Tootle

Tootle is a mobile application dedicated to helping users compare cab fares between different ride-hailing services in Singapore to ensure they are paying the least for commuting. After scanning and applying applicable promo codes, the app provides users with the cab fare for each ride-hailing service platform. This app aims to help users reduce their expenses on cab fares in an easy and convenient way.

The users are able to input their pick-up point, drop-off point and choice of vehicle on the homepage. The app's graphics also reflects the weather condition in real-time.

After users have inputted their required information, the app scans and apply applicable promo codes and provides users with the cab fare for the different ride-hailing services platform.

The information would be automatically sorted from the cheapest at the top to the most expensive at the bottom. The cheapest alternative would have an indicator to highlight the most optimal choice for the users.

Background

Singapore has several ride-hailing services from Grab, GOJEK, Comfort Delgro and more. As each company has their own pricing structure, the cab fares for users would differ. Unfortunately, users are unable to compare the cab fares among these platforms easily.

Problem

Many users including myself have been through the situation of opening all the ride-hailing apps to compare the prices before settling on the one that provides the cheapest cab fare. Due to dynamic and fluctuating pricing strategies, there is never an option that is always the cheapest.

However, the process of opening every single app and inputting my current location and desired destination takes up so much time. Therefore, I wish for a solution for these problems. Therefore, I decided to come up with an app that would rid users of this inconvenience.

Research

Competitor Research

After conducting research, I found that there used to be a similar app that is no longer available on the app store. The app named SPUR was active from September 2020 to February 2021.

Another similar app that exists in the app store is named CarHailer, which has not been updated since June 2021 and suffered from interface issues which prevented users from getting past the registration phase. Therefore, should the “Tootle” app launch, there would be no significant competitors on the market.

User Research

73.1%

of customer satisfaction rate in ride-hailing services due to difficulties in getting a ride, the fares charged and a lack of attractive app promotions and discounts.

64%

of Singaporean respondents used ride-hailing services in the past 6 months and 15.7% of Singaporean respondents relied more on ride-hailing services.

8.2%

of tolerance level for increased travel fare with Singaporean respondents mentioning that pricing was the key factor in their choice when choosing ride-hailing services.

User Persona

I created a user persona based on my user research to visualise a target user of the Tootle app. The user's goals and frustrations would allow me to gain a better understanding of the problem.

Finding problem

Synthesize

1. Users are not aware of ongoing promotions and promo codes on ride-hailing platforms that could be used to reduce their transport fees.

2. Users have to manually type in their current location or desired destination into the app.

3. Users are not familiar with the different modes of transport provided on each ride-hailing platform (eg. six-seater, coach services, pet-friendly rides).

4. Estimated journey time may be inaccurate when an unexpected situation happens on the road.

5. Users that do not have the habit of weather checking may be surprised with unexpected weather during the journey to their destination

1. The app also automatically scans for an applicable promo code that could be used to reduce the charging fee.

2. The app asks for location permission so users would not have to manually input their current location. Users are able to bookmark locations and past destinations would be saved in the recommendations bar for convenience.

3. Users are able to compare prices between different modes of transport of different ride-hailing platforms.

4. The app also collects information on traffic conditions and gives users a heads up should there be any traffic situations or conditions that would increase the commuting time to their destination.

5. The app also collects weather information and informs users of expected weather conditions. This would be beneficial when the user’s destination is not a sheltered area.

Solving problem

Ideate

User Flow

Starting from the home screen, I created a user flow chart that illustrates the navigation path a user takes to retrieve information about the cab fares from different ride-hailing services before being redirected to the selected platform.

UI Design

Style Guide

Sketching

After gaining an idea of what is needed in the mobile app, I drew a few layout ideas to generate ideas before developing the high-fidelity prototype.

User Testing

Reflection

This is my second case study but my first attempt at developing a mobile app from scratch. I enjoyed the experience of developing this case study as I gave myself the opportunity to create some visual concepts for the mobile app. While I wanted to develop more creative assets for this app, I realised that aesthetics is not the solution for my problem and a simple interface would go a long way.

Additionally, I have learned a lot from the feedback from users who tried my initial prototype and realised the importance of being detailed about my designs and to remove unnecessary icons for visual clarity. Moving onwards, I would keep in mind to design with more clarity, keep my paper prototyping less detailed and to experiment with more layout ideas so that I can channel my attention to the more important aspect of paper prototyping.

I sent my prototype to a few people for testing and found some design issues that were confusing to the users. Below are the changes I made to the interface:

Final Screens

Additional Features

After users input their pick-up point and drop-off point, the app uses mapping technology to determine the route the drivers would take. The app would then pick up real-time data on traffic situations and informs users should there be any situations that would delay their travelling time (eg. construction work, lane closure, accidents).

TOOTLE