Usability Evaluation of Mobile Application Interfaces in Ride-Hailing Services

CRITERIA DEFINITION

The following tasks will serve as the criteria used to evaluate the usability of mobile applications interfaces with ride hailing features.

Task 1: Setting the Destination
Task 2: Modifying Personal Information
Task 3: Setting Payment Methods
Task 4: Finding Past Ride Records
Task 5: Adjusting Setting Parameters

Which applications will we analyze?

Uber: Provides ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport.

Lyft: Offers ride-hailing, vehicles for hire, motorized scooters, a bicycle-sharing system, rental cars, and food delivery.

Gojek: Indonesian on-demand multi-service platform and digital payment technology group based in Jakarta.

USABILITY

Task 1: Setting Payment Methods

Uber: Enter the destination in the search bar on the main window.(First Layer)

Lyft: Search for destinations in the main pages search window.(First Layer)

Gojek: Search for destination on main page through tab bar.(First Layer)

Task 2: Modifying Personal Info

Uber: Click account option on the bottom right of the main page.(Second Layer)

Lyft: Open Function Tab, select personal data area, click view profile then choose edit.(Fourth Layer)

Gojek: Click personal avatar on the main page and then click pen to begin editing.(Third Layer)

Task 3: Setting Payment Methods

Uber: Select wallet icon on personal account page.(Second Layer)

Lyft: On main page, open function symbol, then select payment.(Third Layer)

Gojek: From Main Page go to profile page. From there select payment.(Third Layer)

Task 4: Finding Past Ride Records

Uber: Click Activity Icon on the bottom right of the main page.(Second Layer)

Lyft: On main page, open function symbol, then select ride history.(Third Layer)

Gojek: From Main Page select “Orders” Icon to view history.(Second Layer)

Task 5: Adjusting Setting Parameters

Uber: Click personal information on main page, select settings icon.(Third Layer)

Lyft: On main page, open function symbol, then select settings.(Third Layer)

Gojek: From Main Page select Personal Profile and then select manage account. Settings will be available. (Third Layer)

Feedback Analysis

Here are the key takeaways from user feedback on the three different applications.

Uber

Pros:

1. UI is clean and well designed
2. Functional Classification is Precise
3. Provides options for setting destination settings
4. Popular with young and middle aged people

Cons:

1. Information of Payment settings is not precise
2. Automatically install food delivery option which distracts from the main feature of ride hailing.
3. Navigating pages is not intuitive
4. The display is more than an average phone’s display range

Lyft

Pros:

1. Page is simple
2. Operation is intuitive
3. Addition of functions toolbar is user friendly
4. Car calling function is on main page and is easy to access

Cons:

1. Modifying personal data could be better designed
2. The settings page was not intuitive
3. Separate text and image areas were not distinguished enough and caused confusion
4. Needed to access fourth layer to adjust personal data

Gojek

Pros:

1. Easily accessible chat function to talk with driver
2. Provides various features for users
3. Payment methods are easy to access and easy to use
4. Provides many methods for payments

Cons:

1. Provides too much info on main screen, up to six services.
2. There is too much to explore for new users
3. Not enough language options, thus making it less accessible
4. The design felt cluttered and messy

Evaluation and Discussion

Usability Optimization Tips for Ride Hailing Services

1. Add Signifiers: Have some type of icon of images to help users understand what is being displayed to them.

2. Separate Features: Different functionalities should be in separate areas. Do not clutter everything onto a single display. For example, how Lyft was able to use a navigation tab.

3. Main Page-Main Features: Place the most frequently used features on the main page for easy access. The user should be able to immediately select what they want to do.

4. KEEP IT SIMPLE: LESS IS MORE. Don’t overwhelm users with an over designed UI and many redundant features. The best app should be easily learned and used.