Prepared By: Ally Anteater

System Name: Uber

 Ridesharing, with its increasing popularity and rise to mainstream acceptance, completely

revolutionized transportation. Uber, the ridesharing mobile application allowing users to request rides,

has been a major player in this shift to on-demand personal drivers. However, Uber users are unable

to select their driver when requesting a ride. User design researcher Alfred Kobsa, Uber software

engineer Goutham Nath, and I propose adding a feature allowing riders to request their preferred

drivers to create a personalized user experience, increase safety, and build a competitive advantage for

Uber, ultimately expanding user base and maximizing market presence.

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ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...………….2
List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…...3
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…..4
System Overview.………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
Problem…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
Solution………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
TECHNICAL SECTION………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Theory…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...5
Benefits………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Feasibility……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...6
Market Size…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...7
Method of Approach ………………………………………………………………………………………………….…7
MANAGEMENT SECTION…………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….8
Team……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8
Schedule…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………….8
Budget…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9
CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……9
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10

Figure 1: Mockup for Driver Selection……………………………………….………………………………………………………..7

Figure 2: Table of Team Members…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..… 8
Figure 3: Table of Project Schedule………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…8
Figure 4: Table of Project Budget………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…… 9

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 Uber through a mobile platform, allows users to request rides from virtually any location at any

time. The application facilitates travel by connecting riders to drivers in the area. Users simply enter

their pickup location and destination and wait for their driver to arrive. GPS technology allows users to

track their drivers, enabling them to see the progress of the trip in real-time. The app links to the user’s

credit card information, automatically billing the user after the ride has been completed.

Uber caters to a diverse audience, include those who are handicapped, intoxicated, or simply

riders who want to avoid the hassle of parking. Although Uber has mastered the breadth of reaching a

wide user base, providing for several different types of users, it fails to meet the needs of the individual

user experience. When requesting a ride, users are unable to choose their driver, compromising their

control to a complex algorithm that makes the decision for them.

Implementing a feature allowing riders to request specific drivers effectively solves the issue of

insufficient user control within the app. After entering their pickup location and destination, users will

be redirected to a page displaying nearby drivers with their ratings and profile. Riders will also allowed

send a request to their favorite past drivers through a search function. Allowing driver requests will

elevate Uber’s attractiveness as a mobile application, ultimately advancing user experience,

strengthening safety, and surpassing market competition.

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 Implementing a driver customization feature shifts the focus from the system to the user and

provides for mass customization, making the app more individualistic. A study on user centric design

emphasizes that “the successful application of user centric design can both greatly increase service

business value as well as open up new pathways for profitable service innovations” (Korhonen). The

current state of the application ignores user needs, abstracting away important details users want to

be involved in. Implementation of driver requests involves users in the experience of personal

transportation, a critical missing feature to the app.

Creating a driver selection feature will increase the company’s potential to retain and gain users and

accumulate market share and additional revenues through three main benefits:

1. Allowing users to customize their interaction with drivers, thus creating a more enjoyable user

experience and promoting brand loyalty.

The ability to request past drivers strengthens the relationship between users and their favorite

drivers. A study analyzing brand loyalty demonstrates that “repeated interactions and long-term

relationship increase trust between parties” (Jamilah and Handayani). Users consistently requesting

preferred drivers are more likely to be motivated to use Uber. These cherry-picked drivers catalyze

positive experiences for the user, increase trust and thus brand loyalty. Adding a feature allowing a

choice among various drivers puts the user in control and entitles them with the power and

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satisfaction of making a personalized decision. Companies are likely to obtain higher customer lifetime

value by implementing driver personalization.

2. Implementing driver selection enables users to choose drivers they are comfortable with,

increasing their sense of safety.

A study examining the effects of ride-sharing platforms suggests that “ride-sharing companies need

to take a step to build trust for safety at night” (Park). This proposed feature bridges the gap between

users and the system, building the necessary trust essential for users requesting a ride. Users will be

able to select drivers they have had past positive experiences with or are highly rated, increasing their

trust with the system. Ultimately increased usage will lead to more users and higher ride requests

through Uber, generating additional revenue.

3. Uber can expand its share in the transportation market by offering an innovative feature their

competitors do not have.

A study evaluating pioneering products expresses that, “new technology and product-based

innovation are an important catalyst for new markets” (Toledo). Introducing a unique feature like a

driver request option, entices users by providing them an additional benefit competitors do not offer.

Distinguishing their product drives users to their app, maximizing their market base and diminishing

their competitors’ business. Innovating is pivotal in establishing a competitive edge for a company, and

paves the way to increasing user base and revenue.

With the expertise of leading Human-Computer-Interaction researcher Alfred Kobsa and Uber

senior software engineer Goutham Nath, the implementation of the feature to the system is an

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approachable task with medium difficulty. An additional page needs to be generated after users select

their destination. The page should include a search bar and a list of nearby drivers with their ratings

and profile. Uber drivers already have a profile with their car and ratings attached, which can be

integrated for this feature. The reusability of such functions reduces the complexity of the task,

allowing it broken down into manageable parts.

The ridesharing transportation market is emerging from a new trend in the sharing based

economy especially with the rise of smartphones as reported by IBIS World. Navigant Consulting

estimates that the global industry revenue will reach over $6.2 billion over the next 5 years (IBIS

World). Uber makes up about 60% of the market share and has significant room for growth over its

competition including competing apps as well as taxi cab services.

Implementation of a driver selection feature gives Uber a competitive

boost and will result in a lucrative market share.

Alfred Kobsa will lead the design implementation of the

feature with his cutting edge research in user experience. Goutham

Nath, senior software engineer at Uber, will apply his technical skills

and system knowledge to implement the backend of the feature.

Figure 1 displays a sample mockup of the driver selection feature

which will be displayed on a page after the user selects his

destination. The page will list drivers and their picture, car, ratings,
Figure 1: Mockup for Driver Selection

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and driving history. Furthermore a search bar needs to be implemented to allow users to search for

past favorite drivers.

Name Organization Qualifications

Alfred Kobsa UC Irvine Distinguished professor of Informatics. Conducted research in user
modeling and personalized systems.
Goutham Nath Uber Senior Software engineer at Uber. Experience in both development and
project management.
Figure 2: Table of Team Members

Alfred Kobsa and Goutham Nath are extremely qualified with the applicable experience and skill

necessary for the project. Both team members are industry leaders, ensuring the highest quality work will be

carried out on the project.

Implementing the driver selection feature will take an estimated total of 12 weeks. The project will

follow an agile development model process with 1-2 week periods for each of the 7 phases. Each process is

detailed in Figure 3 below with a phase description and team leader.

Week Phase Description Team Members

1 Planning Discuss details of objective. Refine ideas for the driver All team members
selection feature with post-it brainstorming
2 Modeling Process modeling with storyboarding and wire framing All team members led
by Alfred Kobsa
3-5 Construction Implementing the code for the mobile application Goutham Nath and his
team
6 Testing Faulty elements identified with regression testing Goutham Nath and
Alfred Kobsa
7-8 Customer Conduct user studies and receive feedback based on Alfred Kobsa
Response feature. Implement A/B Testing to see which designs
work better.
9-10 Changes Implement changes based on feedback Goutham Nath
11-12 Testing Test changes and conduct user studies and feedback Alfred Kobsa
Figure 3: Table of Project Schedule

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 Team members will work a 40 hour work week. Figures reported on Glassdoor estimate that the total

cost for this project will be $204,000.

Position Name Hourly Salary Total Salary (40 Hours/ week)

User Interface Alfred Kobsa $250 $120,000

Designer

Software Goutham Nath $175 $84,000

Engineer
Total $204,000
Figure 4: Table of Project Budget

Uber has a powerful opportunity in the transportation market that can be harnessed by

implementing a driver request feature. Allowing users to choose drivers will advance user experience,

strengthen security, and surpass Uber’s competition. Each multifaceted benefit promotes the

company’s power to retain and gain users culminating in a lucrative market share.

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Car Sharing Providers: Industry at a Glance." IBIS World (2016).

Timo Korhonen, "Dimensions of user centric design in ICT," 2008 Proceedings of the Mosharaka International

Conference on Communications, Signals and Coding, Amman, 2008, pp. 4-5.

Jamilah and P. W. Handayani, "Analysis on effects of brand community on brand loyalty in the social media: A

case study of an online transportation (UBER)," 2016 International Conference on Advanced Computer

Science and Information Systems (ICACSIS), Malang, 2016, pp. 239-244.

Knijnenburg, Bart P., et al. "Explaining the user experience of recommender systems." User Modeling and User

Adapted Interaction 22.4-5 (2012): 441-504.

Park, Jiyong, Junetae Kim, and Byungtae Lee. "Is Uber really to blame for sexual assault?: evidence from New

York city." Proceedings of the 18th Annual International Conference on Electronic Commerce: e-

Commerce in Smart connected World. ACM, 2016.

Toledo, Francisco, et al. "Evaluating the impact of the development of innovative products: a multi-agent

systems based methodology." Signal-Image Technology and Internet-Based Systems (SITIS), 2011

Seventh International Conference on. IEEE, 2011.

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