UBER_007: Driver Emergency Alerts

SOS Alert & Share My Trip

Conducted by: User Insight

May, 2017

Project Objectives

Methodology

The goal of this research was to gather feedback on the concept of providing safety alert features within the current Uber Driver experience. The purpose of the safety alert features is to make Drivers feel safer in dangerous and potentially volatile circumstances, and to provide an overall safer experience for Drivers and Riders.

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On May 23rd & 25th, 2017, 12 Uber Drivers viewed and provided qualitative feedback on conceptual prototypes. The feedback in this document includes both the Drivers’ feedback as well as User Insight’s guidance on experience issues.

A User Experience Researcher and a User Experience Strategist from User Insight conducted contextual interviews in two cities;

• Atlanta, Georgia
• New Orlean, Louisiana

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Major Findings | Driver Perception of Uber Safety Features

Drivers feel that the safety features presented during research ( i.e, SOS Alert & Share My Trip ) within the Uber app would be of great value to both themselves as well as friends and family. The safety features make drivers feel Uber is watching out for their well being.

SOS Alert:

• Drivers see the greatest value in the SOS Alert, as they feel it is a tool that could save their life.
• When a driver feels in danger/physical harm they want a silent (not seen or heard) interaction that will directly contact local authorities as well as Uber and family members.
• For non-hostile emergencies, drivers want a quick way to call 911 and talk to authorities.
• If a Driver is in danger of being harmed by another individual while working for Uber, an audible and visually obscure feature will be invaluable in the effort to feel safe while driving, as it could potentially save their life or the lives of others.

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Share My Trip: Drivers fall into two categories when discussing safety and confidence when driving:

• Experienced / Seasoned Drivers: have high confidence in their ability to diffuse and handle a potentially threatening situation.
• Novice Drivers (new to driving and/or new to an area): have low confidence and a sense of fear of the unknown.

As a result, Drivers have mixed reactions to Share My Trip:

• Experienced Drivers didn’t see a need for Share my Trip for themselves but mentioned it could reassure concerned family members or friends.
• Novice Drivers feel the feature gives them confidence when traveling to unfamiliar locations.

Major Findings | Feature Rankings

Reporting a Dangerous Rider and Share My Trip; no one ranked either as #1, for Share My Trip, most ranked it as #4 or #5 priority.

Drivers ranked the features below in order of importance from 1 to 5

(1 = the most important & 5 = the least important)

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More than half of the Drivers ranked SOS Alert as the number one priority and no one put it as the least important feature.

Destination Upfront ranking was split; some Drivers gave it lower priority when compared to a feature that could potentially save their life (SOS Alert). Regardless of ranking, in discussion, all Drivers found value in knowing Rider destination before accepting the ride (in regards to safety).

Major Findings | Driver Safety

• While there are some destinations that Drivers avoid when they personally feel unsafe due to crime and volatile activity, other Drivers that are more familiar with the neighborhoods do not worry as much because they have experience navigating the area.

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• Drivers are more cautious at night because it is difficult to see the Riders and often times they are picking up Riders from bars that are inebriated and unpredictable, but Drivers know it is a prime time to make money. Some Drivers avoid late nights since Riders can be more unpredictable or only drive at night if they did not make enough money during the day.

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• Novice drivers (mostly female) feel that "Share My Location" would make them more confident to venture out at night and into potentially unsafe areas because knowing someone that cares for them can have a watchful eye out puts them more at ease, like a guardian angel.

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• Drivers feel safe knowing that Uber is cash free and that Riders have to use a credit card to pay. They feel it alleviates the potential for being robbed.

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Major Findings | Communication

• More social Uber Drivers seek out like minded Drivers and like to band together in groups to share information (surge areas or dangerous activity in areas) and keep tabs on one another.
• Less social Drivers saw no need to communicate with other Drivers but had a friend or family member who they checked in with.
• Family and friends are often concerned about Driver’s safety and will touch base throughout the day to make sure they are ok.
• Most Drivers mention they do not answer their phone while on a ride because they feel it is rude to talk in front of Riders.
• Drivers will contact a friend or family member proactively before entering a potentially dangerous neighborhood, they will also have a predetermined way to signal they are okay after they leave a dangerous area (text or quick call).

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Driver Journey | New Rider Info

Drivers feel a photo of the account holder and Rider provides more information and a level of comfort.

1. Have a face to look for when dispatching
2. Can get a feel for Rider personality

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Drivers often determine safety based on the time and destination of the ride.

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Ratings can be helpful based on the number of rides.

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“If I can see who it is, I can get a feel for their personality.”

“They should provide us with at least as much information as they give the Riders, they get to see who we are!”

Provide Drivers with a photo of the Rider, their rating, and the final destination so Drivers feel safer knowing who to look out for on pickup and where they will be going.

Recommends

LYFT is seen as fractionally safer because they share a photo of the rider with the driver.

“...I don’t even go down to the lower 9th ward! if I have to drop someone off there I turn my app off as soon as I finish the ride and drive to a safe area before I turn it back on.”

Dispatch

New Rider Info

En Route

Drop Off

Driver Journey | Dispatch

Drivers hesitate when pickup areas are not well lit and the surroundings are unkept.

“If the place is sketchy, I just know. If it’s not well lit and the area is dirty I am on high alert ”

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Drivers are anxious when Riders are late to the pickup spot and or they ask to be picked up at an alternative location.

• Drivers do not like to wait at unknown locations, especially at night for more than a few minutes.
• Any changes to pick up or Rider put Drivers on edge.

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Female Drivers are particularly cautious late at night, especially when picking up lone male Riders.

“If a rider hits on me late at night and they are the only one riding, I try to reject them nicely but in a confident manner”

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Dispatch

New Rider Info

En Route

Drop Off

Driver Journey | En Route

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Drivers feel uncomfortable when a Rider:

• Is fidgety and digs around in their baggage.

“I can tell something is up if the Rider can’t sit still and is nervously rummaging through their bag.”

• Sits directly behind the Driver. This raises suspicion and tension because the Driver is unable to make eye contact with the Rider.

“I hate it when I pick up one person and they sit directly behind me because I can’t make eye contact with them. It’s just weird and it makes me anxious.”

• Does not engage at all with the Driver ( i.e., no verbal greeting, or response to questions).
• Smells of drugs or alcohol.

“If they get in and it smells like marijuana I tell them they will have to find another ride because they probably have it on them and who do you think will get in trouble if I get pulled over and it smells like weed or alcohol in the car…….Me!”

• Intrudes on the Driver’s personal space ( i.e., sits in the front seat when there is only one passenger or leans too close.).

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Dispatch

New Rider Info

En Route

Drop Off

Driver Journey | Drop Off

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Drivers feel uncomfortable when a Rider:

• Does not get out of the car.�“Yeah, it’s weird when they sit there…”
• Asks to go down a dark alley or into a remote area. �“He wanted me to go down this dirt road into a wooded area. I told him I wasn’t comfortable and he said I could let him off and he’d walk.”
• Propositions the Driver to come in with them.�“...this one guy wanted me to go inside his house with him. I made it into a joke to defuse the situation.”
• Is with a group of people and the atmosphere feels hostile.

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Provide Drivers with a way to leave comments about Riders and share it with other Drivers (i.e., I’ve picked Joe up from the bar many times/ he’s quiet and harmless.) Consider providing suggestions or multiple choice options to help guide Drivers to provide meaningful feedback quickly to save them time after drop off.

Recommends

Dispatch

New Rider Info

En Route

Drop Off

Detailed Findings

Feature Setup

Drivers like the idea of sharing their live location, Rider information, and destination. This feature will make Drivers feel safer and put worried minds of friends and family at ease.

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Drivers feel this screen provides them the same information as the previous screen.

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Drivers like the ability to select who they would like to share a ride with and often state they would select a friend, family member or fellow Uber Driver.

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Combine the first two screens. Doing this will consolidate the flow of setup and give Drivers a more explicit call to action on each screen.

Recommends

Feature Setup

Drivers like that they can select contacts and choose the address book over adding “From another application.”

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Drivers have no qualms about letting Uber access their contacts.

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Although this may be the primary path for selecting a contact (From my address book), some Drivers mentioned they might not have a contact in their address book. Provide the option for Drivers to manually enter an address in order to remove a hurdle that could cause them to abandon set up.

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Recommends

Share Ride:

setup

Drivers have no trepidations about selecting contacts to share their ride with. In most cases, Drivers feel they would share their ride with one or two people.

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When Drivers view this screen they feel they already get the idea of the feature and quickly proceed to the next screen missing valuable information about the feature’s location within the app.

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Users quickly proceed to “Done” or in some cases “Settings” to explore customization possibilities.

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Consider making the final screen interactive, encouraging drivers to click on clipboard icon to demonstrate location before activating the “Settings” or “Done” buttons (have them on screen but grey/inactive until Drivers interact with the clipboard.).

Recommends

Share Ride

Users struggle to find "Share Location" under the "clipboard" icon.

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Users are able to find “Share Location” once clicking the clipboard icon, however feel the share link should be surfaced more saliently.

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Make Drivers more aware of the location of the feature. Not all Drivers utilize the Clipboard icon in the App, if they complete setup and click Done, create a change in the icon on page load (flash, flip) to help Drivers quickly locate feature for the first time.

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For Drivers that choose Settings, perform the same visual guidance once they complete settings edits.

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Recommends

Share Ride

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Once made aware that the check marks signify that their contact has been received and shared, Drivers feel the location and design to be appropriate.

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Highlight images of the icon and checkmark significance in the final screen of onboard process to encourage visual recognition when set up for the first time.

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Recommends

Share Ride

Drivers like the ability to start and stop a ride share at their discretion. They question how many contacts they can add and if they can pick and choose who views ride by ride.

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Give Drivers the ability to check or uncheck the contacts they would like to share with.

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Recommends

Contact View

Drivers like and expect a contact to accept a shared invitation. They feel the contact should know the Driver’s live location via a map view, destination, Rider info, and would also like them to be able to see a live video feed from within the automobile.

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Provide the following information to the Driver’s selected contact/s ;

1. Destination

2. Live video

3. Ride information

4. Map

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Recommends

Silent Emergency

Drivers feel that If a visual identifier is placed on the screen that does not have a constant presence it may capture the attention of a volatile Rider, escalating a bad situation. Drivers desire both an audible and visually silent connection to authorities. Drivers expect the police to come directly to their live location.

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In a situation where Drivers feel personally threatened by a Rider they are sensitive to not amplifying a tense situation with the Rider, and need an out or a way to escape. Drivers want the panic button to be surfaced for immediate access. The secret gesture could be a way to have immediate help.

"This is like speed dial for 911. Very cool!”

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There was debate on how many fingers should trigger the alert (Drivers’ wanted one or two fingers to activate in order to make it even easier). Drivers express concerns around accidentally activating an alert and desire a way to easily cancel.

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Discuss the viability of having a check-in call similar to OnStar that checks in with the Driver.

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Recommends

Visible Emergency

For non hostile emergencies Drivers feel a quick to access link to authorities would be great to have (call to 911 with the ability to talk).

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Having an icon with a safety symbol makes sense to Drivers as a way to contact authorities.

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Drivers like that information will be sent automatically as it speeds up the process of having to relay detailed information.

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“I like this, I would have an easy, accessible way to get help for a rider in my car.”

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