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SIMPLIFYING THE RENTAL EXPERIENCE FOR
DREAMZ
RENT-A-CAR
A Mobile Application
The Team
Khushali Parekh
Tejas Nagmoti
The Client
Dreamz-Rent-A-Car
My Role
User Research
Wireframing
Conceptualisation
App Design
User Testing
Project Duration
6 months
July 2023-Dec 2023
Tools Used
Miro
Qualtrics
Figma
CHALLENGE
Tourists visiting UAE and the UAE residents find it difficult and tiresome to communicate their needs and understand the pricing and other aspects of renting the car via SMS/Whatsapp. There is a need to enhance their experience of renting a car with modernised solutions as per their preference all in one place, making the entire process easier and more seamless rather than overwhelming.
Reduction in user confusion
25%
Average customer satisfaction rate
74%
RESULTS
The designed mobile app features a clean, clutter-free interface, making it easier for users to navigate and make essential decisions quickly. The final app improved user satisfaction and achieved a 25% reduction in user confusion, compared that to the initial user testing. 92% increase in task completion rate, compared to the first testing, users could find the it easier to navigate through the app now.
Increase in task completion rates
92%
Average NPS socre
74%
THE PROBLEM
Why do they hold such a large amount for security deposit?
There’s so much misunderstanding via whatsapp communication
Difficulties in understanding insurance and documentation
I am not fluent in English, I don’t think the staff understood what I meant to ask
I got charged additional fees after returning the car
Payment needs to be made through an external link- is it safe?
Longer wait times on call due to lack of staff availability
Will I be charged extra if I am under 21 years old?
After analysing issues and challenges, the following data and insights were gathered. Each of these issues has a direct impact on user trust and satisfaction. The aim was to create a product that users feel confident returning to and recommending to others.
Decreased Motivation Due to Communication Challenges
HMW enhance clarity and communication in the booking process to boost user motivation and satisfaction?
Lack of Personalized Vehicle Options
HMW provide a more personalised booking experience with options that cater to individual user preferences?
Unclear Information on Additional Fees and Policies
HMW simplify and clarify information about fees and policies to create a transparent, user-friendly experience?
THE SOLUTION
The focus here was on clean, professional visuals that aligned with Dreamz’s brand identity, while incorporating essential usability features. Testing these designs revealed improvements in user satisfaction and engagement. We defined key problem areas: communication challenges, deposit management, transparency in pricing, and ease of extending rental periods. We brainstormed potential solutions to improve communication channels, streamline deposit management, enhance pricing transparency, and simplify rental period extensions.
ONBOARDING
Simplified onboarding to give a brief overview of the features and services, asking them to input their age before hand to be able to cater to transparency when calculating final rent
RENTING A CAR
Key features like language support and price transparency are front and center, addressing major user pain points directly. With consistent icons and visual language, users find it easy to navigate from point A to point B
CHATBOT/LIVE CHAT
Solve your queries in an instant on the app
EXTEND BOOKING
Easily extend booking whenever you want
EXPLORE NEARBY
Find nearby parking spots and places
UNDERSTANDING THE MARKET & USER NEEDS
Understand
Understand client requirements and goals
Research
Analysis
Analyse and synthesise data, affinity mapping, personas, journey maps, and user flows
Structure information architecture, design systems, lo fidelity and hi fidelity prototypes
Design
Conduct usability testing, refine, iterate and prepare for developer handoff
Deliver
After understanding client requirements, we conducting an initial desk research and the aim was to understand any potential issues and concerns/patterns from both the sides -the clients/car rental owners and the customers in order to find out a ray of opportunity to be worked and enhanced upon.
USER RESEARCH
Users prefer the mobile application for booking rentals
46%
Users usually rent economy cars, followed by SUV and luxury
37.5%
User’s decisions are influenced by the transparency of fees and price
60%
Users encounter language barriers/communication issues while booking
30%
The above survey results helped us understand broad user trends, simultaneously, user interviews allowed us to dig deeper into the personal experiences, emotions, and frustrations that users faced during their car rental process. The diversity in data was essential to ensure that our insights reflected the needs of different user types—whether budget-conscious locals or luxury-oriented tourists.
MARKET RESEARCH
Simultaneously, competitor analysis was also conducted where we looked at various car rental apps from USA, UK and Dubai, to see what were the major differences between these apps and what were the aspects that needed more consideration. We tried to evaluate and understand our competitors' strengths, weaknesses, strategies and understand market trends.​​
STRUCTURING INFORMATION
TASK FLOWS
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Login/Sign up
Booking a car
Ask for help (Live chat)
Car details
Car rental extension
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
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WHAT'S NEW?
WHY US?
THE CONCEPT
Personalised
Recommendations
Chatbot + Live chat
Transparency
Easy extension of car rental
USER #2
" Why can't they let us know beforehand if I will be charged extra since I am under 21?"
USER #4
"I am not fluent in English. I don't think the staff understood what I meant because I didn't get the car I wanted"
USER #5
"How can I extend the car last minute? What if no one picks up the call, is there any other way to make this process easier?"
LO-FIDELITY
STYLE GUIDE
TYPOGRAPHY
COLOURS
A deep shade of navy blue, helps evoke feelings of trust, reliability, and professionalism—qualities essential for a car rental service. This rich blue exudes a sense of calm and confidence, aligning with the brand's goal of providing a seamless and dependable user experience.
COMPONENTS
LEARNINGS
Being minimalist in our approach was one biggest learning. Since there is so much information that needs to be presented, striking the right balance between simplicity and comprehensive details was one challenge which I think we handled well.
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We also learnt the art of being meticulous and alert in our approach as designers. All the aspects are very important, and if we miss out on the small information it could end up hindering user’s experience.
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