MOBILITY
MOBILE APP
DESIGN SYSTEM
My Contribution
Product design
Design system
Product strategy for MVP
The Team
1 x Product Designer
2 x Engineers
1 x Product Manager
In Ghana, many drivers had concerns and complaints about the fee structure of existing ride-hailing services like Uber, Bolt, and Yango. So, the client wanted to enter the market with a better approach. The main aim was to prioritize drivers by creating a ride-hailing service that didn't charge them any commissions, unlike the existing services that take a percentage of their earnings (usually between 5% to 25%).
To achieve this, we designed a user-friendly mobile app that feels familiar but also has some new and helpful features. The app uses a prepaid pricing model, provides fare estimates within the app, and includes strong security measures. This way, drivers can keep all the money they earn, and passengers can easily plan their rides.
We worked closely with the client and studied the market to set specific project goals:
Create a design system for all of Streetly's digital products.
Make ride-hailing quick and easy for passengers.
Simplify the process for drivers to join Streetly, making it easier for them to switch from other ride-hailing apps.
Exploring the problem
The client's goal was to build a driver-centric offering based on a "true sense of ownership." This required identifying the cause of the pain points and why they persisted despite efforts from existing services. During my rides, I’d speak with some drivers and I confirmed a few things from the client’s brief. They acknowledged the need to pay fees since it gave them easier access to ‘customers’ but felt that they were not receiving sufficient value at that price point for their contributions to the end-to-end transportation experience. They would be more comfortable treating the app's fees as an input cost like their fuel and mobile data, rather than considering the service provider a partner and paying a percentage of revenue as a result.
Creating a design system
To ensure consistency and efficiency in our design process, I built a design system that included typography, color palettes, iconography, and user interface patterns. This system helped us maintain a consistent look and feel across the three different apps (passenger, driver and fleet owner), and marketing materials.
Designing for passengers, drivers and fleet owners
Each user group has different needs and expectations when it comes to ride-hailing services. I took this into account during the design process, creating different apps, interfaces and features for passengers, drivers, and fleet owners. For example, drivers have access to a dashboard that allows them to track their earnings and view important metrics, passengers can easily schedule rides in advance and rate their experiences, while fleet owners can track the location of the fleet and see earnings in real time.
Conveying the unique selling proposition through the user interface
Streetly's prepaid pricing model introduces a fresh approach for connecting drivers with riders. While developing this, we recognized that we require extensive testing to decide whether to measure the drivers' plans by the number of rides or active hours. The MVP currently features driving plans based on hours, but we know that this might evolve with user feedback, which is why we've ensured the process for buying plans remains streamlined and easy-to-use to create room for frequent iteration.
The guiding principle: familiarity + novelty
As a team, we wanted to strike a balance between familiarity and novelty in order to create a unique identity for Streetly. We incorporated familiar features from existing ride-hailing services, such as in-app fare estimates and real-time driver tracking, while also introducing new elements, such as a prepaid pricing model and commission-free system, that set Streetly apart from the competition. This prepaid pricing model allows the drivers to pay a fixed fee like they would for their fuel and focus on maximising their revenue within the hours their plan allows them to drive for.
After eight weeks, we completed the designs, and the engineering work continued from there. Currently, the driver and passenger apps are being tested, and the company is preparing to launch with a market activation soon. The fleet owner app is next in line for development.