What is Car Next Door?
Car Next Door is a service that allows car owners to share it with others through an application. It is the Airbnb for cars. This service was created on a simple statement, we do not use our car 100% of the time every day, why not rent it and share it with people who need a vehicle?
The real asset of this service is the ability to start your journey without having to go through the owner of the vehicle. It is indeed possible to recover the keys of the vehicle through a safe attached to the car. The car borrower is the only one to know the password to open the safe.
Car Next Door is a service that allows car owners to share it with others through an application. It is kind of Airbnb for cars. This service was created on a simple statement, we do not use our car 100% of the time every day, why not rent it and share it with people who need a vehicle?
The real asset of this service is the ability to start your journey without having to go through the owner of the vehicle. It is indeed possible to recover the keys of the vehicle through a safe attached to the car. The person who rented the car is the only one to know the code to open this small safe.
CASE STUDY
CASE STUDY
Car Next Door Android App
User Research
Wireframing
UX improvements
UI improvements
May 2019
Social Context
As you already know, the smartphone takes a very important place in our lives. Nearly 89% of the Australian people own one (ref deloitte.com). Ordering an Uber or some food with Deliveroo, chatting with friends or playing video games on our phones have become commonplace in our lives. The smartphone has become more than a communication tool. It's an extension of our body!
Why this case study?
I have always admired a sharing system for a community. We should sometimes go back to the basics and wonder if we need to consume as we are doing now. In this same example, do we all need to buy a car? The answer is no. Of course, that remains my personal opinion. I found it interesting to make this case study based on a smartphone app sharing my values and see where we could improve it to provide an enjoyable experience.
Do you want to see more? Click on this link for an immersive navigation on the prototype.
Problem Definition
Before starting to design the application, some user researches have been made. I started to read feedback and reviews on the app store and different websites. I interviewed some of my friends, also end-users, and try to understand where were their blocking points and why, as a car borrower. Then, I was able to picture some very specific user patterns and pain points. In the end, I was ready to define a user problematic:
How can I quickly rent a cost-effective car as close as possible to my current location?
With this problem definition, I was ready to start the ideation process and think about a solution.
Who is using the service?
Who is using the service?
My friends and I are regular users of the application, it was easy to create a basic profile. Using my own experience with the app and questioning my friends, I came to my first persona. To develop the solution, I relied on the following persona:
The young foreign traveller having a job in a big city, he/she loves weekends with friends and isn't a car owner.
Having done research on the internet about people likely to rent cars and by analyzing the comments of the CND application, I was able to highlight 4 other personas:
Anna
24-Year-Old
The traveler alone or with people. She is always keen for new adventures. She can drive on long, medium and short distances. She has time to do researches on the application.
Paul
28-Year-Old
The mover who has to move more or less wide business from point A to point B. He can drive on medium and short distances. He has time to do researches on the application.
Marc
33-Year-Old
The worker who needs a specific type of vehicle occasionally. He can drive on medium and short distances. He has time to do researches on the application.
Kerrie
41-Year-Old
The last minute booking person who has to deal with an emergency, like a problem with its car (vehicle breaks down and needs to find a replacement quickly). She travels on short distances. She does not have much time to do researches on the application.
How do I choose my car?
Who is using the service?
Our personas will base their selection on 4 main car criteria when looking in the application:
- Where is the car? (geographical location)
- How much is it going to cost me?
- What is the type of vehicle?
- Is it an instant keys vehicle? (possibility of starting the journey without having to go through the owner of the car)
After choosing the car according to the previous criteria, our personas will focus on these secondary criteria to validate their choice of car:
- Does the car have good reviews?
- Does the vehicle is recent?
- What is the number of trips with this vehicle?
The navigation
An analysis of the navigation was also made. 4 key elements need to be displayed on the majority of the screens: the search, the trips, the assistance and the user profile.
