How to Enhance User Experience in App for Taxi Service
The success of consumer apps largely relies on in-app user experience. There is often a case when taxi companies struggle to increase the number of users or worse lose the existing ones despite offering discounts. A range of reasons affect the behavior of consumers to seek or discontinue using an app for taxi service.
This article reveals the most essential factors which influence user experience on taxi apps. It also makes suggestions for improving each of these factors.
Also read: A Comprehensive Guide to Taxi Management Software
Develop User Persona
The foremost aspect of ensuring high user experience is to develop user persona. It refers to the hypothetical sketching of most ideal passengers. Persona identification determines the kind of users that download and use your app.
Developing a user person requires market analysis including the needs of users and what competitors are currently offering them. The demography of consumers using app for taxi service widely varies. You can determine the ages, socioeconomic conditions, and cultural limitations of passengers. The design of app should correspond to the technical understanding of users.
Craft a User Journey Map
A range of reasons push users to abandon your app. Some may find it difficult to use while others see it excessively time consuming. Again others may find it taking more space in your phone. Similarly, there are many factors which attract users to use some mobile apps for taxi services above others.
It is vital to determine the causes that retain or lose users. Crafting a journey map in app for taxi service requires quantitative as well as qualitative research. The former is intended at collecting reviews, ratings, and feedbacks of users from various channels. Latter aims at determining the reliability, currency, and validity of information.
The map is immensely helpful when compared with the outcomes of user persona. You can realign your marketing strategy to target the most pertinent potential users first followed by the less preferred ones. Studies indicate that developing a correct user journey map increases the revenue by 52% on average.
Design App Navigation Blueprint
Prior to taxi app development, it is essential to sketch a blueprint of the app. In essence, a flowchart should be developed indicating the root pages and each of the subpage. For better user experience, it is advisable not to go beyond fourth level of hierarchy.
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The design should be interactive enough to facilitate the non-technical users. At the same time, it should be pleasant as well with attractive color schemes and unparalleled branding.
It is advisable to come up with various designing options and choose one of them later. To evaluate each design, you can develop wireframes and prototypes of app. Wireframes are static images which show the appearance of pages once the app would be developed. Prototypes demonstrate the behavior of buttons, links, and other elements.
Ensure Uniform Driver Distribution
One of the most prevalent problems with Uber clone app systems is the deficit of uniform vehicle distribution in geofence. Some regions have more vehicles than required whereas others have a shorter availability.
Consequently, a considerable proportion of passengers struggle to find a vehicle on time. Besides, shortage of drivers in an area also results in price hike due to increased demand.
The driver side app should show nearby drivers so that each driver can relocate to an area where the demand is relatively higher. Moreover, depicting the areas in the vicinity with higher demand is also vital. It is notable that drivers do not have to travel miles for relocation. Instead, a distance of up to 500 meters is sufficient in most cases.
Provide Real-Time Features
Time is a crucial factor for on-demand services. Many consumers adopt on-demand models to save time otherwise consumed in getting services traditionally.
An app for taxi service should ensure provision of real-time features including vehicle tracking for passengers and route optimization for drivers. Moreover, it should also reveal the location of drivers in the proximity in real-time as mentioned earlier.
The option for real-time messaging is indispensable so that drivers and passengers can communicate if needed. A choice to call driver should be available too but most passengers are comfortable with communicating through messages.
Furthermore, push notifications also enhance user experience in mobile apps for taxi services. They keep passengers updated with estimated arrival time and promo codes. Drivers also attain better user experience by staying updated with pending and ongoing rides.
Prototype Development and Testing
While you develop the app, it is immensely important to test it in parallel to development with small prototypes. The testing should not be confined to the business owners and employees. Rather you should acquire services of a group of potential customers who could take independent audits. You should test following aspects.
- Users should be able to navigate easily to the desired page of the app.
- App for taxi service should not take more than 15 seconds to schedule a ride.
- Latency time – the time an app takes to load after user opens it – should be minimal.
- Efficiency of real time updates including tracking, route planning and messaging.
- Appearance of app should be pleasant to users.
Meet Standard KPIs
There are undeniable performance indicators which influence the success of mobile apps for taxi services. Most independent evaluators believe that app loading time is one of the most crucial aspects.
Research indicates that around 70% of users would quit an app which takes over six seconds to load. This test takes greater significance when tested for peak usage hours.
Another major factor is the size of an app. A proportion of users prefer to keep lightweight app for taxi service. For this reason, Uber offers Uber Lite – the lightweight version of main app with limited features.
Even this Lite app for passengers ensures to provide essential features including unique profiles and ETA. The map is not real-time but updates approximately every 10 seconds. The developers should ensure that passengers should be able to schedule a ride in at most three clicks.
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