A case for Pocket Creative lab
A journey to more users, through an online offline interface.
The assignment: Grow the user base and increase the usability of the app.
Context:
For my internship at Pocket Creative Lab, a Brazilian incubator and marketing company, I supported the team with marketing, design and branding for different start-ups. My most prominent role was helping the bike sharing company Loop.
The company started a bike revolution in the south of Brazil. The goal is to let many people enjoy this cheap and healthy transportation method. They were doing some sales and slowly growing the business. However, they were not growing fast enough, and they were getting some complaints about the usability of their app.
Process:
I analysed the usability and the engagement of their app. I started with analysing my experience on the app and observed my friends use it as well. Then I did research into exiting bike sharing companies, their app experience, onboarding, and engagement tactics.
Observations of other bike sharing companies
Creating an overview of how other bike sharing companies structure price, onboarding and usability.
Suggestions
Create brand awareness by showcasing logo
Show the logo when opening the app; this image can be a nice opening screen
Integrate logo in home screen (example of Obike and Mobike)
Showcase amount of calories burned, CO2 saved and kilometres biked
To keep clients engaged, the companies show the amount of calories burned, CO2 saved and kilometres biked. People enjoy games and a visual representation of their work. They can also share it with their friends.
Many people in Brazil do not often ride a bike, therefore it is important to inspire them to ride a bike
To engage with the clients is through providing biking routes, especially because biking is not possible everywhere in Brazil, this can guide the users on where to go. On top of that, it makes them want to come back to do multiple routes if they finished a nice one.
Another way to inspire people is through showing others having fun.
A targeted, comprehensive marketing strategy to raise awareness and encourage take up amongst different user groups. Although the users of bikesharing systems are usually between the age 20 till 35, so it is smart to focus on this age group. To get the brand out there, a lot of bikesharing systems use Instagram. On Instagram they show a lot of content of different people on the bikes at touristy places but also with stories about how they use the bike as a cheaper transportation than the car.
This can inspire users to use the bike sharing service.
Start riding with Loop can be encouraged through:
Invite friends and get free rides
First ride for free or first 30min for free
Student discounts
Family discounts
Improving the usability of the app
Add a visual explanation of how to use the bike sharing service
It is not clear for the user how to use the app. By adding an explanation on how to use it, this will be more clear. It is recommended to do multiple steps and use a point of few of the user.
Centralized pay function with all the information
The price of a single ride can be found under the ‘ajuda’ button (R$3,50/2horas) and the price of a subscription under the ‘planos’ button. It is unclear and confusing for the user to find the price of a ride/subscription. The price is key information for the user and should therefore be made more visible and clear.
Suggestion: make one function in the menu that provides the user of all the information including:
price of 1 ride
price of monthly subscription
what is needed to sign up
Back function in menu:
Navigating the website is difficult because when you click on a feature in the menu and click on the ‘back’ button (<--), you go back to the map instead of the menu. Therefore, a back function to the menu would increase usability.
Solution:
User experience
Paying is difficult for the customer because they do not have all the information, and it is scattered through the app. Add a centralized pay function with all the information necessary to make a purchase as a customer
When you go to the app, the user does not know how to use the service. Add a visual explanation of how to use the app and the bike when first opening the app and in the menu as well. This will make it clear for the customers how to use the app.
User engagement
Now there is no incentive for the user to ride longer and more often. Add a calories burned and/or C02 saved feature, to give people an incentive to bike more and feel even better about using the Loop service. It would be more engaging if this can also be shared with friends or other users.
Bike riding is not always common for locals and Brazilian tourist alike, therefore it is important to showcase the experience of riding and inspire customers. This can be done by adding interesting roads to ride. In addition, it is good to share other people their experience through photo’s. These can also be shared through Instagram.
Learning points:
Using my own experience together with the experience of my friends can be improved by investigating real users at the location where they pick up a bike. Also, it would have been good to test the tactics in the form of mock-ups.