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How might we improve WAZE to better cater towards the average driver?
65 % of drivers
RELY ON APP BASED GPS GUIDANCE
25% of users
ABANDON APPS AFTER ONE USE
YEAR
2020
This research project is intended to create awareness for GPS necessities, and to suggest a different perspective on what is most important to the common driver to prevent app abandonment.
DURATION
4 WEEKS
What causes bias preference and dislike?
To better understand what information is most valuable to a commuter, in depth interviews, and questionaries were conducted with a variety of commuters, with varying age groups. Verified online sources were also used for primary and secondary research to further back up manually collected data.
" I don't need so much information and
clutter, it's a GPS not the kitchen sink "
The Personas
Developing personas helped to better envision the broad demographic at hand, with their emotions they feel and concerns while driving to work to better fit their needs and wants
Hughie is about to graduate High School. He's looking to find his place in the world, and isn't sure what he wants to study in college. He feels very anxious when it comes to big decision making. Hughie has a very active social life, and a very close knit group of friends
FRUSTRATIONS
High anxiety situations, decision making
Age: 17
Status: Single
Location: Westchester, NY
GOALS
Figure out what he
wants in life, make
more memories with his friends, get out of his home town
Hughie Campbell
PERSONALITY
EXTROVERT
INTROVERT
SENSING
INTUITION
THINKING
FEELING
JUDGING
PERCEIVING
BRAND LOYALTY
JOURNEY MAP
Route “Overview” can get overwhelming, with icons overlapping
Chase is in his second year in university trying to get through his busy student life. He works during his free time and is often exhausted from lack of sleep. Although he wishes to have a social life, he doesn’t have the time or the energy to do so.
FRUSTRATIONS
Balancing school and work life, no free time
Age: 21
Status: Single
Location: Manhattan, NY
GOALS
Graduate university, earn money to pay for rent and school loan
Chase Monchalla
PERSONALITY
EXTROVERT
INTROVERT
SENSING
INTUITION
THINKING
FEELING
JUDGING
PERCEIVING
BRAND LOYALTY
JOURNEY MAP
Courtney is a D1 tennis instructor that is highly competitive and confident on and off the court. In her free time she loves to play video games, and appreciates a smooth interface that allows for a seamless gaming experience. It’s the little unexpected additions to a game that makes them stand out.
FRUSTRATIONS
Clutter, disorganization
and a lack of planning
Age: 28
Status: In a relationship
Location: Jersey City, NY
GOALS
Win her college conference
league and to start a family
Courtney McKenna
PERSONALITY
EXTROVERT
INTROVERT
JUDGING
SENSING
INTUITION
THINKING
PERCEIVING
FEELING
BRAND LOYALTY
JOURNEY MAP
Affinity Mapping
After interviewing Waze users and researching competition, the below affinity map consolidates factors that create a positive or negative reaction
Themes and Patterns
Assumption that Waze is for older age groups
Waze users expressed frustration with clutter and inaccurate reports
Few Waze users appreciated friendly layout and vibrant colors
Majority preferred competitor apps ( Google Maps and Apple Maps ) due to easy accessibility and accuracy
Waze used for particular features such as police and traffic reports
Many people felt stress related to driving
Key Takeaways
1.
Waze has a multitude of features that don’t apply to everyone. By allowing users to opt in and out of features, it allows a more personalized experience that will cut down on app clutter.
2.
Allowing the user to cater the app to their own needs, we must anticipate user needs not yet addressed within our app.
3.
Waze has always been thought of as the “fun” map app. We must remember that, and look for more ways add an element of excitement to the experience.
Site Map
Four site maps were created to show the general navigation for each new feature being presented ( General Navigation, Onboarding, Parking and the Scoreboard )
Onboarding
Scoreboard
Sketching and Testing
1. Onboarding
n this task flow, a new onboarding process is introduced that allows the user to completely customize their Waze experience. The process includes simple questions asked them to fill out the onboarding survey, while making sure to choose a custom recorded voice, a new route color, and to turn off features they wouldn’t want to see.
2. Finding the Street Parking
In this task flow, we wanted to add a new feature of showing available street parking near destination. We asked the users to find street parking near 900 Fulton Street.
3. Checking the Scoreboard
In this task flow, we wanted to make it much easier to access the scoreboard for the user. We asked the users to find Jessica Myer’s level in the scoreboard.
Mid-Fidelity Prototype
Prototypes were created to better display how the application would appear in real time
There are a few general changes that could be made to make Waze more favorable to its competitors like Google maps and Apple Maps. Decluttering the app by removing unnecessary icons/ features would make the app easier to interpret. There can be more customizations to make the app as fun and engaging as originally intended but in a more subtle way. This could be done by changing the route/map colors instead of pushing the “fun” agenda through busy icons and vector designs. There could also be a better usage of the point system to increase user reports, making the app better reliable with live road updates. Including public transportation information could also benefit urban users who tend to use the subway or train systems. Walking time estimates would also help the app better its positioning with its current competition.
Conclusion
UX RESEARCH DESIGN PROJECT
FIT ( Fashion Institute of Technology ) 2020
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