the rotating nature of the sector: anyone who lasts for 6 months is already considered a veteran.
- Guss Gaviria, after surveying 20,000 riders, proposes three types of improvements for, what he calls the reinforced self-employed:
1. Training, including road safety and food transportation, among others.
2. Social Security to control illegal accounts.
3. Labor union representation to ensure collective bargaining rights. A legal framework that contemplates a self-employed model operating with digital platforms, allowing agreements on minimum rates, insurance, and improvements in general for riders.
After a thorough understanding of the problem, we focused on finding a solution. One thing was clear: we cannot change the legal framework, but we can improve their conditions by finding viable solutions.
Giving our protagonists a voice
After collecting all the information we needed, we created a user persona, whom we named Héctor.
Héctor helped us stay focused on our users as well as understand their behaviors, needs, motivations, and goals.
We also built Héctor’s user journey, determining his pain points and converting them into opportunities for improvement. These opportunities will guide our solution, aiming to provide a more satisfactory experience.
Getting ready for the Ideation
At the end of the analysis phase, we decided to separate the insights to target the real needs of users and design a solution specifically tailored to those needs.
Following these insights, we will design a solution specifically tailored to user needs, ensuring a user-centric product.
Insight #1 /Platforms are not transparent, and the sector is oversized. We identified that riders are extremely uncertain about how their work tool works or how much competition exists in the sector. As a result, they work longer hours and lack complete control over their performance.
Insight #2 / Weather conditions are paradoxically both their worst enemy and best ally. Combined with the desire to complete more orders faster, this leads to insecurity and accidents.
Insight #3 / Platforms are dehumanized, and it’s hard to contact agents.
Once the insights were defined, we were able to rephrase the challenge: Our solution must provide valuable information to riders, reducing uncertainty and improving their work efficiency, while also ensuring their safety and promoting communication within the community.
TomRider, the Navigation APP Designed Exclusively for Riders
We brainstormed individually, shared ideas, and prioritized the one we believed best addressed the challenge:
TomRider is a navigation app designed for riders that allow:
- Sync with the rider’s delivery platforms. Our app will allow them to check the status of their deliveries or incoming orders without having to leave, saving time and reducing risks.
- A visual representation of rider density forecasts through Big Data Analytics. This reduces uncertainty, allowing riders to plan better.
- Real-time information on the best route for the rider, taking into account various external factors such as accidents, weather, conflict zones, or potentially dangerous clients. In addition, we will highlight key resources like water sources, rest areas, and bicycle repair shops.
- Collaboration and interaction between users. This ensures 100% valuable and unique information for riders, resolving the current lack of communication among them. Alongside GPS technology, TomRider will feature a collaborative system called crowdsourcing, based on interaction with other riders, providing crucial real-time information to avoid altercations or accidents.
- TomRider will include a fall detection system alongside a help button, triggering an alert, providing immediate assistance, and notifying the platforms instantly.
From Idea to Prototype Through MoSCoW
Once the idea was defined, and functionalities were prioritized using the MoSCoW method, we proceeded with the prototype.
Before starting the prototyping phase, we constructed a sitemap to represent the structure of our app, determine the screen hierarchy, and optimize its potential to be as intuitive as possible for our users.
Prototyping
Once the sitemap was complete, we prototyped the most distinctive functions and screens of the app using Whimsical.
Predict, Take Control, and Plan
TomRider is a traffic and navigation app based on and for the community. Thanks to Big Data, we can access consumption patterns in the delivery service, identify Hot Zones with higher order estimates, and track their evolution over time.
With this collected information, we can offer order forecasts, enabling our users to more efficiently plan their workday. By simply selecting a day and time on our calendar, the app will display the forecast by zones, days, and time slots, allowing them to make informed decisions and optimize their time for a smoother and more productive work experience.
The Power of the Community
TomRider offers a collaborative navigation system, always suggesting the most efficient and safest route for the rider, thanks to real-time traffic contributions from the community
Additionally, users can report accidents, traffic congestions, or points of interest such as charging stations, water fountains, or public restrooms, to create enriched navigation maps.
The app offers a chat feature that allows riders to directly contact other active users, resolving one of the main problems identified during our research: the lack of communication. This simple means of instant and effective interaction will significantly enhance the user experience, enabling them to share important information, exchange tips, and collaboratively overcome daily challenges.
Alongside uncertainty and lack of communication, safety on the route emerged as another significant pain point during our research. Although we can’t control the weather, TomRider will include a solution to address this issue. We will implement a fall detection system in combination with a help button, enabling riders to raise an alarm in emergency situations. With this system, we’ll provide immediate assistance and notify the relevant platforms instantly, adding an extra layer of safety and protection for our users during their journey.
Final thoughts and future plans
In the future, I would like to expand the idea to:
- TomRider Meeting Points, selected areas to meet and rest, check bicycles, charge devices, relax, and connect with fellow riders. These points would be prominently displayed on our maps and could become ideal locations for campaigns and advertising activations, representing a significant source of resources.
- As our app evolves, we intend to develop our own delivery platform, since no such platform exists currently. Compared to the competition that currently dominates the market, this platform would address the identified issues and stand out for its transparency. By creating our own delivery platform, we will be able to offer riders suitable solutions and improve their work experience, which will enable us to stand out.
In the ever-growing delivery industry, TomRider strives to make a positive impact on working conditions and quality.
Overall, TomRider provides a more efficient and reliable delivery experience, prioritizing riders’ safety and ensuring high service standards. Our app aims to make the delivery sector more competitive, stable, and safe by providing an intelligent and satisfying delivery experience.
Thanks for reading. I’d appreciate your thoughts on TomRider.
