StratShare — Transforming the Dreaded Commute
StratShare — Transforming the Dreaded Commute
StratShare — Transforming the Dreaded Commute
Commuting can suck but it doesn't have to.
StratShare is a ride-sharing application designed exclusively for students enrolled in the Global Business and Digital Arts program at the University of Waterloo. It addresses the challenges faced by those living in Waterloo but must commute to Stratford for their classes.
Commuting can suck but it doesn't have to.
StratShare is a ride-sharing application designed exclusively for students enrolled in the Global Business and Digital Arts program at the University of Waterloo. It addresses the challenges faced by those living in Waterloo but must commute to Stratford for their classes.
Commuting can suck but it doesn't have to.
StratShare is a ride-sharing application designed exclusively for students enrolled in the Global Business and Digital Arts program at the University of Waterloo. It addresses the challenges faced by those living in Waterloo but must commute to Stratford for their classes.
My Role
UX Research, UI Design,
Prototyping, Responsive
Design
Timeline
October 2023 - December 2023
Team
Michelle, Antoinette,
Nish, Jada, Clara
"I had to pay a $60 Uber ride to class because I missed my bus this morning."
- Sad Commuter Student :(
"I had to pay a $60 Uber ride to class because I missed my bus this morning."
- Sad Commuter Student :(
The GBDA program at the University of Waterloo is located at UWaterloo's Stratford campus. Over the years, students faced challenges in commuting to class, as many did not have access to cars or convenient bus routes to Stratford.
Recently, the university introduced a bus program for student commutes to/from Stratford. However, this program presents limitations as it offers only one daily departure from Stratford/Waterloo, which does not accommodate the varying schedules of students.
Currently, no other solutions exist.
The GBDA program at the University of Waterloo is located at UWaterloo's Stratford campus. Over the years, students faced challenges in commuting to class, as many did not have access to cars or convenient bus routes to Stratford.
Recently, the university introduced a bus program for student commutes to/from Stratford. However, this program presents limitations as it offers only one daily departure from Stratford/Waterloo, which does not accommodate the varying schedules of students.
Currently, no other solutions exist.
Interviewing Students' Commuting Experiences
Interviewing Students' Commuting Experiences
We conducted small range of interviews with different types of GBDA commuters, including 1 alumni to understand the ongoing issues that students have been facing. These interviews focused on gathering valuable insights into user needs, preferences, and pain points, ensuring the app aligns with their needs and expectations.
Every student we interviewed addressed the same concerns regarding:
Affordability + Reliability + Safety
The majority of the GBDA community lives in Waterloo and are required to commute to Stratford.
But, commuting for GBDA students is unreliable and disorganized.
Through the interviews there was a common pattern between students. Typically, students carpool three days a week in groups of four due to cost-saving and eco-friendly motives. However, they face coordination challenges and safety concerns. Some students feel uneasy carpooling with strangers due to safety concerns.
Overall, there is clear need for improved scheduling, safety measures, and communication.
Who Is Effected by This Problem?
University Administration
To keep academic activities running smoothly, the university administration may have to deal with transportation problems.
GBDA Students
Flawed transportation options can affect students' overall academic performance and well-being.
Professors
If students are often absent or late due to transportation issues, it might disrupt the classroom atmosphere.
Defining App Requirements Based on User Research
After interviewing commuters and defining their main pain points to the existing options they are able to take to commute, we broke down possible features to be included in our app into categories from most important to least and what to avoid to ensure that the app we are creating actually solves commuter's pain points.
"How might we create an affordable, reliable, and safe ride-sharing platform for commuting GBDA students?"
Main concerns relating to affordability, reliability, and safety
Main concerns relating to affordability, reliability, and safety
Verification of drivers license
Verification of Watcard
Safety measures, guidelines, and policies
Communication and messaging
Pricing information
Payment System (Apple pay, Visa, etc)
Verification of drivers license
Verification of Watcard
Safety measures, guidelines, and policies
Communication and messaging
Pricing information
Payment System (Apple pay, Visa, etc)
Helpful but not a top priority due to time constraints
Helpful but not a top priority due to time constraints
Emergency alert system
ETA
Scheduling and Calendar
GPS-based tracking
Emergency alert system
ETA
Scheduling and Calendar
GPS-based tracking
Helpful additional features that can make the app stand out
Helpful additional features that can make the app stand out
Additional features that can make the app stand out
Car information
Auto driver/rider compatibility matcher
User profiles
Rating and review system
Late fee/No show fee
Ride cancelation
Car information
Auto driver/rider compatibility matcher
User profiles
Rating and review system
Late fee/No show fee
Ride cancelation
Features going against student needs
Features going against student needs
Data collection
Non-emergency ride cancelation
WUSA ads
Real-time pickup location sharing (must set a location for pickup)
Data collection
Non-emergency ride cancelation
WUSA ads
Real-time pickup location sharing (must set a location for pickup)
Brainstorming Potential Solutions Through Sketching
After my team and I established the priorities for the essential features of the app, we initiated the process of sketching potential design ideas and observed the commonalities among the sketches that were crucial for ensuring students have the easiest time using the app, reducing the learning curve as much as possible.
Paper Prototype Screens Created For Cognitive Walkthrough
Then, we progressed to creating paper prototypes to use for further testing with GBDA students to ensure we were on the right track. This testing involved conducting cognitive walkthrough evaluations focused on key tasks, such as booking a ride from a student's perspective and accepting passengers from a driver's perspective.
Feedback from Cognitive Walkthroughs
Feedback from Cognitive Walkthroughs
🗓️ Booking a Ride
Redundant Screens
The booking process involves redundant screens for details and payment, suggesting the need for streamlining. Consider consolidating into a single booking screen and introducing a confirmation pop-up post-payment to ensure users genuinely intend to book the ride.
Unclear Time Stamp
Users encounter confusion when choosing a driver due to an unclear time stamp, leading to uncertainty about departure and arrival times. Implementing departure and arrival time options within the app could enhance the user experience.
CTA Confusion
Upon clicking the "Find a Ride" button, users are redirected to the profile page instead of the ride search screen, causing confusion and aimless navigation for new users.
🚗 Driver Accepting Passengers
Unorganized
The Ride Postings page provides essential information for drivers but lacks navigational options and actions. To improve organization, consider implementing a dedicated page showcasing all ride listings. Additionally, adding a 'Ride Request' button could centralize all passenger inquiries, reducing message clutter and aiding effective management for drivers.
Flexible Options
Drivers are presented with the option to accept or decline ride requests, allowing them to assess passenger compatibility. This flexibility ensures a smoother ride-sharing experience for both drivers and passengers.
Seamless Communication
Once a request is received, drivers can initiate a chat. Upon acceptance, the conversation seamlessly transitions to the chat channel, indicating successful contact. This approach enhances communication efficiency and clarity.
Calendar Integration
The confirmation page, displaying ride details, offers the option to add the ride to the driver's calendar. This feature promotes driver accountability, aiding in organization and helping drivers fulfill responsibilities such as punctuality and avoiding missed rides.
Introducing StratShare
Currently, there are no existing solutions or organized methods created by the University of Waterloo to address the challenges faced by GBDA commuter students regarding reliability, safety, and affordability. StratShare resolves these concerns.
🆘 Emergency Feature
Upon the driver's arrival to pick up the student, if the student feels unsafe, they can easily access an Emergency button at any point of their trip. This button provides pre-generated information about the destination and driver, which can be sent to 911 or any designated contact immediately.
Issue Addressed — Safety
Safety was a crucial concern for students when carpooling with other students as they may not know them or do not feel comfortable.
🆘 Emergency Feature
Upon the driver's arrival to pick up the student, if the student feels unsafe, they can easily access an Emergency button at any point of their trip. This button provides pre-generated information about the destination and driver, which can be sent to 911 or any designated contact immediately.
Issue Addressed — Safety
Safety was a crucial concern for students when carpooling with other students as they may not know them or do not feel comfortable.
🗓️ Class Schedule Matching
Upon signing up, students can synchronize their UWaterloo schedule from their portal to align with drivers/passengers who share similar schedules. This eliminates the need for students to spend time searching for a driver/passenger for each individual class.
Issue Addressed — Organization & Reliability
Students expressed difficulty in spending time finding rides for each of their individual classes by asking their peers. This feature eliminates that need by providing all available options at once.
🗓️ Class Schedule Matching
Upon signing up, students can synchronize their UWaterloo schedule from their portal to align with drivers/passengers who share similar schedules. This eliminates the need for students to spend time searching for a driver/passenger for each individual class.
Issue Addressed — Organization & Reliability
Students expressed difficulty in spending time finding rides for each of their individual classes by asking their peers. This feature eliminates that need by providing all available options at once.
☑️ UWaterloo Verification
Upon signing up, both drivers and passengers must connect with their UWaterloo account to verify that they are students.
Issue Addressed — Safety
As StratShare is an app for UWaterloo commuters, the feature guarantees that both passengers and drivers are UWaterloo students, effectively eliminating any risk of scams.
💬 Passenger/Driver Messaging
The app features a "Messages" tab that allows students to communicate with any previous or current drivers/passengers.
Issue Addressed — Reliability
Students expressed the importance of being able to communicate with their driver/passenger in the case of any changes that arise. For example, running late.
🚘 Flexible Booking System
StratShare's booking system allows flexibility, whether it's from a single spot or joining a carpool group to save money. This system also accommodates flexible departure options such as one-way or round-trip, weekly rides at any time of the day.
Issue Addressed — Affordability & Reliability
The current options with the bus program and carpooling with peers lack flexibility due to limited departure times.
My Takeaways
When designing StratShare, I initially thought I understood the challenges commuters face, as I am a commuter myself. However, after speaking with a broader group of GBDA students, I realized the importance of considering a variety of perspectives, which helped create a design that’s more inclusive and user-friendly. This experience taught me the importance of conducting user research and avoiding assumptions without validation.
As we interviewed other GBDA students and had them test our prototypes, I realized that biases existed within the team. Jumping straight into Figma without a solid understanding of our users led us to prioritize visuals too soon, resulting in frequent revisions. Therefore, having a strong foundation of user research, testing throughout the process, and continuously iterating based on user feedback rather than waiting until the end is essential not only for creating great UX but also for helping us stay on track and optimize efficiency.
