RyderGyde
Get Roadside Assistance fast, right when you need it — plus locations, fuel rates, and maintenance.
A stranded driver doesn’t have time to figure out an app.
The Research
Process
Empathy Map
An empathy map helps us establish our personas by finding their voices, feelings, and motivations.
Empathy map of our target user, in four quadrants:
- Says
- “I like Ryder trucks but I’m in them because I’m paid to be in them.”
- “If I’m on the side of the road I’m not fiddling with an app. I’m calling — it works.”
- Thinks
- When I am in trouble I need to talk to a real person.
- I don’t fully trust an app to help me on the side of the road.
- Does
- When drivers need Roadside Assistance, they call the phone number.
- Feels
- Annoyed at the thought of downloading “an app for everything.”
- Apprehensive about trusting an app for this service.
User Pain Points
1. “Calling Gets Results”
For decades drivers have been calling for Roadside Assistance and it has worked. Being stranded on the side of the road is not the time to experiment with an app.
2. “I Don’t Want Another App”
Many drivers believe there are already too many useless apps on their phones. They won’t download a native app unless it is absolutely necessary.
3. “I Didn’t Know This Existed”
Despite various attempts to promote the app and its features, many drivers still didn’t know that they could use RyderGyde to get Roadside Assistance.
Our User
Randy, Truck Driver
“When I’m driving, I’m focused on the destination. If something happens, then I’ll manage.”
Randy’s primary focus on every trip is to get the payload to point B efficiently. With over 20 years of experience, he’s no stranger to persevering through obstacles.
Goals
- Get the payload to Point B as fast as possible
- Get Roadside Assistance to his vehicle quickly if an event occurs
Frustrations
- Being stranded on the side of the road filled with uncertainty
- Starting a Roadside Assistance case from scratch on the phone
- Having to interact with an unfamiliar app during an emergency
Randy’s User Journey
Primary task: Find a way to quickly get Roadside Assistance to his distressed Ryder vehicle.
The journey has 5 phases. For each one: what the user does, how they feel, and the design opportunities it points to.
Phase 1: Pick Up Truck
- Actions
- Arrives at rental location and starts process
- Completes on-site inspection
- Drives toward destination
- Feeling
- Focused, or ready to go for another day on the road
- Opportunities
- Promote Roadside Assistance around location
- Promote Roadside Assistance in vehicle driver cab
Phase 2: Truck Malfunctions
- Actions
- Emergency occurs
- Driver pulls vehicle over into a safe location
- Looks for a way to get assistance
- Feeling
- Furious or shocked
- Opportunities
- Advertise app during phone call hold time
- Have “in case of emergency” instructions posted around truck
Phase 3: Interacts with App
- Actions
- Scans QR code
- Fills out form
- Completes transaction and submits report
- Feeling
- Anxious or at ease
- Opportunities
- QR code allows users to easily access web application
- Make form as minimal as possible
Phase 4: Waits for Help
- Actions
- Driver is alerted that help is being arranged
- Driver receives ETA that help will be there soon
- Driver stays posted through app
- Feeling
- Anxious or relieved
- Opportunities
- Keep driver informed
Phase 5: Help Arrives
- Actions
- Assistance arrives
- Issue is resolved
- Driver continues to destination
- Feeling
- Excited
- Opportunities
- Use testimonials to promote
The Story
To understand what to design, we illustrated a roadside emergency involving Randy, a truck driver.
Low-Fidelity Prototype & Testing
Observing users interacting with prospective designs is crucial to finding out whether the designs work in practice.
Summary
After assembling a lo-fi prototype to demonstrate a truck driver’s journey to secure help from Roadside Assistance, I conducted live usability studies with 12 truck drivers at an actual Ryder truck facility, 30 minutes each.
Tasks
- Scan the QR Code
- Complete the simple form
- Receive assistance
Results
Based on live usability studies with 12 truck drivers at an actual Ryder facility, 30 minutes each, asking each to scan the QR code, complete the form, and receive assistance.
100% successfully received Roadside Assistance
“Better than being put on hold”
100% found the app useful
“Saves so much time”
100% reacted positively
“I wish I knew about this before today”
92% would use it in the future
“I just want help as fast as possible”
Results were overwhelmingly positive on the first round, so no retest was needed — the team moved straight to high-fidelity mockups.
Lessons Learned
1. Technology has its time
In a pre-pandemic world, QR codes were a forgotten craze even though native camera apps can scan them. But now that people don’t want to touch anything, they’ve become commonplace, proving that integration and usefulness are necessary for technology to be accepted.
2. Web apps are powerful
A Progressive Web Application (PWA) is a quick and cost-effective way to provide a simple experience for any user across platforms through a browser. For this project, its simplicity helped with user adoption and convenience.
3. No more registering
A huge hurdle for new users is getting them to register. Not only is it a hassle, signing up for yet another app, but it can be a deal breaker. By eliminating this hurdle for drivers, we can quickly get them the assistance they desperately need and possibly win over a new user for the native app.