Autotel

This project was part of the MA HCI program, where intensive research was conducted to address one of Autotel's challenges.
// My role focused on UX research.

Overview

AutoTel is the first car-sharing-by-the-minute service in Tel Aviv. User’s can pick up one of Autotel cars at one spot and return it in to designated parking spots or any other legal spot, spread everywhere around the city. Autotel’s mission is to create less traffic, cleaner air and less stress for users.

Challenge

Autotel challenge is in retaining customers and getting them to use the service despite the advantages of other alternatives.

Goal

Deliver a meaningful, straight-forward experience entailing as much information as possible. My goal was to increase the number of first time users who use the Autotel service.

User Research

We utilized user interviews and user diaries to discover the pain points of the user during the car rental process. The interview questions were divided into 5: introduction questions, general service habits, perceptions of the brand and competition, service specifications, and summary questions. We have updated the interview questions as necessary as we learn more about the rental process and user experience.

User Interviews

3 males and 3 females
Frequent and less frequent users

Diary and Documentation

2 users sent us live diary
notes of their usage

Current User Journey

I mapped out the current user jouney (step by step journey) that a user might take to reach their goal. The following journey includes 3 main layers: before, during and after. These layers describe the process of renting the Autotel service from start to finish and its purpose is to identify user pain points and challenges, as well as to better understand and empathize with the user's experience.

Pain Points

Insights

Autotel reduces the burden of owning a car

This is one of the biggest pains that the platform solves. With Autotel, users state that they enjoy the benefits of having a car without owning it—reducing the expensive cost of maintaining a car and responsibilities that come with it, as well as creating stress-free mobility.

A better alternative than public transportation

It seems that most Autotel users are not fans of public transportation and are searching for an alternative. According to some of the users, "taxis are much more expensive" and using Autotel is the best option. Moreover, it is an especially good option when there's no public transportation (like Saturdays and late at night).

Convenience over money

The most significant factor for Autotel users is convenience, not money. Users consider Autotel to be a better option even though buses, bicycle and scooters are cheaper. Autotel users looking for an easy way to get from one place to another.

Feeling of uncertainty

The experience of using the Autotel app is known for its uncertainty. There is no guarantee of finding an available car or parking. Utilizing the platform is based on availability per moment, and there's no option to schedule pre-use.

Service is not diverse enough

There are no vehicles for different kind of use or purposes. Users said that they were missing the option for other kinds of cars for a variety of potential uses. Different vehicles options like pick-up trucks, or full day rentals can help alleviate this issue.

Mindsets

Why Mindsets? As the world evolves, so does the way we understand our users, which includes human nuances and complex behaviors. Mindsets are varied perspectives where the idea that the same person can move between different stances or attitudes.
4 main mindests were created as an expression for a certain state of mentality of a person. the following 4 mindsets describes different needs and behaviours as well as different people and scenarios.

Future Experience

After deeply understanding the current challenges users experienced with the service and creating mindsets representing them, a future journey blueprint was created. This blueprint provides the ideal path (with additional optional paths) toward business success, including actions and plans to achieve business objectives. The visibility line represents the backstage (and behind-the-scenes) of the business and ties it to the user's experience.

Throughout the blueprint process, three key moments were identified. These are critical moments that present a challenge and demand a response.

#1 key moment- planning the trip

Ilai needs to go to work tomorrow morning in South Tel Aviv. He has several options in mind, he has a lot of equipment to bring, and eventually decided to use Autotel. He wakes up and checks the app, but there is a problem- there aren’t any cars available! This makes him feel frustrated and uncertain that he’ll be able to get to work on time.

#2 key moment- booking a car

Ilai doesn’t find a car and will be late to work! He waits 20 minutes until a car is finally available. He checks available parking spots near his destination and sees that there aren’t many spots available, but he’s desperate to get to work and finally books the car 🥲

#3 Key moment- parking the car

Ilai arrives at the parking spot and then sees a random vehicle parked there. Being that this is a central street, there are no other parking spots, he needs to start looking for paid parking which can be very expensive.

Based on these key moments, a few value propositions were designed. These set of recommendations were developed using an “opportunity canvas”, a template that helps facilitate discussion about a product’s features or capabilities and helps to identify additional opportunities. This is a holistic view of what the problem is, what solutions are out there, and how it will impact the business.

Value Propositions

#1 Value Proposition

Live Feed

Display live feed of cars on the Autotel map, allowing users to see vehicles while in action and notify them if a good opportunity is coming soon. This gives users a sense of control while planning their trip and accomplishes operational transparency.

Validation

A/B test with one version of the Live feed and one without to measure levels of uncertainty. Following a survey which will show us the preferred version.

#2 Value Proposition

Available ride alert

An option to set an alert for available vehicles in the users' area for a time slot in advance, meaning users don't have to refresh the app to wait for an ideal car. The user relaxes until he get an alert for an available vehicle in the area, providing idleness aversion.

Validation

Asking users to report each time they plan to use Autotel and can’t find a car. Afterwards, we will follow up with them to see if the service is still relevant.

#3 Value Proposition

Specialized car types for different purposes

An option to rent specialty vehicles to fit various users' purposes for example: pickup trucks for moving your apartment or going to rehearsal with your band, scooters/motorcycles for fast maneuvering in rush hours, 7 seat cars for big families etc.

Validation

Presenting users with different Autotel vehicles and asking which one fits their needs best using a popup poll.

#4 Value Proposition

Parking is taken report button

Possibility to report parking that has been taken by a non-Autotel vehicle, with an added option to navigate to the nearest vacant parking spot. Easy, efficient, and safe solution without additional effort and cognitive load while driving.

Validation

Utilizing a popup poll to ask users how they would react if they found their parking taken by non Autotel vehicles. Examine their actions and ways of thinking.

My goal in this project was to create a better user experience by making actions more straightforward and intuitive while building a transparent experience. One of the most significant challenges for Autotel users is uncertainty when using the app (they can't pre-schedule and foresee availability). Utilizing these four suggested solutions can enhance the app's credibility and user loyalty. An array of processes are employed to validate these value propositions, including validating user needs, pop-up polls, and A/B tests. Having them validated correctly may significantly improve Autotel's service, resulting in more users over time.