Market Research

Carriage is in a unique position among DTI projects because, once accepted by CULift, it will replace all of their existing systems for scheduling, completing, and monitoring rides. All users interacting with CULift will be required to use Carriage products. The primary need Carriage addresses is the modernization of these existing systems for improved user experience and efficiency. For more detailed information on how this impacts our design/feature decisions, see the “Go to Market” section.

User Research

From 5 interviews with students - including riders with both short and long term illness, 2 interviews with drivers - Mindy and Martha, 3 interviews with RedRunner dispatchers and SDS manager - Mark, Martha, and Emily, we learned about user stories and pain points:

As a rider, I want to be able to

• schedule urgent/unplanned rides later than the morning before the ride time, so I can get where I need to be
• easily request to change my ride, so I don’t need to call CULift
• know when my driver is on their way / has arrived, so that I won’t worry that they aren’t coming or have to wait around
• know the ETA of my driver, so I know if I will be late to my destination
• contact the driver directly without having to call a dispatcher in case something happens, so I don’t have to go through a middleman
• better understand specific pick-up location options (ex: loading dock vs parking lot vs main entrance), so I can easily find my driver
• be reminded of upcoming rides, so I do not miss them
• be notified when the driver arrives or when I miss a ride (and the driver has already left), so I am not left wondering where they are
• preserve my privacy
• use accessibility features to complete the scheduling and ride process (screen readers), so I can use the app with disabilities that might otherwise impair app usage
• determine pick-up time, so I don’t miss class

As a driver, I want to be able to

• directly contact the rider so that they’ll know where I am, or if there is any issue with or change to the ride (ex: running late)
• quickly know when/where/who my next pickup is, so I won’t have to spend time combing through a list
• be reminded of upcoming rides, so I am not late