Cab-ybara
Project Overview
Timeline:
I designed this project for the 2024 UCR designathon, Designverse. I had about a day and a half to design a product with a group of four people.
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Objective:
Create an app that provides local carpool services for elementary/middle school students to and/or from school.
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Summary:
Cab-ybara is an app is designed for parents and students seeking a convenient, eco-friendly solution for daily commutes to and from school. The platform addresses transportation challenges by providing location-based ride-matching, advanced scheduling, and comprehensive safety features. Key features include a search function to find drivers nearby, ride scheduling with customizable pickup and drop-off options, in-app chat communication, and real-time safety alerts, including GPS tracking and emergency notifications.
Sketches, UX Flow, Preliminary Designs, Style Guide
Problem Statement
Both global warming and current norms for parenting and working make it difficult for parents to drive their children to and from school consistently, and there are no existing products to alleviate this specific problem.
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Research and Insights
Both I and my teammates had personally experienced the struggle of coordinating carpools and afterschool programs because we grew up with both parents working full time. We knew a lot of other kids were in the same situation: their parents couldn't pick them up when school ended, so they were forced to enroll in expensive afterschool programs. To solidify our pain points, we also conducted secondary research:
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By carpooling: an average household’s carbon footprint can reduce up to 2,000 pounds (1 ton) of CO2e annually (CoolCalifornia)
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10.2 million American children participate in afterschool programs; 19.4 million have need for it (Afterschool Alliance)​
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Key Findings:
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Convenience:
Many parents find it challenging to pick up their children at normal school end times. -
Availability:
Afterschool programs are not available in all areas, even when they are needed. -
Cost:
Even when after school programs do exist, they can be expensive, so cost is a barrier of entry
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Design Objectives​
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Location-Specific:
The app suggests drivers based on the user's location, so they know their address and school are in range. -
Advanced Scheduling:
Users can schedule rides in advance if needed, or create a schedule for regular pickup/drop off. -
Safety:
The app alerts parents when their child has been picked up from school and when they are safely at home, as well as providing location services throughout the ride. There is also an emergency button to alert the parents or emergency services if needed.
Final Product Features
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Search Function:
Users can search for available rides near them, choose which driver they would like, and see drivers' availability and ratings. -
Scheduling:
Rides can also be scheduled ahead of time, with users providing the drop off and pickup locations ahead of time. -
In-App Chat:
Students and drivers can communicate using the in-app chat feature. Everyone in a given ride can talk to one another, providing updates or their current location. -
Safety Features:
The app alerts parents when their child has been picked up from school and when they are safely at home, as well as providing location services throughout the ride. There is also an emergency button to alert the parents or emergency services if needed.
Reflections
Initially, we had a lot of different features we wanted to include; it was a case of having more and more ideas as we worked on teh wireframes and wanting to include all of them. We initially included both a parent and student view of the app, showing what it would look like for bot parties to sign up and use the app. Ultimately, this wasn't the best choice, especially given that this was a designathon project, and we had a limited amount of time to work on it. After the fact, I went back and pared the prototype down, making it more simple, yet straightforward. This designathon was definitely a learning experience; I learned better the value of simplicity, and not making designs overly complicated, especially depending on the scope of the project and presentation. Focusing on one concise problem and element of the product can make a much more effective argument.