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Identifying the needs of Wheelseye’s unique user base
At WheelsEye, I led design for the Marketplace product, crafting user-centered solutions through extensive user research. I designed the Driver App, Fleet Owner App, and Ops & Support Dashboard each tailored to real user needs. ▏My research-driven approach helped us build intuitive, impactful products▏ that empowered every stakeholder in the logistics chain.
COMPANY
WheelsEye
TEAM
2 Product Managers and 1 Product Designer
FOCUS
User Research, User Journey
What and Why User Research?
User research is essential to building a better product because it provides ▏insights into the needs, preferences, and behaviors of the people who will be using the product▏. The goal of user research is to gather insights that can inform the design and development of products or services that better meet users’ needs.
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Qualitative Research methods, such as interviews, focus groups, observations, and usability testing, aim to understand the subjective experiences and perspectives of users.
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Quantitative Research methods, such as surveys and analytics aim to gather numerical data to measure user behaviors and attitudes.
At Wheelseye, user interviews, usability testing, and field studies are conducted for qualitative studies.
The insights gained from user research can inform various aspects of product development, including product strategy, design decisions, feature prioritization, and marketing messaging. By incorporating user feedback and insights into the development process, businesses can create products and services that better meet the needs of their target users, leading to higher user satisfaction and improved business outcomes.
Qualitative Research
When conducting user research and usability testing, there are a variety of qualitative methods available that can provide valuable insights into the needs, behaviours, and attitudes of users ( as mentioned in the image below).
The next obvious question is — which method to use. Well, ▏it’s important to experiment with different methods to determine which ones work best for your objectives▏.
The before and after steps are equally crucial for successful research.
Research challenges with truckers in India
As a trucking marketplace in India, Wheelseye aims to understand the needs and expectations of its target audience to provide a seamless user experience. However, the target audience may not be very educated, which poses a challenge for user research and usability testing. ▏Many methods of traditional research don’t work with our users.▏ Some crucial problems we faced during our research -
We cannot fix appointments with them for one-on-one interviews or telephone interviews.
We cannot expect a dedicated amount of time even if we meet them.
Telephone interviews are cold calls — whoever answers and is willing to talk.
The interviews are (almost) always interrupted — they get a call, start talking to someone else or pick up another task.
Most truck owners are still getting used to the digitization of their businesses. Therefore, asking them for feedback on a digital product can be tricky.
Truckers in India have a unique lifestyle and work in an industry that operates differently from traditional 9–5 businesses. ▏The trucking industry is open 24/7▏, and truck owners are constantly on calls, looking for loads or trucks, enquiring about the location of trucks or loads, and following up on payments. Due to these factors, their priorities and needs are different, making conducting user research and testing challenging.
Moreover, many truckers are not familiar with the concepts of user research, testing, and surveys or their importance in the development of a product that they use. As a result, ▏getting feedback from them can be difficult▏.
Research Methods at Wheelseye
To overcome the above challenges, Wheelseye has adopted various research and testing methods:
👨👦 One-on-one interviews
📞 Phone call interviews
📱 Sending screenshots of designs via WhatsApp
🚚 On-site User Testing
These methods allow us to obtain the necessary insights from truckers ▏without making them feel like they have to put in any extra effort▏. By using innovative research methods, we can understand the unique needs and priorities of the target audience and develop products that cater to their requirements.
1. One-on-one interviews
In these interviews, we talk to individual users to understand their experiences, pain points, and suggestions for improvement. One-on-one interviews are usually conducted on-site and in the office. Onsite is a transport hub where many Wheelseye-using transporters can be found in close vicinity. ▏This method allows us to gain in-depth insights into the user’s perspective▏ and tailor the product accordingly.
One-on-one interviews are conducted in an environment where the users are most comfortable.
Limitations
One-on-one interviews are time-consuming and resource-intensive.
Users are predominantly truck owners and transporters.
Challenges in interviewing due to unpredictable schedules and nature of their work.
Trucking industry lacks organization, fixed appointments are difficult.
Interviews can vary in length from 15 minutes to an hour.
Flexibility and patience are necessary due to catching users amid work.
Interruptions like phone calls or tasks may delay interviews.
Adaptability and understanding of the trucking industry’s demands are required for successful interviews.
RESEARCH EXAMPLE
Interviewing users for overall feedback on the Wheelseye’s App
In Faridabad, we conducted interviews with a group of users to gather their general opinions about the app’s usability. Our objective was to gather information on their preferences, grievances, and any challenges they faced while using the app.
Our goal was to understand how our app was being used by users and identify ways to improve their experience, which required us to engage in individual conversations with them.
As the interviews were conducted individually, we had sufficient time to understand their requirements and difficulties, gaining valuable insights into their experiences.
Research impact
One of the many insights of the research. We asked the users extensive questions about different categories, flows and screens.
Having one-on-one interactions with the users provided an excellent foundation for revamping the app. These detailed interviews gave us valuable insight into how the users interacted with the app. ▏We discovered the other apps they used in their daily routines▏ and what aspects they appreciated about those apps. This knowledge helped us identify what modifications we could implement in our app.
2. Telephone Interviews
We also conduct phone call interviews with its target audience. ▏Phone call interviews are cost-effective and allow us to reach a large number of users quickly.▏ In phone call interviews, we asked users questions about their experience with the product, their pain points, and suggestions for improvement. Phone call interviews also allow us to gather feedback from users who are geographically dispersed.
Limitations
Phone calls to users are not scheduled in advance; they are initiated based on a list of users to interview.
The process can be unpredictable due to users declining to speak, hanging up quickly, or not answering all questions.
Despite these challenges, the goal is to gather adequate feedback from a specific number of participants.
▏On average, about 50–60 calls are made to obtain 20 feedback responses.▏
Conducting interviews via phone requires persistence and adaptability to handle the variability in user engagement.
RESEARCH EXAMPLE
Find out how the users perceive the trip ratings and trip scores.
Our aim was to provide truck owners with the trip score and overall ratings given by consignors for the betterment of service. After a month of its release, we wanted to see the significance of this feature to our users.
The objectives of this research were -
To find out whether the trip score and ratings are helping truck owners provide better service.
How important were the trip ratings and scores to truck owners.
We decided to call the users for this research because we were looking to gather qualitative feedback from users in a relatively short amount of time.
Research impact
Synthesis of the research to understand how users perceive trip ratings and scores, and how important are these for truck owners.
The research data provided a clear indication that the users did not consider the trip ratings and scores as serious thing. They have a confusion about how they are being rated and what if the rating drops. While some users expressed that ratings and scores helped them to improve the service, the overall data suggested that ▏the ratings and scores were visible to them but the actions supporting them are not clear to the users▏. This information helped the product team to focus on developing or improving the features that were more essential to the users.
3. Sharing designs via Phone
Sending screenshots of designs to users and asking for feedback is another method used by Wheelseye. This method is particularly useful when the user is not available for a one-on-one or phone call interview. Sending screenshots of designs to users allows us to gather feedback quickly and efficiently. It also ▏allows users to provide feedback at their convenience▏, making it more likely that they will respond.
After the screenshots are shared, and once the user has responded to the message, we call the user for detailed feedback.
Sharing designs on a phone is a time-effective way to test designs with a small user group.
Limitations
Sending screenshots via WhatsApp for feedback has its advantages but also limitations.
Limitations include slow response times, requiring multiple follow-ups, and difficulty conveying complex navigation flows through screenshots alone.
This method is best suited for single-page designs or comparing multiple options.
Clear communication about the specific design or copy elements being assessed is crucial.
Providing context for how the screenshot fits into the broader design is important.
Follow-up with users is recommended to address questions or concerns and to maximize the usefulness of the feedback received.
RESEARCH EXAMPLE
Find out how the users correlate the new load card with the old one.
Changes in the load card that we wanted to test-
Introduced via points in the card.
Value propositions are more highlighted.
Prior to making this transition, it was essential to determine whether our users could understand more than one loading/ unloading point and value propositions.
Since it was just an card, we thought it would be best to share design of card with the users.
We shared the design of the card with the users and asked them to choose one.
Research impact
User’s preference for New card over old one was one of the main insights
4. On-site User Testing
In some cases of Usability Testing, We opt for going directly to the user. This is done through an interactive prototype made in Figma and then presented to the user to interact with.
For this method also, we visit transporters in their offices (usually in a transport hub where we can find multiple Wheelseye-using transporters in the same place).
During user interaction, observations are made on how the user is interacting and any friction points he is coming across while interacting. Post interaction, we ask some questions with respect to the experience of the user.
We shared the prototype with the user and asked them to bid a quote for the trip.
One big advantage of this method is that the user has minimal disturbance to his schedule as the researcher conducts testing in his environment and hence, his comfort zone. So, ▏the observation and feedback are more genuine and accurate▏.
Limitations
While this method is highly effective in knowing the actual response in normal scenarios, going directly to the user’s place may not bring accurate results in some cases. If there is a busy occasion for the majority of transporters like festivities, or if there is a sudden loading/unloading spike in the transport hub (and it happens at least once or twice a month), then the majority of transporters won’t be available for user testing. Even the ones who agree are often in a hurry so they might not give a very genuine response about their experience.
Since users are not familiar with the concept of testing, many have to be explained what a prototype is, and why they are asked to interact with it just like they would with an actual product.
“For instance, a user was once shown a prototype with made-up data, and he thought it was real. He could not understand why something made-up was being shown to him.”
RESEARCH EXAMPLE
Find out what is the impact of the new card on the quote and bidding process.
The effortless bidding process is a crucial aspect of Wheelseye. The user’s freedom to enter quotes and bid, this unique feature sets us apart from our competitors. So to make sure we covered all the aspects of the user’s journey, we tested it with a prototype.
Research impact
Testing a prototype with a real user gave us important insights, for improvements in the product.
▏The usability testing helped us validate the UX of the feature.▏ The users were able to bid and interact with the map to see detailed addresses.
Conclusion
At Wheelseye, we have experimented and adopted multiple methods for user research and usability testing to overcome the limitations of a target audience that may not be very educated and tech-savvy. Through trial and error, ▏we have been able to develop our own unique way of conducting research and usability testing▏ to gather valuable feedback from the users and improve the product accordingly.
