Swiftr
A seamless work experience for cab drivers
Context
Post pandemic there has been constant commotion about the cab businesses in India getting into trouble. Many cars have gone out of business leading to the drivers leaving the industry in large numbers. The idea was to understand the cab drivers needs and interests.
By conducting research it was understood that different inter-connected factors are the driving forces for cab drivers to leave their jobs. This project is an attempt to design a better work experience for cab drivers. Therefore, the design question is “How might we help cab drivers improve their work satisfaction?”
Process
HCD process was followed by conducting desk research first then user research. After synthesizing inspiring insights from market research and interviews the problem was defined followed by ideation, sketches and fidelity prototypes. After possible iterations the final design of the application was created.
Discover
Desktop Research
Through desktop research the following are found :
1) A survey found that there is a gap of Rs 4,400 in cab drivers’ actual and expected earnings.
2) High commission rates and less or zero incentives provided by the companies.
3) Huge spike in petrol and CNG prices which the drivers has to bear.
Competitive Analysis
Three applications were considered - Ola Partner, Uber Driver and InDriver with InDriver being the indirect competitor. Started with Feature Comparison to understand similarities and differences between the competitors. The findings helped to determine and validate what functions are definitely needed to be implemented.
Opportunities
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Drivers who possess more than one vehicle can register them in their account to work.
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Earning Goals can be set to encourage drivers to complete their target rides and earnings.
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Implementation of heat maps to know the locations that has more rides with higher rates during peak hours.
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Referral codes encourage drivers to earn bonus, if anyone has joined the application using their code.
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Face recognition and Finger print login will help drivers to login to the application faster when driving.
Challenges
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Maps does not work when the user has lost inter connectivity or when offline.
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Driver trainings on how to earn better money by using the app is not provided.
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Unable to find near by fuel and repair stations in case of need and emergency..
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There is no support provided to solve drivers queries instantly.
User Interviews
Qualitative information was collected by conducting 5 in-person interviews and 2 telephonic interviews with the drivers who are working in the cab companies. The interviews helped to understand their expectations, needs and issues.
Define
Personas
Insights gathered from the research done in discover phase are formulated into two personas, one for a driver who possess their own vehicle and other for driver with a rented vehicle.
Information Architecture
Conducted a card sorting session and organised content based on the categories they belongs to. Considered different scenarios of user interaction and the information helped to design this IA to understand hierarchy and navigation. This gave an idea on the number of screens that needs to be created along with the content that should be in them.
Design
Wireframing
Scenarios were considered from driver's perspective, which helped as a guide to outline the basic wireframes. From driver registering himself on the app to finding and completing a ride is the key user journey. As drivers mobile usage in India is Android phone, an android application was sought as most appropriate option. After multiple iterations, basic wireframes were sketched.
Key Features
Key Feature 1
Heat Maps benefits drivers by making them aware of locations where they can get more rides which may possibly have higher rates because of the the demand in the rides at that particular location.
Key Feature 2
A feature called "Goal Buddy" is implemented which helps drivers to set targets which motivates them to work efficiently by taking more rides which in turn results in earning better. Drivers can also track their earnings earned today, weekly or yearly with goal buddy feature.
Key Feature 3
"Trainings" feature in the menu helps drivers to understand everything about how the application works along with tips and tricks to earn more rides, increase their earnings, tax related information etc. Users can always go to the 'History' tab to rewatch their previously viewed videos.
Key Feature 4
"Support" feature in the menu helps drivers to reach out to the company's helpline team to solve their queries and problems quickly through FAQ'S, 'Chatbot assistant' or helpline to reach out the customer support team directly over phone call or mail.
Key Feature 5
"Benefits" feature in the menu section will provide the information about the advantages that the app is going to provide to the drivers. For example, benefit like 'Break Down' will help them find nearest service centre to repair the cab.
Deliver
Application Walkthrough
After multiple iterations on the whole look and feel of the application considering the features and functionalities that are solving the user's pain points and satisfying their needs, final design was established.
