Academic Work
Uber - CX Design
Uber had a trust problem with older Australians that no app update was going to fix. I ran real research - interviews, ethnography, Reddit analysis, and designed two CX solutions from scratch, prototyped and tested with real users.
Year :
2025
Industry :
Ride-sharing / Tech
Client :
Uber (academic engagement)
Project Duration :
24 Weeks
Problem :
Older Australians were opting out of Uber. Not because the product was broken, but because the confidence to use it wasn't there. I ran primary research across three methods: in-depth interviews with Australians over 65, ethnographic observation, and analysis across eight Reddit communities.
What came back was consistent. Cancellations created lasting anxiety that stopped people from booking again. The app required more confidence than most older users had going in. And rideshare itself wasn't how this demographic thought about getting around. The problem wasn't the interface.
Solution :
Two solutions, both designed to work inside Uber's existing infrastructure.
The first: an Uber Wallet top-up at Woolworths. Cash or card at self-checkout, no card-on-file required. Older Australians trust Woolworths and already go there. The top-up sits inside a system they know - not a new one they have to learn.
The second: a scheduling service. Pre-book up to 30 days out, fixed price, no surge. Designed for the recurring trips that matter most to this demographic. Medical appointments, regular family visits, weekly commitments. For older riders, a confirmed booking isn't a request they might cancel. It's something they've agreed to. Scheduling makes that possible. A real-time booking doesn't.
Both prototyped and tested with real users across two rounds of iteration.
Challenge :
Getting elderly Australians into structured research took more groundwork than the research itself. Ethnographic observation - watching real interactions in real environments - surfaced things no survey would have found.
The instinct was to fix the app. Larger text, simpler flows, better navigation. All of it reasonable. None of it right. The barrier wasn't what the app looked like. It was what booking felt like. Once that was clear, the solutions followed directly.
Summary :
Delivered as a group presentation to the RMIT Customer Experience Design cohort. Full Double Diamond process across one semester - discovery, definition, prototyping, testing.
CX vision: Arrive Safely. Book Easily. Pay Clearly.
More Projects
Academic Work
Uber - CX Design
Uber had a trust problem with older Australians that no app update was going to fix. I ran real research - interviews, ethnography, Reddit analysis, and designed two CX solutions from scratch, prototyped and tested with real users.
Year :
2025
Industry :
Ride-sharing / Tech
Client :
Uber (academic engagement)
Project Duration :
24 Weeks
Problem :
Older Australians were opting out of Uber. Not because the product was broken, but because the confidence to use it wasn't there. I ran primary research across three methods: in-depth interviews with Australians over 65, ethnographic observation, and analysis across eight Reddit communities.
What came back was consistent. Cancellations created lasting anxiety that stopped people from booking again. The app required more confidence than most older users had going in. And rideshare itself wasn't how this demographic thought about getting around. The problem wasn't the interface.
Solution :
Two solutions, both designed to work inside Uber's existing infrastructure.
The first: an Uber Wallet top-up at Woolworths. Cash or card at self-checkout, no card-on-file required. Older Australians trust Woolworths and already go there. The top-up sits inside a system they know - not a new one they have to learn.
The second: a scheduling service. Pre-book up to 30 days out, fixed price, no surge. Designed for the recurring trips that matter most to this demographic. Medical appointments, regular family visits, weekly commitments. For older riders, a confirmed booking isn't a request they might cancel. It's something they've agreed to. Scheduling makes that possible. A real-time booking doesn't.
Both prototyped and tested with real users across two rounds of iteration.
Challenge :
Getting elderly Australians into structured research took more groundwork than the research itself. Ethnographic observation - watching real interactions in real environments - surfaced things no survey would have found.
The instinct was to fix the app. Larger text, simpler flows, better navigation. All of it reasonable. None of it right. The barrier wasn't what the app looked like. It was what booking felt like. Once that was clear, the solutions followed directly.
Summary :
Delivered as a group presentation to the RMIT Customer Experience Design cohort. Full Double Diamond process across one semester - discovery, definition, prototyping, testing.
CX vision: Arrive Safely. Book Easily. Pay Clearly.
More Projects
Academic Work
Uber - CX Design
Uber had a trust problem with older Australians that no app update was going to fix. I ran real research - interviews, ethnography, Reddit analysis, and designed two CX solutions from scratch, prototyped and tested with real users.
Year :
2025
Industry :
Ride-sharing / Tech
Client :
Uber (academic engagement)
Project Duration :
24 Weeks
Problem :
Older Australians were opting out of Uber. Not because the product was broken, but because the confidence to use it wasn't there. I ran primary research across three methods: in-depth interviews with Australians over 65, ethnographic observation, and analysis across eight Reddit communities.
What came back was consistent. Cancellations created lasting anxiety that stopped people from booking again. The app required more confidence than most older users had going in. And rideshare itself wasn't how this demographic thought about getting around. The problem wasn't the interface.
Solution :
Two solutions, both designed to work inside Uber's existing infrastructure.
The first: an Uber Wallet top-up at Woolworths. Cash or card at self-checkout, no card-on-file required. Older Australians trust Woolworths and already go there. The top-up sits inside a system they know - not a new one they have to learn.
The second: a scheduling service. Pre-book up to 30 days out, fixed price, no surge. Designed for the recurring trips that matter most to this demographic. Medical appointments, regular family visits, weekly commitments. For older riders, a confirmed booking isn't a request they might cancel. It's something they've agreed to. Scheduling makes that possible. A real-time booking doesn't.
Both prototyped and tested with real users across two rounds of iteration.
Challenge :
Getting elderly Australians into structured research took more groundwork than the research itself. Ethnographic observation - watching real interactions in real environments - surfaced things no survey would have found.
The instinct was to fix the app. Larger text, simpler flows, better navigation. All of it reasonable. None of it right. The barrier wasn't what the app looked like. It was what booking felt like. Once that was clear, the solutions followed directly.
Summary :
Delivered as a group presentation to the RMIT Customer Experience Design cohort. Full Double Diamond process across one semester - discovery, definition, prototyping, testing.
CX vision: Arrive Safely. Book Easily. Pay Clearly.