Hopin Taxi
Changing the way how people move around the city
Hopin is the first and most successful taxi app in Slovakia. In the course of its existence, the platform has developed very quickly by adding various useful features such as card payment, driver filtering and company profile. However, the gradual increase of scope of the original design caused the application to become confusing and overwhelming at times.
On top of that, two more extensions were planned that would allow users to search for limousines and public transport lines in addition to taxis. Therefore, a complete redesign was necessary, which would clean the already relatively robust application into a friendly and intuitive user interface
Challenge
How do we redesign a popular taxi app so that it feels modern and easier to use while attracting a whole new target audience?
Solution
A Hopin that is simpler, smoother and more modern, with innovative features based on thorough research in the local market.
Tailoring to user needs
At the beginning of the research phase, we identified two main target groups: day users for work and night users for leisure.
We asked respondents from both target groups to order a taxi with us and ride somewhere. We followed them throughout the ordering and ride process, and then we had a short interview over coffee. That helped us determine what is important for users, what struggles they face or how they behave in certain situations.
One of the biggest insights is that some of the needs we heard from users had already been solved in the app, but they didn't know about it because they couldn't find the correct features. For example, the option to pay by card was available, but many customers did not know about it. It was clearly necessary to clean up the existing features before we could implement new ones.
"Often I don't take hopin just because I don't have cash on me"
Easier to use
The main goal was to clean the application making it more understandable and user-friendly. For example, we have significantly simplified the setting up of card payments and the payment method can be set for each order separately.
Research also showed that users had a variety of specific driving requirements. Does the driver have a child seat? Is it possible to take a dog with you? Can I be quiet during the ride? Now, it's possible to set up all this with a single click.
The new app is also smarter thanks to artificial intelligence and can make it easier for users to place an order by automatically recommending destinations based on previous experiences.
"As a dog owner, I need to have a dog filter that I can activate from time to time when I need it."
Better feedback
Objective customer feedback is crucial for Hopin to keep on improving their services. However, our research showed that people were in two extremes in regards to feedback. Either they don't leave drivers feedback at all when they have a bad experience, as they do not want to harm them; or on the contrary, they talk negatively about every single aspect of the ride.
"I don't leave negative feedback. Drivers are just regular people. They have kids and families. I don't wish them harm."
We, therefore, decided to replace the 5-star system with a simpler selection of "satisfied" or "dissatisfied". Users no longer evaluate the driver, but their experience in the ride, thus making the process less personal. Subsequently, the user is asked to indicate what specifically they liked or disliked and if they wish to travel with this driver again. This helps Hopin get more specific and objective information to better manage their drivers.
Introducing LIMO and BUS
We also designed 2 extensions for Hopin - LIMO and BUS. LIMO is a relatively simple add-on allowing users to order bigger and more luxurious taxis, which according to our research required multiple users to order jointly.
The second add-on offers the option to search for public transport connections from point A to point B, find out the exact departure times, be guided to the departure points and even buy an electronic ticket.
