UX Research • Arduino Prototypes • UI Design • Human/Computer Interaction

Designing a Safer Rideshare Experience

10 week academic case study researching and designing a sanitization ecosystem inside rideshare vehicles to easily and efficiently promote safer ridesharing for both passengers and drivers. Using far-UVC light, drivers can quickly disinfect their vehicles between rides, consequently increasing revenue for rideshare drivers, and peace of mind for passengers.

My Responsibilities / Contributions

Team

Getting Started

Where to Begin

Our prompt for this project was “design a solution that wasn’t needed 6 months ago.” We knew we wanted to tackle automotive sanitization, so the first thing we needed to know was just how dirty the inside of a car even was.

Where Can We Intervene?

We found a problem space for rideshare vehicles. The rideshare industry took a huge hit due to COVID, so we decided to perform field studies by taking Ubers and Lyfts and asking the drivers different questions.

Due to remote working, one of our teammates lived in India, so we were able to gather insights from drivers around the globe; not just in the US.

Rideshare Drivers are Losing Money

From our impromptu rideshare interviews, we found drivers were losing money because they would have to take time between rides to sanitize their vehicles.

From this, we knew we wanted to improve the rideshare experience for drivers. We also set up interviews with riders, delivery drivers, mechanics, rental car drivers, etc. to find if our solution could overlap other problem spaces.

Design Direction

01

We believe the solution has to work fast, while driving and between pickups.

05

We believe our product should not degrade the interior of a car.

02

We believe our solution would not harm passengers.

06

We believe our product should have a way to work automatically, as well as manually.

03

We believe our product should be effective on all materials found in the vehicle.

07

We believe our product should notify that it is effective.

04

We believe our product should provide a visual cue that it is working effectively.

08

We believe our solution should be mutually beneficial for drivers and passengers.

Screen+Shot+2020-12-07+at+7.13.16+PM.jpg — What is Far-UVC?

To continuously and safely disinfect occupied indoor areas, researchers at Columbia University have been investigating far-UVC light (222 nm wavelength). As of June, manufacturers of UVC technology have began designing and manufacturing **affordable and effective** far-UVC products that will likely become implemented within the **near future**.
Far-UVC light **cannot penetrate the tear layer of the eye or the outer dead-cell layer of skin**, so it cannot reach or damage living cells in the body.

Testing Effective Locations in a Vehicle

To make our solution as effective as possible, Quint used light-mapping and 3D technology to test a variety of locations in different vehicles. We were able to locate optimal locations for light dispersion and UVC cleaning.

App Concept

Leading the human/computer interaction areas of our solution, I came up with implementing our features in existing rideshare apps; opposed to creating a separate app. I then designed low-fi wireframes for Wyatt to polish later on.

Prototyping

Nico made our initial low-fi physical prototypes out of pink foam. After user testing, I worked with him to develop our mid-fi and high-fi physical prototypes using a combination of 3d prints and vacuum-formed polystyrene.

Device Ideation

Nico and I focused heavily on the physical product. Him and I worked together to ideate the form and interaction of the devices. Nico later refined the sketches for me 3D model and render.

User Testing

We performed a series of user testing and observations to test the placement of our devices. We also tested for interaction by providing the users with scenarios and tasks to interact with the devices both as a driver and passenger.

Programming

While Nico and I worked on designing, testing, and iterating the physical devices; Quint worked on programming the devices to function. Using the arduino programming language, we were able to control the devices through physical and wireless input.

How Will We Mount it?

Wyatt worked on creating a **secure mounting solution**. We experiments with magnets, adhesive and brackets. We landed on **magnetic mounting with 3M adhesive**. Pictured is Wyatt testing the strength of the adhesives over time.

Finishing Touches

After effectively user testing, modeling, 3D printing, and programming; our devices were finalized and ready for documentation. Pictured are the **final physical devices programmed and prototyped**. Below are the 3D renders I created.

Part 7 slide 10.png — Abuv

A **ceiling-mounted** far-UVC device with superior coverage in all vehicle types. ABUV’s high vantage point allows the light to travel and disinfect in even the hardest to reach areas. ABUV works with NODE to **continually clean all day**.

Node

A portable far-UVC device **perfect for cupholders**. NODE can oscillate to cover a broader area and is used as a **handheld for precise exposure**. NODE can operate independently or in tandem with ABUV to extend far-UVC coverage in **larger vehicles**.

Part 7 Slide 20.png — Rideshare Integration

For drivers, the 222 ecosystem can seamlessly integrate into real-world rideshare apps and services. NODE and ABUV can send **live data analytics** to a driver app and can be controlled remotely. A **Deep Clean** triggers both devices to clean together until the vehicle is 99.9% sanitized.

For riders, drivers with 222 products are shown with a **unique badge**. The app will notify users of the vehicle's sanitization progress before and during trips. If users are concerned about far-UVC, they can read about the technology in a **dedicated learning section**.

Branding and Deliverables

I was in charge of the overall visual design of our ecosystem and presentation. Wyatt led the branding for our devices and deliverables, while I designed the visuals and animations for our final slide deck.

Areas of Improvement

While we went through many iterations of user testing, I would have liked more diverse user groups. Due to COVID we did not have access to large amounts of users, so many were in a similar age group. In a perfect world I would have liked to test all ages for efficacy. If you have time, check out our final vision video (edited by Wyatt) to see how everything came together!