Cubic corporation: Umo Mobility app
Umo is a multi-modal platform that connects public and private mobility systems to optimize public transportation operations.
Role
Timeline
tools
Team
Overview
In summer 2023, I had the opportunity to work with talented individuals at Umo Mobility as their UI/UX Design Intern. Umo Mobility empowers its users to improve their quality of life by optimizing the way they get around. At Umo, we believe in freedom, the freedom to choose your preferred mode (or modes) of transport and to use your preferred way of paying for those services. My internship project focused on designing the interface for onboarding and ride initiation within the second version of the Umo app.
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My Approach
My team and I employed the double diamond method as a framework to streamline and broaden our approach. This allowed us to gain a comprehensive insight into our users before delving into the development of solutions.
Since the project extended beyond my internship period, I prioritized and organized the redesigns effectively to align with the development milestones.
1
Understand the Problem: I went through the onboarding process to identify user pain points. This firsthand experience, along with user feedback, helped me pinpoint key issues and implement a streamlined, user-friendly solution.
2
Research: I conducted user research, including interviews and surveys, to better understand user pain points in the onboarding process and identify areas for improvement.
3
Understand Competitors: To gain an understanding of Umo's competitive landscape, I conducted competitive analysis, examining other major transit apps like Pronto, MTS Denver, Token Transit, and Journey by Bytemark.
4
High Fidelity Designs: Leveraging insights from the competitive analysis and under the guidance of my design lead and team, we engaged in an iterative process of wireframing high-fidelity designs and handed over to our development team.
01. Understand the Problem
I went through the onboarding process to identify issues users faced with the onboarding process and documented my experience.
I noticed some problems during the process.
Key Takeaways
02. Discovery Phase (User Research)
Having navigated through the onboarding process, I initially grasped the existing issues. But, I felt like something was still missing.
So, I conducted a thorough analysis of user reviews on the internet, pinpointing specific pain points on the onboarding process.
After reviewing the online feedback, my team and I decided to enhance the experience by personally visiting downtown San Diego and using the transit system ourselves. We engaged with riders to gather firsthand insights on their opinions regarding Umo's app onboarding process.
After we visited the site, we found the underlying problem.....
Users are frustrated with delays in ride searches, finding the onboarding too time-consuming, and deeming the ride-requesting process complicated. Improving efficiency and simplifying these steps is crucial for a better user experience.
Problem Statement
After the discovery phase, my team and I were able to narrow the research insights down into specific points, leading us to formulate a problem statement that would guide our approach to finding solutions.
How might we enhance the onboarding process in Version 2 of the Umo Mobility app to deliver a seamlessly empowering experience for our riders?
Using public transit is already challenging for individuals as they must ensure they arrive on schedule. My goal was to help them effortlessly select their preferred transportation modes and payment methods, fostering a sense of freedom and ease throughout their journey.
That starts with establishing a seamless onboarding process.
03. Competitive Analysis
After evaluating user feedback on our app, I conducted an in-depth competitive analysis of Umo's four primary competitors: RTD Denver, Journey by Bytemark, Token Transit, and Pronto. I thoroughly examined each app and created a detailed comparison table. This table serves as a valuable reference for our team, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor and helping us identify which app excels in specific aspects.
The noticeable difference in the onboarding process caught my attention since our app demands the most number of clicks compared to our competitors. The observed difference may lead to a less streamlined and time-intensive onboarding process for our users, particularly considering their prior feedback that Umo's onboarding duration was perceived as lengthy during the research phase.
By streamlining the onboarding process, I can significantly enhance our user satisfaction and retention. So my team and I consider optimizing the Umo app's onboarding flow by minimizing the number of clicks required, simplifying the steps, and providing clear instructions for a more user-friendly experience and improve the overall perception of the app.
04. Design Phase
Now that we have narrowed down the problem statement, identified root causes, and understood our user groups, my team has paved the way for productive design work. We are prepared to address riders' pain points through our designs. I formulated two core strategies to guide our ideation. By narrowing down the scope, I enhanced my efficiency in generating ideas, and our team achieved better alignment when collaborating on solutions.
Drawing Inspiration
I looked at the model of competitors through the competitive audit previously done during the research stage. In particular, I paid attention to how they communicated their product’s intention through visuals and animations, as well as organization of text. I utilized my phone as a resource, examining various application onboarding that I found particularly engaging. Then I turned to the internet to explore what an appropriate onboarding process should entail for our riders.
By having a productive ideation session, my team and I successfully identified several root causes behind the problem statement. Building on these insights, we were able to define two distinct user personas, providing a deeper understanding of the diverse needs and expectations of our target audience.
Who are we solving for?
Our team has identified two distinct rider personas, both sharing a common desire for maximum efficiency from our app. With this insight, I've employed the Job-to-be-done methodology to delve into the underlying motivations that drive these two rider groups in their quest for efficiency.
Touch Points
Recognizing the onboarding experience as multifaceted, I explored diverse strategies to foster user interaction with communication modes. I focused on identifying optimal methods to prompt users to engage with different elements, aiming to enhance their interaction without making the process tedious.
Utilizing a user flow, I visually mapped out the current role of various elements in the onboarding experience. Specifically, I pinpointed the stages at which users interacted with each element to gain a comprehensive understanding of their purpose and potential utilization in the redesign.
Presenting different ideas to the product and engineering team
Throughout the brainstorming stage, my team frequently collaborated with various teams to collect feedback on the practicality and feasibility of our ideas. This collaborative effort proved instrumental in refining the scope and redirecting our focus towards priorities that could be feasibly executed.
Final Designs
Having gotten feedback from multiple sources, as well as iterating on the brainstormed ideations, my team was finally ready to hand off the designs to the engineering team. On my end, I made sure to develop final high fidelity screens through carefully following Umo’s design system, so that the development process would be as smooth as possible. In addition, I checked for inconsistencies with margins and spacing to make sure my style and content choices were aligned with the product.
With our finalized designs, our team successfully streamlined the onboarding process, reducing it by three screens for first-time users. This optimization not only saves time but also enhances the overall user experience. By refining our UI elements, such as making texts and icons clearer and more visible, we've effectively minimized the cognitive load users previously experienced with our older designs.
Furthermore, our improved UI design ensures that users can navigate the platform seamlessly, without feeling overwhelmed or confused. Clearer visual cues and intuitive layouts contribute to a more intuitive user journey, ultimately enhancing satisfaction and retention rates.
Additionally, the revisions made to our designs reflect our commitment to user-centric design principles. By incorporating feedback and conducting thorough usability testing, we've crafted an interface that prioritizes user needs and preferences, fostering a more engaging and enjoyable interaction with our platform.
Overall, these enhancements represent a significant step forward in optimizing the user experience, ultimately driving increased user adoption and satisfaction.
Next Steps
Utilizing Design Critique Session Feedbacks
Through multiple design critiques with different teams of UX and Content Designers, my team was able to get insights and feedback from other eyes. We plan to utilize the feedback to iterate on our first stage final designs.
Development
The project is still ongoing despite my internship being over. I look forward to seeing what the design team comes up with, and I am excited to see our final designs shipped!
Learnings
As my internship with the Umo team at Cubic draws to a close, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved for the invaluable opportunity to advance both professionally and personally. Working alongside such remarkably skilled individuals has been an honor, and I am deeply appreciative of the support and guidance extended to me during my time here.
During my time at Umo, I learned the importance of backing up my design choices with solid logic, thorough research, and storytelling. Well-reasoned choices not only help build the credibility of my designs, but they also ensure the designs are user-centric and purposeful. Presenting my team’s design choices in various meetings, especially to those not directly involved in our project, taught me the significance of a narrative that showcased our entire double diamond design journey.
In addition, I refined my design and corporate jargon. Gaining new vocabulary not only empowered me to express my thoughts more accurately but also facilitated more effective collaboration within the team. As I became better at using design and corporate terminology, I noticed an improvement in the efficiency of group discussions, as my coworkers more easily understood my design rationale and objectives.
I also learned to utilize a comprehensive design system. Umo had an expansive design system that was constantly updated. During onboarding, I spent a lot of time watching tutorials and reading documentation. This was particularly exciting for me, as I did not have much exposure to design systems in the past. Through my efforts, I was able to learn how to use it efficiently in my designs, as well as see the inner workings of a live design system.
Finally, I learned to be proactive with communication and to use research effectively. There were many instances when I was unsure about certain tasks, so I reached out to my team when I needed help. Additionally, I learned that being clear about the progress I had made helped keep our project on schedule and fostered productivity in the team. I also made an effort to reach out to other designers and people in roles I was interested in for coffee chats, which helped me better understand the roles I might explore in the future.