Problem Statement and Approach
Bigger Problem Statement
Enhancing User Experience and Decision-Making in Ride-Hailing by Reducing App Switching
Ride hailing apps split into two segments: short distance (cost effective, quick rides) and long distance (usually dominated by bigger players like Ola, Uber, valuing comfort). The short distance space is dominated by Rapido, where the majority of switching happens — this is the target segment, as it is the most prone to app switching.
- Identify User Pain Points: Understand why users switch between multiple ride-hailing apps. Gather insights through user surveys, interviews, and behaviour analysis to pinpoint the most significant frustrations and obstacles.
- Focus on User Experience: Improve the in-app experience to make fare-related information more accessible and transparent. Design intuitive features that offer value beyond just fare comparison.
- Develop Potential Solutions.
- Test and Iterate: Pilot the proposed solutions with a small user group to gather feedback. Use the feedback to refine and optimize the features, ensuring they effectively address the problem of app switching.
User Personas
- RA
Rahul Taneja
20, College undergrad
"I usually use my monthly allowance to book rides to my college and meet my friends. I prefer quick and cheap bike rides."
Needs
- Prefer frequent short-distance quick bike rides over cab rides.
- Since they are not earning they have a limited budget to spend on these rides and prefer exact fare to be known before the start of the ride.
- They are technically sound and aware of various offers, and ride-sharing and use all competitor apps, would switch in case of a little inconvenience
Pain points
- Inconsistent Pricing: Fluctuating fares during peak hours or bad weather, making it hard to budget rides.
- Availability Issues: Face difficulty finding rides during peak hours or in less popular areas.
- Driver Behavior: Unprofessional behavior or poor communication from drivers. Drivers cancel or refuse rides once the booking is done.
- GA
Gautam Sharma
40, Working Professional
"I usually have to take auto rides to my shop, I always like to be on time. Comfort and convenience are the major factors to choose between rides."
Needs
- Daily use of Rapido and various other offline/online methods.
- Prefers convenience and timely rides to avoid delays.
- Usually, they use Rapido for short-distance travel within the city for work or visits.
- Looks for transparency in fare breakdown and prefers competitive pricing. Value safety, customer support, professional rides, and reliability.
Pain points
- Want reliable service - Occasional cancellations or no-shows causing inconvenience.
- Safety Concerns are primary as they often travel with family.
- Inadequate Customer Support causes them to switch to competition apps.
- Price Transparency - Lack of clarity in fare calculation or unexpected surcharges.
Understanding the Why of the App Switching Problem
Checking available ride options in the area after entering the destination
Some users have reported that they are not getting their preferred ride options.
Getting match with captain
Many problems were reported by the user.
Wait for captain and ride start
Many problems were reported by the user.
Post ride completion
No issues were reported by users. Not focusing on this phase.
Price Comparison
Insufficient data on how different companies price their rides. This issue is not being prioritized.
- Long wait times to get a captain assigned to the ride. Users frequently complain about the low availability of drivers, especially during peak hours or in certain locations like Bangalore and Chennai.
- The captain took too long to reach the pickup point. Navigation Issues: Drivers often have difficulty finding the pickup location, causing delays and frustration.
- Captain demanding more price above the ride fare.
- Cancellation Policies: Users are unhappy with the cancellation policies, which often penalize them unfairly.
Deep Diving Into the Problems
Why there is a long wait time to get a captain assigned to the ride?
Analysing Rider's mind: Rider is unsure of the wait time for captain assignment.
- Low availability of drivers within the proximity
- Drivers not accepting the rides/cancelling the rides
- Drivers not satisfied with the estimated earnings from that ride
- Drivers receiving ride requests which are very far away
Why the captain took too long to reach the pickup point?
- Traffic and weather conditions.
- Technical and GPS challenges.
- Took long enough to complete the previous ride.
Why captains are demanding more price above the ride fare?
- Feels like compensation is not enough.
- Additional services, like waiting longer than expected or assisting with luggage.
- Seasonal Variations: During certain seasons, the imbalance between supply and demand can lead drivers to increase fares.
Most issues identified are logistical and driver-related, so we will focus on holistic solutions for riders/end-users.
Various User-Focused Solutions to Address Pain Points
| Pain Point | Proposed Direction |
|---|---|
| Long wait times to get a captain assigned to the ride. | Keeping the user informed and providing constant updates. |
| The captain's tardiness caused a disconnect between the user and the platform | Keeping the user engaged during this phase. |
| Users are unhappy with the cancellation policies (from the driver's end), which often penalize them unfairly | Allot balanced rides where drivers can make more money (Technical challenges making ride allocation logic robust.) |
| Drivers demanding more money above the ride fare | Provide more transparency around the ride fare to the riders (Not solving as we need more data around market standards.) |
| Low product differentiation between the competitor apps like Ola and Uber | Provide new unique features that make users use the app even when there are multiple competitors |
Proposed Solution
Solution 1: Reducing Wait Time Uncertainties
Reducing the uncertainties around driver wait time by providing more information to users.
The "Average Wait Time Estimate" feature is designed to enhance the user experience by providing real-time, data-driven insights into how long they can expect to wait for a ride in their area. By leveraging historical data and current demand-supply metrics, this feature aims to reduce uncertainty and anxiety associated with waiting times, thus improving overall satisfaction and preventing app-switching.
- Uncertainty Reduction: Provides users with a realistic expectation of wait time, reducing anxiety and frustration.
- Improved Trust
- Decreased App Switching: Reduces the likelihood of users switching to competitor apps by offering clear wait time expectations.
User Interaction: Notification System — Users can opt to receive push notifications or SMS updates about their ride status, including any significant changes in the estimated wait time. Feedback Loop — Post-ride completion collecting user feedback on the accuracy of the average estimated time, which in turn helps refine the predictive algorithms.
User Retention Rate
Average Wait Time Accuracy
CSAT
Ride Completion Rate
| Pitfall | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Inaccurate Estimates | Use real-time data and implement ML algorithms to improve accuracy. |
| User Misinterpretation | Communicate that the estimate is an average time and not a guaranteed time. |
| Operational Strain | Implement an active customer support system to handle inquiries |
Wireframes: Giving an estimated average time personalized for the user's area to provide some feedback to the users, preventing app switching.
Proposed Solution
Solution 2: Engaging the Users While Waiting
Introducing a game for nudging users to engage more with the platform.
Game — Guess a Number
Rules: We think of a number between 1 and 100 (inclusive). You try to guess the number. After each guess, we give you a hint: "Higher" if the number is higher than your guess, "Lower" if the number is lower than your guess. You have 3 attempts to guess the correct number. If you guess correctly, you win reward points!
| Reward Points | Redemption |
|---|---|
| 10 points for guessing correctly in 1 attempt | 50 points: Get 10% off on your next ride |
| 5 points for guessing correctly in 2 attempts | 100 points: Get 20% off on your next ride |
| 2 points for guessing correctly in 3 attempts | 200 points: Get a free ride (up to a certain amount) |
- Long time for captain matching - Engaging the user during the wait period, to reduce app switching.
- Decreased App Switching: Reduces the likelihood of users switching to competitor apps by engaging the users while waiting
# Users using the game feature
# User canceled rides
# users completing the rides which have a wait time of more than 10 mins
wait time = time taken to match a captain + time taken by the captain to reach the pickup location
| Pitfall | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Users not finding value after playing the game | provide incentives (discounts, reward points). |
| User might not show interest in playing the game | provide floating messages eg: user_1 won this coupon. |
Wireframes: A prompt guides the user to play the game while they are waiting for their ride. Click on dropdown button to check the status of the ride. Click on info icon to know the rules and how to redeem the points. Click on Play Now to start playing the game. Click on check button to submit your guess.
Proposed Solution
Solution 3: Wait Time Rewards and Driver Reputation
This dual-feature system enhances the user experience by rewarding passengers for their patience and incentivizing drivers to maintain high reliability. Passengers earn points for every minute they wait, which can be redeemed for future rides. Simultaneously, drivers accumulate reputation points based on their reliability, visible to users to help them make informed decisions.
How does this work? Wait Time Rewards — Users can earn wait time points and use them to avail discounts on their next ride. 1 min wait time = 10 points. 10 points = 5 INR.
Driver Reputation Score — Users will have the option to downvote a driver if the driver cancels the ride after communicating with them. "The higher the driver's reputation score, the less likely they are to cancel the ride".
- Passenger Frustration
- Driver Reliability Concerns
- Cancellation Anxiety: A visible reputation system discourages drivers from canceling rides, knowing their score is publicly displayed.
- Product Differentiation: Differentiates the app by offering unique incentives and transparency
User Retention Rate
Average Wait Time
Ride Cancellation Rate
Redemption Rate of rewards
| Pitfall | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Fake Increase in Wait Time: overly focused on waiting to earn more points | Cap the maximum points that can be earned per ride to prevent abuse of the reward system. |
Wireframes: A dynamic screen will display information about reward points to users every 5 seconds. Rewards will be saved once a driver is assigned. The animation drops money to your wallet. Accrued reward points can be transferred to your Rapido wallet and used to pay for your ride. A pop-up is shown once the driver cancels the ride after 1 minute — users will have the option to downvote a driver if the driver cancels the ride after communicating with them, and can also upvote the driver if he doesn't cancel, helping the driver and other users in decision making. The reputation of the driver is shown with a "Cheese" indicator showcasing the Driver Reputation of the particular driver.