Drive Go
Overview
Drive Go provides a much-needed app solution for learners looking to improve their driving skills and contribute to safer roads for Aotearoa.
When I joined the Drive Go project, the app had been live for about a year, however Waka Kotahi wasn't seeing the engagement they had expected in their app. Only 5% of their userbase had ever used the product to go on a drive (the core UPS of the product). Waka Kotahi believed in their product features and had a goal to raise this statistic to 25% of users by the end of the year.
When I joined the Drive Go project, the app had been live for about a year, however Waka Kotahi wasn't seeing the engagement they had expected in their app. Only 5% of their userbase had ever used the product to go on a drive (the core UPS of the product). Waka Kotahi believed in their product features and had a goal to raise this statistic to 25% of users by the end of the year.
What roles did I play?
- Product strategy
- Product research
- Usability testing
- Product research
- Usability testing
Design leadership
My role in this project was as the lead designer, supported by an intermediate and junior designer.
While I focused on product discovery, I also mentored the other designers throughout the process, helping them with collaboration and handover to developers, ensuring a smooth delivery of a polished, user-friendly design.
While I focused on product discovery, I also mentored the other designers throughout the process, helping them with collaboration and handover to developers, ensuring a smooth delivery of a polished, user-friendly design.
User research
Teenagers were utilising the Drive Go feature primarily as a theoretical knowledge resource, rather than for practical skill-building through driving. How can we make the core purpose of the app more visible to our users?To better understand our target audience's learning styles and habits, and specifically how young males were currently learning to drive with their parents, we utilized a range of research techniques. Through online surveys and one-on-one interviews, we gained qualitative insights into our audience and learned more about what teenagers think about learning to drive.
#1 Key finding
Users feel lost when using the app and struggle to find features to help them on their learning journey.
#2 Key finding
Users have a lack of understanding around achievements and milestones in Drive Go.
#3 Key finding
Users feel that using the app to track a drive requires substantial effort.
Gamification design
It was clear that the current game experience was confusing, users weren't motivated to gain the driving skills in order to get achievement badges. We considered the gamification triggers weak and unclear.
We wanted to build a new clearer framework so users could clearly see their progress as well as stay motivated to continue on the journey using gamification techniques taken from mechanics like the hooked model, The "early win" strategy, challenge & mastery techniques:
We wanted to build a new clearer framework so users could clearly see their progress as well as stay motivated to continue on the journey using gamification techniques taken from mechanics like the hooked model, The "early win" strategy, challenge & mastery techniques:
Immediate reinforcement
Provide users with rewards or recognition early in their experience (e.g., after their first action). This creates positive reinforcement and motivates them to keep engaging.
Easy to hard progression
Start with simple tasks that offer quick wins, then gradually increase the difficulty to keep users challenged but not overwhelmed.
Variable rewards
Offering unpredictable rewards (e.g., random bonuses, loot boxes) to create excitement.
Investment
Encouraging users to invest time, effort, or resources, increasing their emotional commitment and future engagement.
Final solution
Visualising an engaging progression
We created an experience where users could feel visually rewarded as they progressed. Dynamic elements adjusted in real-time, immersing users in a journey that acknowledged their achievements and kept them motivated as they moved through each stage.
Actionable dashboard
We transformed the homepage to clearly show how far users had already come, providing a sense of accomplishment.
At the same time, it proactively highlighting small, actionable steps to help them progress to the next level, ensuring users always knew what to do next and felt encouraged to keep moving forward.
At the same time, it proactively highlighting small, actionable steps to help them progress to the next level, ensuring users always knew what to do next and felt encouraged to keep moving forward.
Outcome
Following the release, we noted a consistent monthly growth of around 30% in the number of users taking drives. Additionally, users who embarked on their initial drive with our product displayed bigger achievements, experiencing a substantial increase in the achivement badges earned and leveling up on their journey to becoming test-ready.