T3 Chuxing iOS App Redesign
Ride-hailing with trust, safety, and reassurance
T3 Chuxing is a tech-based ride-hailing service in China, differentiating itself by providing safe ride experiences with its cutting-edge IoT(Internet of Things) technology and manufacturing know-how.
I started this consulting project when T3 was just about to launch its first MVP product in July 2019. Working remotely with 5 other UX designers, we redesigned its mobile app and reported directly to its CMO, helping T3 sell its safety edge and gain new users with improved user satisfaction.
Given my experience with multitasking and working with different people, I also volunteered to document our progress, schedule stakeholder meetings, and organize team sessions on top of the design work. Many of our deliverables have been launched since 2020, serving its now over 15 million users.
CLIENT/
T3 Chuxing
ROLE /
UX/UI Design
User Research
Interaction Design
UX copywriting
Project management
DURATION /
4 weeks
TOOLS /
Sketch, Invision, Figma, Miro, Principle
Understand the problem
Ride-sharing in China, a never convinced experience
When T3 first launched its service, China’s ride-sharing industry was in the storm of safety scandals where incidents were reported almost every day. Riders were shocked by the increasing sexual assaults, criminal verdicts, and even murders resulting from ride-sharing.
Incidents documented between 2015-2019
Data gathered from news, industry reports, and reviews of competitors had shown us that personal safety was the No.1 issue that plagued riders.
So what did the industry do about it?
To understand how the industry had been doing to alleviate the concerns and the implemented safety standards, we conducted a competitive analysis of the major players.
Postvention over prevention
Extra steps ≠ extra safety
We found that at the moment, ride-sharing companies mainly relied on 3 safety features to fulfill their commitment to riders:
01. adding emergency contacts;
02. in-app 911 button;
03. driver face recognition but carried out inconsistently at each company, leaving loopholes for drivers to easily game the system.
Also, whether it's asking riders to share their trips with emergency contacts, or allowing them to call 911 from within the app, they were eventually remedial measures that may help riders not end up in a worse situation, rather than precautionary measures that prevent unusual things from happening. They even brought extra burdens to riders who still hopped in without enough confidence and had to take their own risks for not staying vigilant at all times.
Focus on user needs
What does safety really mean to riders?
To better understand riders' frustrations and concerns over safety issues, and their expectations of the safety technology, we did 30min-1.5hr user interviews with 13 riders, all within the age group (between 25-35 years old) of T3’s target user. Given our lack of domain knowledge in the industry, I also spoke with a ride-sharing driver regarding safety issues and shared my findings with the team to help us have a full picture.
During that process, I facilitated team sessions to draft our research plans, synthesize interview data, and make sure that everyone's on the same page.
The key insights showed us that for riders, safety means a sense of control.
"Does the driver match the car?"
"Are in-car safety features working?"
"Car conditions good or bad?"
"Is the driver professional? Route-knowledgeable?"...
Safety =
01. well-informed about the trip
02. the ability to take precautions
"Is the driver distracted driving?"
"Are we going off the course? "
"Does the service have reliable technologies?"...
Can postvention be prevention, extra burdens be extra confidence?
Built upon that, we dived further into T3's strengths and uncovered the opportunities that we could possibly work on.
Strengths:
T3 operates its own fleet of vehicles with its VDR (vehicle, driver, road) safety technology embedded, which means trips are monitored in real-time, drivers are verified through face recognition every 60 seconds, and all cars are equipped with SOS buttons for riders to report threats and get help. Empowered by this safety technology, T3 can detect potential risks in advance and remotely interfere with the vehicle in an emergency.
Opportunities:
With T3 being the first and the only ride-sharing company with VDR safety technology, and a newcomer to the market, how can we transform its technology edge into something that riders can easily approach and help them regain that sense of safety?
How Might We help riders feel safe and regain that sense of control?
Get in the shoes of riders
To help us focus on what matters most to our users, I worked with the team to divide riders into two groups: the late-night rider (primary) and the daily commuter (secondary).
Following their journey from pre-pickup to arrival helped us better empathize with riders and explore design opportunities at each stage. By focusing on the pain points of our riders, we were able to build alignment quickly and prioritize ideas that would bring bigger impacts to our scope.
Map out key features
Before moving onto high-fidelity designs, we made wireframes to map out how features can be realized on key pages. Wireframes put us in a good mindset for prioritizing elements and thinking about what content is most relevant, allowing us to fix issues early on.
*Only the key flows regarding safety are shown here
Design and iterate
1 .
Introduce the safety features that riders can make the best of
Most safety issues and concerns occurred en route. That's why T3 associated most of its safety technology with its cars. Their control center monitors drivers through face recognition to ensure they match the car and drive safely, while the in-car SOS buttons allow riders to report threats and get help immediately.
But how could riders necessarily know about these seemingly sophisticated features that protect them? Especially first-time riders, they might still be new to the in-car safety features and don’t know how they’ll be protected. Thus, we need to show them in a simple, light-hearted, and easy-to-grasp way.
So how should the in-car safety features appear so that riders can easily "get it"?
I came up with 2 possible solutions, each of which introduces the in-car safety features right after registration.
Version 1: After registration, the coachmark will guide riders to tap on the safety center icon, and then they will be directed to the introduction of in-car safety features. Riders will have some time to read the content before they can skip.
Version 1: Safety features introduction with a coachmark
Version 2: Instead of a coachmark making riders open the instruction modal, a fun animation rolls in to engage and cue users to check out the introduction, acting as a little voice to lead and aid riders in their journey.
Version 2: Safety features introduction with a pop-up animation
After usability tests with 8 riders, we found that even though both versions can quickly grab rider’s attention, Version 1 had a higher drop-off rate than Version 2. We also had feedback saying that Version 1 looked like a standard guide that usually gave you a lot of dry contents to process. But the delightful animation(Version 2) provided them a more engaging and less stressful experience, enticing them to go through further details on the next page.
On top of that, Version 1 may cause misunderstandings of the safety center. The introduction is only accessible if riders are tapping on the safety center icon for the first time. Since then, they will always be directed to the safety center page, which is a hub for all kinds of safety features, including emergency contacts, emergency assistance, trip insurance, and things alike. Linking the safety center hub to some specific safety features may lead to confusion.
But Version 2 is not perfect, either. For riders who skipped the introduction, or riders who need to check the introduction again, there’s no way to do that. Therefore, I proposed that we add a gateway in the safety center so that riders can easily access the information whenever they want.
Version 2.1: Banner to access in-car features introduction in Safety Center
I then initiated a meeting to discuss the two versions with other stakeholders. We agreed that Version 2 fitted in better not only because it was engaging to users, but also can be integrated with T3’s promotional programs to attract new users.
In our user interviews, over 90% of riders said they would try a new ride-sharing service if there's a discount or a better rate. And as a new player in the industry, T3 actually launched many promotions like “Get 25% off”. With promotions blended in Version 2, users are more likely to finish reading the safety features introduction and use those offers to book a ride. Based on that, I worked with another designer to make some improvements and came up with the final version.
Final Version
Introduction at first glance
Permanent introduction access
*Created happily with my teammate Zoe, special thanks!
2 .
Inform riders that their trips are protected
Our research shows that being well-informed about the trip makes riders feel safer. However, knowing about the safety features is just one part of it. Being well-informed also means they are aware of the fact that the safety features are in service and protecting them on every trip.
But knowing about the safety features ≠ a safe ride experience
Keeping that in mind, I first proposed to present the “safety features are in service” message in the notification banner. But there’re many different notifications rotating in the banner. This important message that needs rider attention can be easily ignored and confused with others. According to our usability test, most riders didn’t notice this message. Even if they were aware of it, it was hard to tell whether this was another safety feature introduction or an indication of safety feature status for a specific trip.
I then iterated with another designer to move the message inside the bottom sheet along with the trip information, making those features checked one by one at the moment when a ride is confirmed. That’s the time when riders pay close attention to the screen in order to capture the information they need to get in the right car. Thus, the message could be better conveyed as riders would know the safety feature status is specifically for this trip.
Exploration: notification banner
Iteration: status check after requesting a ride
*Created happily with my teammate Zoe, special thanks!
3 .
Alert riders in unusual situations
Currently, riders of major ride-hailing platforms have to make enormous efforts to ensure their safety en route, including, but not limiting to, sharing trip status with others and constantly checking the map and the driver.
How can riders get rid of these heavy workloads and stay safe at the same time?
Given T3‘s ability to detect potential risks beforehand and remotely interfere with the vehicle in an emergency, if riders can be informed before something really happened, they will have a sense of being taken care of and are more likely to ride with confidence.
I collaborated with another designer to create two versions of in-app alerts that allow riders to give real-time feedback. Taking the off-course as an example, T3 will notify riders that they’re going far off the track and ask if emergency assistance should be activated. Riders would then tell T3 what to do by choosing to activate or cancel. Receiving alerts prior to emergencies makes riders better prepared and their feedback helps T3 avoid unnecessary intervention that may interrupt their experience.
Version 1
Pros: catch the rider’s attention immediately
Cons:
1. riders cannot see the map to help them make this important decision;
2. riders have to take action immediately and they’re more likely to make a mistake.
Version 2
Pros:
1. riders can see the map;
2. riders have enough time to decide on the next steps.
Cons: easy to be ignored by riders
Our usability test showed that riders need to see the map when confirming the situation, and they need some time to evaluate the situation before making decisions. So we made another iteration with a modal popping up first with phone vibrations, making sure riders won’t ignore it, and then ask them to take actions with the map as a reference. They also have enough time to respond accurately regarding the situation. If they do think something is wrong, they can activate assistance to protect themselves right away.
Iteration: be alerted and confirm with a map view
captures rider’s attention immediately
riders can see the map to evaluate the situation
riders have enough time to decide on what actions to take
Design impact
At the time of this project, T3 had just launched its first MVP product and was on the track of attracting new users with its safety edge. Since 2020, most of our design solutions including those mentioned above, have been shipped and well-received, serving now over 15 million users. With a rating of 4.9 out of 5 in Apple's App Store, we are happy to see that users respond positively about their ride experiences with T3.
Reflections
T3 was a critical learning experience for me, a project of many firsts: first time designing for a company, the first time managing a design project...I came away with a deeper understanding of user-centered design in a business setting. Here're some key takeaways,
Paring down, not branching out
It’s easy to be distracted by the desire to address all the pain points of users and every possible feature users may want. But the reality is simple ideas can have tremendous value. Only by staying focused on the scope, can you create a clean, distraction-free user experience.
Time management facilitates communication
Communication takes time, especially when you have a team of 6 people from different backgrounds, all having something to share and contribute. As the team lead, it’s crucial to make sure everyone is on the same page and will have the opportunity to weigh in. Scheduling a time slot with the most important tasks prioritized was very helpful during that process.
Last but not least, I’d like to give a shout-out to everyone who worked with me on this project, especially my teammates. They helped me better understand how designers work in real industry and how to communicate effectively and collaborate as a team.
© Xiaoyuan Luo. Made with ♥ & ♫