Project details
Uber aims to improve carpooling in India for smoother rides.
role
Product Designer
prompt
Uber wants to bring back carpooling experience in India. It has been a cost-effective, eco-friendly way for users to share rides, but many users complain about long detours, matching inefficiencies and lack of clarity on the estimated route and co-riders. Task is to redesign the carpooling experience to maximize efficiency and user satisfaction.
CHALLENGE
- Long Wait Times for Matches
- Multiple Unnecessary Stops
- Inefficient Route Planning
- Poor Passenger Matching
- Unpredictable Arrival Times
INITIAL PROBLEM DISCOVERY
USING UBER IN INDIA...
the problem
How might we reduce long wait times and inefficient routes in ride-hailing?
project process
I mainly adopted design thinking process but since I only have 7 days left before the deadline, I didn’t do usability testing for the app.
white paper research
First, before touching anything related to design, I wanted to dive into the motivations behind goal setting.
competitive analysis
I analyzed existing carpooling services to identify what works and how Uber can improve efficiency and rider experience.
the gap
Ola Share is great for city rides, BlaBlaCar for long trips, and QuickRide for daily commutes. The key gap is better route optimization and co-rider matching.
| Feature | OLA | BlaBlaCar | QuickRide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Ride-Sharing | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
| Long-Distance Carpooling | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
| Real-Time Ride Matching | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
| Corporate Tie-Ups | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| User Verification | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Driver Profiles & Reviews | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| In-App Payment Integration | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ride Scheduling | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Route Optimization | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
| Focus on Daily Commutes | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
| Government ID Verification | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Official Email Verification | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| Carpooling Groups | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
| Environmental Impact Tracking | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
PAIN POINT 1
Lack of real-time ride matching, leading to delays and inconvenience for users.
PAIN POINT 2
Uncertainty about co-riders' profiles and safety concerns, leading to hesitation in using carpooling services.
PAIN POINT 3
Inefficient route optimization, causing longer travel times and higher costs.
PAIN POINT 4
Difficulty in finding reliable carpool partners, leading to inconsistent ride availability.
USER INTERVIEW / PRIMARY RESEARCH
After analyzing the competition and understanding user behavior, I focused on gathering insights from my target audience to tailor the final product to their needs.
Understanding User Needs for an Efficient Uber Carpooling Experience
- Can you describe your last carpooling experience? What were the biggest frustrations or challenges you faced?
- How do you feel about the current route optimization in carpooling? Have you ever experienced unnecessary detours or delays?
- How comfortable do you feel sharing a ride with strangers? What safety features would make you feel more secure?
- Do you find carpooling fares predictable and fair? What improvements would help you better understand pricing?
- What factors influence your decision to choose carpooling over other ride options? What would make you use it more frequently?
insights & analysis
30+ data points
30+ data points
user personas & user journey map
ROHAN SHARMA (SOFTWARE ENGINEER)
MEERA KAPOOR (MARKETING EXECUTIVE)
RAVI VERMA (SALES MANAGER)
HOW MIGHT WE?
How might we make carpooling more accessible and convenient for users, ensuring a seamless and trusted experience?
OPPRTUNITIES
DESIGN SOLUTIONS
LOW FIDELITY DESIGN ON PAPER
FEATURE 1 - Add Shared Rides (Carpooling) to the Home Page
FEATURE 2 - Pre-Booking and Instant Matching
FEATURE 3 – View Co-rider Profile & Ratings Before You Book
FEATURE 4 – Route Details
FEATURE 5 – Safety Concerns
FINAL PROTOTYPE
FUTURE STEPS
PRODUCT FEATURES
- Optimize ride-sharing by grouping users with minimal detours and shorter wait times.
- Ensure at least one female co-rider when a woman books a shared ride.
- Enable in-car recording for enhanced security during shared trips.
- Show live co-rider locations, ETAs, and trip modifications.
- Display dynamic fares based on shared distance and stops.
- Introduce mandatory profile verification with government ID and driver’s license checks.
DESIGN improvements
- Implement dynamic notifications to keep users informed about ride statuses, co-rider updates, and any changes in real-time.
- Introduce detailed post-ride feedback options, allowing users to rate various aspects of the ride, enhancing service quality.
- Incorporate safety measures such as in-app emergency buttons, real-time ride tracking, and verified user profiles to build trust among users.
- Add gamification features like rewards, badges, and leaderboards to encourage user engagement and promote a community-driven platform.
- Add Add a new section on the homepage for “Private Vehicle Carpool” alongside existing ride-hailing options.features like rewards, badges, and leaderboards to encourage user engagement and promote a community-driven platform.
KEY METRICS
Ride Matching
- Match Rate (%) – Percentage of ride requests successfully matched with co-riders.
- Average Wait Time – Time taken to match and assign a shared ride.
- Seat Utilization Rate – Percentage of available seats filled per ride.
Pricing & Revenue
- Average Fare per Shared Ride – Revenue generated per carpool trip.
- Cost Savings for Riders – % difference between carpool fares and solo rides.
- Driver Earnings per Shared Trip – Earnings per ride compared to regular trips.
UX & Retention
- Ride Completion Rate – Percentage of booked shared rides successfully completed.
- Cancellation Rate – % of riders or drivers canceling shared trips.
- User Rating & Feedback – Average rating for shared rides and top user concerns.
Safety & Compliance
- Co-Rider Compatibility Score – Matching based on preferences (e.g., gender, route).
- Safety Incident Reports – Number of complaints or SOS activations per trip.
- Driver Compliance Rate – Adherence to Uber’s carpooling policies.
Environmental Impact
- Average Trip Duration & Distance – Time & distance of shared trips vs. solo rides.
- CO₂ Emission Reduction – Reduction in carbon footprint due to ride-sharing.
- Private Vehicle Participation – Number of non-Uber drivers offering shared rides.
POST LAUNCH FEEDBACK
Usability testing is crucial for refining the Uber Carpooling experience. Here’s how it can be implemented effectively:
– Ride Experience Testing
- Conduct surveys and interviews with both riders and drivers about their experience.
- Analyze pain points like delays, detours, or co-rider discomfort.
- Collect qualitative stories and record illustrative quotes for reporting.
– Analytics
- Track user behavior through heatmaps and session recordings.
- Identify drop-off points in the booking process.
– Create forums or groups for direct feedback from frequent users.
– A/B Testing
– Customer Support feedback analysis
– On-Ground Usability Studies
– Social Listening & Support Tickets
CHALLENGES & MITIGATION
– Unreliable Ride Matching
- Challenge: Users face long wait times or mismatched routes.
- Solution: Implement AI-driven route optimization to match riders efficiently with minimal detours.
– Safety Concerns (Especially for Women Riders)
- Challenge: Users worry about sharing rides with unknown co-riders.
- Solution: Introduce a women-only carpooling option and enforce real-time identity verification with dashcam recording for added security.
– Lack of Transparency in Routes & Pricing
- Challenge: Users feel uncertain about co-riders’ destinations and trip adjustments.
- Solution: Display full co-rider trip details before booking and provide dynamic fare adjustments based on shared distance.
– Limited Adoption of Private Vehicle Pooling
- Challenge: Users may hesitate to list their private vehicles for carpooling.
- Solution: Provide clear earning potential breakdowns, insurance coverage, and an easy onboarding process for private vehicle owners.
UBER CAR POOLING