Redesigning Ola Maps: Navigation App of Ola Scooter's Dashboard
INTERVENTION
Navigation App in Ola Scooter's Dashboard (Human Machine Interface)
ROLE
Senior Product Designer
SKILLS
Usability Analysis | Information Architecture | Scalability | Product Strategy
DURATION
August 2022 — January 2023
TEAM
Sugandh Agrawal, Unmesh Gite, Jekin Gala
COMPANY
Ola Electric
Why redesign it?
Ola Maps provides essential utility with the potential to benefit millions of riders. Conversely, errors could adversely affect a similar number of users. Given the critical nature of the tool, precision and reliability are paramount.
High-utility and high-potential tool
01
To promote greater utilization of Ola's proprietary maps product, we want to eliminate the dependency on external map services by integrating our in-house Maps into the entire Ola product ecosystem.
Need scalable design systems
02
To date, direct competitors in India haven't implemented an in-vehicle map system. Current alternatives, such as mobile clamps, pose considerable safety risks and are impractical.
Competitor solutions are deficient
03
THE PROBLEM
The riders rarely use the scooter's built-in navigation app. They prefer connecting their phones to hear the directions from other apps.
THE IMPACT
Ola Maps can significantly elevate
the overall usability of the dashboard, benefiting millions of riders.
01
Map layer obscured by UI elements
The map interface is obscured by the Search and Recent section, hindering a wholesome view of what's around the user's current location and the searched location. Users struggle to grasp contextual information or discover nearby locations without clear visibility.
Key Usability Issues
Context
Ola Maps is a part of the Companion App and the Dashboard (HMI or Human-Machine Interface) of the Ola S1 scooters. Ola developed its proprietary map layer in-house to support an independent infrastructure for its products.
I redesigned the Navigation app of the scooter dashboard (HMI) and components of the Ola Maps layer.
Before the redesign: Navigation app of the scooter's HMI
Case Scenarios
For riders who need more context
Users who want to know more about the area and context around a searched location or about nearby destinations like petrol pumps or restaurants.
For riders who need quick access to navigation
For time-pressed users who need to access recent locations or favorites, it should be one step away from the dashboard. Users are familiar with the destination but unsure of the route.
For riders who need the fastest route
Users seeking the fastest route or confirmation of directions. For users seeking efficiency: Streamlining tasks, personalization, and discovering new places.
The Solution
Search with more context
AREAS OF INTERVENTION
To address these issues, I made improvements to the entry point, destination input, route preview, and turn-by-turn navigation flows in the Scooter's Navigation app.
Quick access to directions
02
Lacks responsiveness, fluidity, and scalability
Current components lack responsiveness for higher scalability, impeding seamless expansion for accommodating future growth, diverse HMI screen sizes and technological advancements.
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03
Balancing readability and diversity of options
The existing solution accommodates up to three recommended locations on the dashboard. Given the riding experience, I had to prioritize using larger text sizes, which unfortunately creates space constraints.
Add repeat visits to Favorites
More Recents and Favorites in Home
Less obstructions while getting directions
Receive directions from the phone to the scooter dashboard
I also designed a way through which the user can push a location selected on their Companion app on the phone to the scooter's Navigation app.
The scooter has a built-in cellular module with internet connectivity to receive data from the cloud server.
Reducing errors when ending route
After the launch
Reposition to see the whole route
Continue where you left off
