Reimagining Driver Experience: The Add Cost Request Feature in Driver App
A new approach to driver facing unexpected cost during a trip.
What
Created an 'Add Cost Request' feature in the driver app for streamlined reimbursement.
Why
The manual cost reporting process was inefficient and frustrating for drivers.
Impact
100% adoption rate.
What is an “Add Cost” in logistics?
Add Cost' is an unexpected expense during a trip, not planned in the initial budget.
The driver initially pays these costs.
Later, the driver can ask the Waresix for reimbursement.
The Story
Collaboratively addressing concerns
Addressing Driver Operations Team's Concerns
The Driver Operations Team approached the Product Team with a challenge - they were encountering issues with the request for additional costs. We immediately initiated a collaborative approach to identify the root of the problem and find effective solutions.
Initiating Problem Discovery
As part of our strategy to identify and understand the issues, we conducted regular, monthly visits to our users. This hands-on approach enabled us to directly observe their workflows and experience their challenges, thereby enriching our understanding of the problems they face.
Visits to our users, allowing us to observe their challenges first-hand.
The Problem
Unraveling drivers' challenges and understanding their aspirations
What are our users trying to achieve?
We have two user groups: drivers and the operations team. Drivers aim to easily request and track trip-related costs. The operations team seeks to efficiently process these requests while keeping drivers informed about their status.
Why do they want that?
Drivers need to be reimbursed for unexpected trip costs and want timely updates on their expense requests. This ensures financial stability and eliminates the frustration of not knowing where their requests stand in the process.
What is their workaround today?
Currently, drivers and operations communicate about add costs via WhatsApp. Requests are logged internally, and any finance rejections are messaged back to drivers.
then, what's not ideal about the existing solution?
01 - Inefficient and Unreliable Expense Reporting
The current process of submitting expense reports via WhatsApp is unreliable, and manual data entry into internal tools is time-consuming.
02 - Lack of Transparency and Communication
The current reliance on manual WhatsApp notifications for expense updates leaves drivers feeling uncertain. They don't know if their reports have been received and struggle with unpredictable reimbursement timelines.
03 - Manual Processes Reduce Efficiency
The current reliance on manual WhatsApp notifications for expense updates leaves drivers feeling uncertain. They don't know if their reports have been received and struggle with unpredictable reimbursement timelines.
Driver and Ops communications.
The Opportunity
How might we...
At this step of Design Opportunities, the goal is to identify and conceptualize potential improvements to the current system based on the previously identified shortcomings. This involves:
01 - Streamline expense submission and approval for drivers, reducing hassle and wait times?
02 - Provide drivers with real-time updates and clear communication channels about expense requests?
03 - Make expense request tracking easy and intuitive for drivers?
04 - Reduce the need for manual data entry, saving time for both drivers and the operations team?
Leveraging Existing Resources
We have an established flow for expense requests in our internal tools. It's effective but limited to our driver coordinator team. Our decision? To use this flow as a basis for our new feature.
Our internal tools used by the Ops team.
Metrics
100% Additional cost requests from drivers are submitted through the driver app.
The Solution
Crafting the patway: Unveiling our design rationale and solutioning journey🤳
Streamlining Trip Management in One Convenient Place
- Our driver app now supports transparent and efficient tracking of additional costs.
- Driver coordinators can manage requests directly from our internal tools, bypassing manual input.
Streamlining Trip Management in One Convenient Place.
01 - Seamless Access To The 'Add Cost' Feature
Cost Reporting Made Easy
Drivers have a dedicated 'Add Cost' menu, ensuring they can submit requests quickly and easily, even after their trips have ended.
Real-Time Requests on 'Update Job Status'
Drivers can submit real-time cost requests directly from the 'Update Job Status' page, streamlining the process and preventing forgotten expenses.
01 - Seamless Access To The 'Add Cost' Feature
02 - Multi-Request Feature For Additional Costs
Drivers, during a trip, may encounter not just one but several additional costs that require immediate payment. Our app now accommodates requests for these multiple costs at once.
02 - Multi-Request Feature For Additional Costs
03 - Streamlining The Monitoring Of Additional Cost Status
Countdown for Clarity
Drivers see a countdown to the cost request deadline, making it easy to understand how much time they have left to submit requests.
Prioritize Revisions
Rejected cost requests appear at the top of the list with the rejection reason prominently displayed, ensuring drivers take immediate action to revise or delete.
03 - Streamlining The Monitoring Of Additional Cost Status
04 - Facilitating Swift And Easy Monitoring Of Requests
Payment Estimates Upfront
Drivers see estimated payment dates immediately, providing transparency and reducing uncertainty about reimbursement timelines. They have the option to view more details for a clean interface.
Clarity at a Glance
Essential information is centered and emphasized, giving drivers quick updates they can trust and easily understand.
04 - Facilitating Swift And Easy Monitoring Of Requests
05 - Keeping Driver Informed
Drivers receive push notifications about cost request updates, including status changes (approved, rejected, etc.) and any relevant messages. This also streamlines operations, saving time for the ops team.
06 - Keeping Driver Informed
Navigating challenges to validate design
Facing challenges from driver availability and tight timelines, we sought validation for our design within these constraints. We engaged driver coordinators and the operation team, who understand the drivers' needs, in design reviews. Their approval confirmed we were on track and highlighted the importance of involving all relevant stakeholders in the design process.
The Results
After releasing the feature to the driver app, we've hit our key metric: 100% of additional cost requests from drivers are submitted through the driver app 🎉
Reflection
Information Complexity
Dealing with intricate information emphasized the critical role of a solid Information Architecture in establishing a clear, efficient user flow.
Iteration Significance
Multiple design iterations, each drawing on insights from the last, underscored that design is an evolving process of learning, adapting, and refining.
Inclusive Design
Designing for all users, including the color-blind, stressed the impact and reach of inclusive design – making the product truly universal.
Collaboration Worth
Early engagement with the engineering team underlined the value of cross-functional collaboration for a smooth transition from design to development.
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