Optimizing Convenience, Flexibility, and Business Efficiency

Overview

Meuve is a ride hailing app that offers solo, hitch-a-ride, and special ride options to its users.

In the solo ride option, users can request a one-off and drop-off ride, with prices calculated based on distance. The hitch-a-ride option is similar, but allows users to reduce cost by pairing with another person during the course of the ride. The special ride option is designed for users who need a driver to stay with them until they are done with their activities.

The Bizzness Waka feature allows businesses to create an account, fund it, and add their employees as users. Each time an employee takes a ride using the company's Bizzness Waka, the business is notified and a monthly report is sent to the company at the end of the month. This feature also allows companies to set a price limit for each employee.

My role

As the lead designer on this project, I was responsible for driving the overall design direction. This included conducting market and user research, conducting usability testing, creating low and high-fidelity designs, and prototyping. Through these efforts, I was able to ensure that the final product was both user-friendly and aligned with the needs of the target market.

Timeline

Sept. - Nov. (3 months)

Team

Oluwapelumi Awoyal - Product Manager

Ikechukwu Peter Chinedu - Mobile dev (backend)

Curtis - Mobile dev (frontend)

There are a number of problems Meuve aims to solve:

01. In the post-COVID world, people and companies are looking for ways to cut costs as efficiently as possible for economic reasons.

02. Some ride-hailing apps don't have a system in place to prevent drivers from starting rides before passengers arrive, which can lead to drivers finding ways to make more money through the system.In the post-COVID world, people and companies are looking for ways to cut costs as efficiently as possible for economic reasons.

03. It's currently not possible to book a ride for a later date on many ride-hailing apps.In the post-COVID world, people and companies are looking for ways to cut costs as efficiently as possible for economic reasons.

04. There aren't many car leasing options available in the African market right now.In the post-COVID world, people and companies are looking for ways to cut costs as efficiently as possible for economic reasons.

In order to gain insights into the experiences and preferences of young adults, we conducted interviews with 5 individuals who are either currently in college or university or are working professionals. The questions we asked were focused on understanding their behaviors, attitudes, and needs when it comes to using ride-hailing apps.

Understanding and interpreting the information gathered from the user interviews

The themes that emerged from the user interviews revolved around the common experiences and perceptions of riders using ride-hailing apps, as well as their purposes for using these apps.

These insights included how riders choose which app to use, their preferred ride options and payment methods, and their overall satisfaction with the ride-hailing experience.

01. Drivers gaming the system to make more money

02. Looking for ways to cut cost

03. No panic button

04. Looking for restaurants with google map

Designing and creating the ride-hailing app based on the gathered user insights and requirements

In order to identify design opportunities and generate ideas for our ride-hailing app, we used the "How Might We" method to guide our thinking through each step of the design process. This allowed us to explore different solutions and bring in a range of perspectives and preferences. We also gathered inspiration from other sources to inform our design decisions.

The design sprint helped us make informed and effective decisions about the product features. Overall, this process allowed us to create a product that meets the needs and expectations of our users.

As a team, we worked together to identify which features were the highest priority for our ride-hailing app. We made sure to come to a consensus on the core features that were essential to include, while also taking into account the technical and time constraints that we were working with.

This helped us to focus on creating a product that meets the needs of our users in a feasible and efficient manner.

After identifying the task flow for our users, we began the design process by creating low-fidelity sketches. We worked collaboratively to iterate on these sketches and refine our ideas as we progressed through the design process.

It can be challenging to align the vision of the product owner with the constraints and limitations of what is realistically achievable. Some of the issues that I encountered during this process included:

01. Using a single app for drivers, riders, and car owners, as opposed to separate apps for each user group.

02. The product owner wanted scheduled rides to be paired with the top three available drivers in order of priority.

03. The registration should be brief but still have full details of the person for security reasons.

01. Ask for type of account at the point of registration (drivers had a longer registration process in the end.

02. To provide riders with the most efficient and convenient experience, we offer them three driver options in order of priority. If the driver with the highest priority is unable to accept the ride, the other options are automatically selected.

03. At the time of registration, we only ask for phone numbers. If a rider decides to take a longer journey, a prompt will appear to update their profile with additional information.

Meuve is a ride-hailing app that allows users to easily book and pay for rides with just a few taps on their phone. Users can choose to pay with cash, card, transfer, or through the app's wallet, which can be funded through card, cash, or transfer.

Users can access information about nearby food vendors, restaurants, and supermarkets from within the app, and can use the panic button and camera in case of emergency. With Meuve, riders can easily and conveniently book rides whenever they need them.

Registration

Booking a ride

Confirming driver details (Also prevents drivers from starting the ride before meeting the rider)

Rating a driver

Personal wallet

Bizwaka account (corporate account for funding employee transportation)

Creating a style-guide for better communication

The style guide for Meuve emphasized the importance of maintaining consistency in the app's design, and it also provided our team with enough information for a seamless collaboration.

Key takeaways

01. Understanding who you’re working with

It is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the team members you are working with, as some developers may prefer to have every single page fully designed with all assets included, while others may only need one or two screens to proceed with development. For this project all screens were designed.

02. Nothing like a completely finished project

Although we had planned for most details in the beginning stages of the project, there were a few adjustments that we had to address later on. Fortunately, the existence of a style guide made it easier to make these changes smoothly.