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Improving the Experience of booking Return Trips in Uber

The Problem

The current process for booking return journeys in Uber is inefficient as it requires manual entry of pickup and drop-off locations, which were already provided during the initial ride booking.

How I Identified the Problem?

As a regular user of Uber, I frequently find myself booking rides for my parents when they are out visiting relatives or attending events

Here's a typical user flow:

As a regular user of Uber, I frequently find myself booking rides for my parents when they are out visiting relatives or attending events

Here's a typical user flow:

This booking process is redundant for the return trip and could be made more efficient, as Uber already has the required information from the initial trip.

Who are the Users?

Users who book cabs on behalf of others, and those who themselves travel frequently back and forth from one point to another.

Gaining more insights from User Interviews

I interviewed five users to gain a better understanding of the user journey when booking a cab for someone else.

I discovered that booking a return trip can be a hassle when the pickup or drop location is not available on maps.

Interview Insight

Booking a return trip can be more than just a minor inconvenience; it can be a major hassle when the pickup or drop location is not available on maps.

If the location is not available in Maps

The most common approach followed by users was to have someone at the destination share their location through WhatsApp.

Other approaches are:

Selecting a nearby landmark as destination and assist the driver to reach the exact location
Set the location directly in map by dropping a pin.

Other approaches are:

Selecting a nearby landmark as destination and assist the driver to reach the exact location
Set the location directly in map by dropping a pin.

Since using WhatsApp is the most common approach, I delved deeper to understand more about this scenario.

Problem with this approach

Booking a ride from A to B is seamless because the location opened through WhatsApp (B) is defaulted as the drop-off location and current location A as the pick up point.

But the return trip from B to A is tricky because when user opens the location through WhatsApp it still sets B as the drop-off, so the user has to manually swap the pick-up and drop-off locations.

Booking a ride from A to B is seamless because the location opened through WhatsApp (B) is defaulted as the drop-off location and current location A as the pick up point.

But the return trip from B to A is tricky because when user opens the location through WhatsApp it still sets B as the drop-off, so the user has to manually swap the pick-up and drop-off locations.

This process involves user going back and forth multiple times which is a major inconvenience.

Solution - Version 1

In the activity tab, a large card of the most recent ride is displayed currently. To this card I have added a “Book Return Trip” button. When user clicks on this button, the Pick up location and drop location from the initial ride are automatically switched and the booking screen appears.

User Flow for Booking a Return Journey for Others

Ideas Rejected

1) Adding a “Switch Location” Button beside Pick up and Drop Location fields.

This is a feature currently present in Google Maps where user can switch the Source and Destination using the Switch button.

This feature didn’t seem to reduce the number of steps taken by the user significantly and the use cases for this were too low for this button to be in the primary booking flow of the app.

2) Option to Reorder the location fields.

The idea was to allow users to reorder the pick-up and destination by pressing and holding a field and dragging it above or below another field.

However, this approach can cause confusion if the user presses and holds on the text inside the field, as the text gets selected instead of the reorder option appearing.

This is a feature currently present in Google Maps where user can switch the Source and Destination using the Switch button.

This feature didn’t seem to reduce the number of steps taken by the user significantly and the use cases for this were too low for this button to be in the primary booking flow of the app.

1) Adding a “Switch Location” Button beside Pick up and Drop Location fields.

2) Option to Reorder the location fields.

The idea was to allow users to reorder the pick-up and destination by pressing and holding a field and dragging it above or below another field.

However, this approach can cause confusion if the user presses and holds on the text inside the field, as the text gets selected instead of the reorder option appearing.

Usability Testing

I tested this feature with 4 people, the scenario given to them was

"You have already booked a cab for your parents from home to PVR Multiplex. Now, book a return cab for them from the multiplex back to the home.”

I tested this feature with 4 people, the scenario given to them was

"You have already booked a cab for your parents from home to PVR Multiplex. Now, book a return cab for them from the multiplex back to the home.”

All the users’ first instinct was to type in the locations in search field. But after I mentioned about the new feature, they said this feature would help them a lot and would definitely use it if it existed.

Testing insight

Since this feature is not in the primary flow of booking and is placed in the Activity tab which not many people visit, the discoverability of this feature needs to be improved.

Improving the Discoverability

I looked up Uber's design system to see how they handle new feature introductions.

Tooltips seemed like the most suitable component to introduce this feature.

Solution - Version 2

Used a Tooltip to introduce the new feature.

Click to Enlarge

Try the Prototype

Metrics to Track

% of Users Opening the Activity tab after the tooltip is displayed.
% of Users using the "Book Return Trip" feature to book return trips.
% of change(increase/decrease) in return bookings.
Time on task when Book Return Trip is used Vs When it is not used.

% of Users Opening the Activity tab after the tooltip is displayed.
% of Users using the "Book Return Trip" feature to book return trips.
% of change(increase/decrease) in return bookings.
Time on task when Book Return Trip is used Vs When it is not used.

By tracking these metrics, the success/failure of the feature can be evaluated and using those insights, further steps can be taken accordingly to improve the experience.

Key Learnings

Given that the feature is located in the Activity tab, which is rarely used by people, it is clear that discoverability would be an issue. It seems that this should have been addressed prior to conducting usability testing.
Working on an App with a robust Design system presented me an opportunity to explore and learn about multiple components, type scales, color styles etc.

Given that the feature is located in the Activity tab, which is rarely used by people, it is clear that discoverability would be an issue. It seems that this should have been addressed prior to conducting usability testing.
Working on an App with a robust Design system presented me an opportunity to explore and learn about multiple components, type scales, color styles etc.

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