A solid understanding of your customers can give you the added advantage of managing the Taxi App Development project without hassle. However, a user-centric design process is challenging as it tackles multiple things simultaneously. In this blog, you will learn about the different phases of UCD and how your taxi app can find the best overall best practice.
Introduction
Apart from functionality, mobile apps have come a long way to become integral to our daily lives. For instance, Uber started as an MVP and slowly added different features and functions to meet the users’ needs, preferences, and expectations. Now, every other taxi app business understands why UCD is an important part of the Taxi App Development process. Let’s understand the key principles associated with this approach.
Key Principles of User-Centered Design
There are three key principles to follow to make your taxi app business a successful venture from the start. Let’s understand these principles in detail:
Consistency
Irregular buttons and option placement may not look like a big issue, but their overall usage is important for the customer. No matter where they are in the taxi booking process, a consistent experience will provide them with easy navigation without any frustration. For instance, the ‘Search a ride’ button placement at the bottom should be the same for every other screen when the user moves to the next step. The closer the button is to the thumb, the higher the chances of ride bookings.
While a custom logo, color scheme, and graphics allow branding and differentiation, the app’s functionality ultimately enables providing on-demand taxi services for riders. Users still need to book, track, and pay for rides smoothly. Any branding and design customization should aim to enhance, not hinder, the user experience.
Focus
Consider your customers and determine what they need to ensure that the things you add to the taxi app are useful and convenient. By doing this, the design itself will involve more users with their thoughts and ideas. As a result, you can get adequate feedback or responses for further design implementation. A key aspect of maintaining user focus also refers to usability. In UCD, usability directly impacts your customer’s goals in the long run. It also helps to establish the app’s overall experience and creates a basic understanding without much effort.
For example, your designer could develop a stylistic map interface for tracking rides that align with your brand style. However, the map must clearly show the driver’s location and trip progress. Custom graphics like your logo and stripes in your brand colors could be applied for visual flair without sacrificing usability. Similarly, your app can use interface elements like custom buttons and menus without impacting the booking flow.
Accessibility
Many Taxi App Development projects spend a rigorous amount of time ensuring their apps are accessible to users with disabilities. Being a key design principle, your app should also be designed appropriately for all users by providing alternative text for images and keyboard navigation. When mobile apps are designed with accessibility in mind, they are more likely to provide a positive experience. Moreover, this leads to improved user retention rates, further setting an app apart in a competitive market.
The best custom taxi app design balances visual differentiation and retains the intuitive navigation that riders expect. While applying your unique branding, the service-oriented UX should facilitate connecting passengers to drivers for seamless rides. Leverage design for brand expression, but prioritize usability to grow your taxi business sustainably.
Understanding the Taxi App Development Iterative Design Process
The iterative process starts with an assumption that forms the basis of the overall blueprint of the project. Now, the assumption can be taken from experience or competitor research. Moreover, the app’s development can rely on these decisions to speed up the entire process because your customers will eventually use your app with or without a good design. And when they use the app, feedback is the first thing you will receive from them.
The rest of the process relies on continuous changes in various design elements. That is why anyone can use this process to refine their product or service, as the end of one iteration becomes the starting point for the next round. All apps, including taxi apps, are regularly updated with new features and benefits per the customer’s demands. Therefore, by starting with a basic assumption, you can jump on the iterative bandwagon to continuously improve your product.
The key is to view each version not as the final product but as a step towards better understanding customer needs. This framework allows you to roll out an MVP, gather feedback, and make incremental enhancements. Over time, through many iterative cycles, the product converges on what users want.
How do you make a user-centered design taxi app?
Try putting yourself in the position of your customer. Most of your customers will download the app to book a taxi. Therefore, the booking process should be as smooth and seamless as possible. The app should have a clear interface allowing users to input their pickup location manually or via GPS, their destination, and their desired pickup time. The date should auto-populate with the current date to minimize the required user input.
Once the booking details are entered, the app should provide a clear estimate of prices across different ride options – basic, premium, shared rides, etc. – and estimated wait times so users can select the ride that best fits their needs. The checkout and payment processes should require minimal taps and leverage saved payment methods to complete bookings swiftly.
Finally, the app should transition to a clear tracking screen so users can follow their driver’s progress to the pickup point. Overall, your customers should be able to get quick price quotes and real-time ETAs, which will promote a positive booking experience.
Take the help of White-Label Taxi Clone Apps
White-label taxi apps can be an attractive option for business owners looking to launch their branded apps quickly without investing in full custom development. Not only do these apps follow several design principles, but they also excel in various other app development practices as well. Essentially, these generalized apps that contain many features and options are fully liable to change as per the demands of the business. For example, a mobile app development firm might create a basic taxi app that they white label to help many small companies with app development issues.
Clone apps aim to replicate the functionality and user experience of leading apps like Uber directly. A taxi company might hire a developer to clone the Uber Rider app so they can launch something familiar to customers. Overall, white-label and clone apps present an attractive rapid launch option for small companies. The higher initial investment pays off with full ownership and flexibility.
Conclusion
Good design is an important part of any new app, software, or service. By hiring professional designers, your Taxi App Development process can implement unique design practices to create a distinct taxi app of your own. However, convenience and ease of use should still be prioritized at the core.