OAK

Treepz

Revamping the rider experience to improve booking efficiency

Overview

Nigeria's rapid urbanization has led to population growth. This means that there

are more people living, working in cities, and also seeking efficient means of transportation for their daily commute.

In the absence of a reliable public transportation system, Treepz launched in 2019

to offer commuters a convenient, safe, and comfortable alternative.

Nigeria's rapid urbanization has led to population growth. This means that there

Challenge

As Treepz continued to grow, user feedback indicated difficulties in navigating the app and significant pain points in the booking process, which led to frustration and increased cancellation rates. This was hindering Treepz's ability to attract and retain new users.

The goal of this project was to design a pleasant, less complex booking experience that enabled everyday users to get from point A to B easily.

Team

3 Founders
4 Engineers
1 Product Designer
1 Product Manger

Role

I led all design efforts at Treepz as founding designer. My primary focus was on enhancing the platform's usability by delivering picture perfect UI, high fidelity prototypes, conducting field tests, and collaborating with the engineers and founders.

Business goals

Reduced cancellations

Minimize the number of ride cancellations by improving the clarity and reliability of the booking process.

Increase user retention

Keep existing users engaged and loyal to the platform.

Boost revenue

Increase overall revenue through higher ride bookings and reduced operational costs.

Business goals

Reduced cancellations

Minimize the number of ride cancellations by improving the clarity and reliability of the booking process.

Increase user retention

Keep existing users engaged and loyal to the platform.

Boost revenue

Increase overall revenue through higher ride bookings and reduced operational costs.

Existing app audit

The existing version of the app had several functional elements but lacked cohesion and an intuitive design. Usability suffered due to a cluttered interface, user struggled with booking rides efficiently and the app’s reliability declined.

Customer support feedback

To further understand the challenges and areas for improvement, I gathered feedback from customer support interactions.

To further understand the challenges

and areas for improvement, I gathered feedback from customer support interactions.

Image of me mapping out the user flow in a workshop with stakeholders

Ideation

After mapping out user flows and identifying areas for improvement in the app, the next phase involved ideating through low-fidelity wireframes. My intent was to communicate design and interaction ideas before delving into high fidelity designs. This also helped the team align on certain key interactions and design solutions.

After mapping out user flows and identifying areas for improvement in the app, the next phase involved ideation through low-fidelity wireframes.

My intent was to communicate design and interaction ideas before delving into high fidelity designs. This also helped the team align on certain key interactions
and design solutions.

Goals

Enhance usability and navigation
Give riders more control over their time
Provide more clarity and help users reach their goals
Give riders more confidence concerning their money

Outcome

Simplified search

The new booking experience featured a revamped search section where users could easily select the number of seats needed. I refined the UI to be cleaner and integrated brand colors to improve the overall aesthetics and reinforced brand identity

The new booking experience featured a revamped search section where users could easily select the number of seats needed.

I refined the UI to be cleaner and more intuitive, and integrated brand colors to improve the overall aesthetics and reinforced brand identity

Incorporating local lingo

One subtle change I introduced within app to make it feel more familiar and engaging for users was to adding local language. Replacing the term "Start trip," which traditionally represents the beginning of a commute with "Start waka," ("Waka"- a term commonly used in Nigerian Pidgin to signify starting a journey or movement).

One subtle change I introduced within app to make it feel more familiar and engaging for users was to adding local language. Replacing the term "Start trip" which traditionally represents the beginning of a commute with "Start waka" ( a term commonly used in Nigerian pidgin to signify starting a journey or movement).

The new booking experience featured a revamped search section where users could easily select the number of seats needed.

I refined the UI to be cleaner and integrated brand colors to improve the overall aesthetics and reinforced brand identity

Clear results

The new search result featured a clear information hierarchy, that ensured essential details were easy to find at a glance. Additionally, I included images of the available vehicles, to provide users with a visual reference and help them make informed decisions.

Balancing user experience and business constraints

I initially explored providing real-time distance updates to improve the booking experience, but following discussions with the engineers, we discovered that the cost of continuously pulling real-time data from Google to provide this information would be too expensive for the business.

So we opted to provide users with updates based on nearby bus stops, keeping them informed of the bus's location.

for the business.

So we opted to provide users with updates based on nearby bus stops, keeping them informed of the bus's location.

Seamless payment

We introduced a digital wallet that allowed users to top up their wallets and pay for rides from their balance. This helped users plan their trips and reduce the stress of handling cash on the go during their commute.

Impact

The new app was launched in January 2020 and recorded positive feedback from users while meeting business goals.

Improved user satisfaction

User satisfaction ratings increased by 25% in post-redesign surveys and app store reviews, with the overall app rating rising from 3.8 to 4.5 stars

Reduced cancellations

Ride cancellations decreased by 22%, thanks to the streamlined booking flow and simplified user interface.

Increased revenue

Revenue increased by 30%, driven by a reduction in ride cancellations and an increase in completed bookings.

Impact

Reduced cancellations

Minimize the number of ride cancellations by improving the clarity and reliability of the booking process.

Increase user retention

Keep existing users engaged and loyal to the platform.

Strengthen brand identity

Increase overall revenue through higher ride bookings and reduced operational costs.

Expanding horizons with intercity travel

The positive reactions and early success of the redesign paved the way for an expansion of the company's offerings, with a new product for intercity transportation.

This new introduction allowed users to purchase travel tickets for various bus services, with the app providing an aggregated list of available options, along with their respective prices for the selected travel routes.

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Aaron Onu

Aarononu@gmail.com

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Aaron Onu

Aarononu@gmail.com

Resume

Aaron Onu