Mobility design: Unlocking bike sharing

Donkey Republic is a bike-sharing company offering a convenient and eco-friendly way to navigate cities around the world. In my role as the designer of the Donkey Republic mobile app, I focused on creating a user-friendly experience for Donkey Republic's global users.

UX Needs

Creating a seamless user experience that caters to two critical needs: ¹ Enable users to effortlessly discover available bikes near their location, minimizing search time and maximizing their ride time. ² Ensuring a frictionless rental flow. From finding a bike to unlocking it and starting the ride, the entire process should be smooth and intuitive, free of unnecessary steps or complexities that could disrupt the user's experience.

The app should make finding bikes easy by utilizing a map view that allows users to locate available bikes through zooming and panning. It should also offer a reservation system to hold bikes for a limited time, ensuring some level of ride predictability while maintaining bike availability. Additionally, the app should streamline the unlocking process with a user-friendly in-app button, eliminating the need for external tools or codes.

UX Findings

After launching the app successfully, we encountered some concerning user feedback. While the initial app allowed users to locate available bikes on a map and reserve them, upon arriving at the designated location, users frequently couldn't find the specific bike they had reserved.

"We wanted to use Donkey Republic to see the city, but the app was confusing and we couldn't find one of the reserved bikes at the pick-up location."

Initially, the app adopted a "free-floating" system where users could leave bikes at any location after their ride. However, this approach presented challenges such as missing bikes, inaccessible bikes left in private areas, and difficulty locating bikes with dead batteries.

Adapting to Challenges

To address these issues, the app design was updated to incorporate designated drop-off locations. This involved:

↳ Highlighted drop-off points

The map view was updated to clearly indicate designated drop-off locations.

↳ User guidance

In-app instructions and notifications reminded users to return bikes to designated spots. Incentives for responsible parking could also be explored.

Conclusion

The Donkey Republic mobile app demonstrates a user-centered design approach that prioritizes ease of use and a seamless rental experience. By adapting to user data and business needs, the app continues to evolve to offer a convenient and reliable bike-sharing service. This case study highlights the importance of iterative design and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances to optimize the user experience.