Congested Roads and Rising emissions; Combating commuting crisis with ride sharing
Circle ride is a ride sharing mobile application that connects and allow users share a ride to a common destination at a stress-free and reduced commuting cost. Over concerns of high cost of transportation due to increase of fuel prices around me and the excruciating effect of climate change on the environment, I designed a carpooling app that allows passengers going towards a similar destination book and share a ride.
Year - 2023
Tools - Figjam, Figma, Loom
As the product designer for this project, I led the design process from researching and understanding the need for cheaper and comfortable need for commuting to implementing insights I got into crafting a digital experience for riders and passengers looking to share a ride on circle ride
Due to a recent hike in fuel prices and inflation all around, ride only became a major issue as the cost of transportation and maintenance of vehicles got expensive and people are looking for alternate means of commuting to work without stress.
What’s my design process like?
I used the double diamond design thinking frame work which consist of 4 main stages which are - Discovery, define, design, develop.
I specifically used this design framework approach as it gives me a deeper knowledge into understanding commuters needs allowing me iterate on through different processes to solve the problem at hand.
How did I start?
I started off my research with understanding effects of transportation issues, gaining insights on how daily commuters go about it, problems they face daily and how it negatively affects them
My research started with me focusing on understanding how transportation problems affect daily commuters. Through surveys, interviews and internet research, I gained valuable insights into their challenges, including delays in finding a ride, overcrowding of bus stops and high cost of commuting. These issues do not only impact physical well being but also lead to increases stressed levels among individuals. This insights got me to understand how best I can design a an effective solution for users.
What are the challenges?
Challenge of Finding Carpool Partners:
I found out that a lot of people struggle in finding the right carpool partners as they don’t know anyone around them that might just be having similar thoughts. It can be tough to match schedules and routes.
Different Commuters Backgrounds:
One thing that became clear in my research is how diverse backgrounds really influence people's decisions about carpooling. It's not just about schedules and destinations; it's about personal preferences too. Some folks have concerns about safety and privacy, due to background reasons.
Preference for Non-Social Interaction
I got to understand that commuters love a peace and quiet trip. these for why a lot of car owners tend to move alone in the vehicle and other commuters just enter public vehicles with their ears plugged. The minimal social interaction during rides results from commuters not being comfortable around the people you are moving with.
Privacy
Many commuters are not comfortable with sharing information or too much personal space when going out so they tend to discourage carpooling.
Trust Issues
Trust is everything, especially when it comes to sharing rides with strangers. Knowing that you're in a safe and reliable carpool can make all the difference. That's something I'm really focused on - creating an environment where everyone feels secure and comfortable.
Who would use circle ride?
Taking a good insight to the users of current ride sharing apps with a research report from Zippia.com (report here), with United States as the market focus, I found out that 18-29 years old makes up to 51% which is the highest percentage of users using ridesharing services with 70% not having a ride of their own, My target users are:
What are the key findings I got from my research?
How might we?
