Background

EquiRide is a mobile application designed to revolutionize the equine transportation industry–providing a seamless and efficient platform for horse owners, trainers, and transporters.

My Role

Research, UX/UI design

Objective

The primary objective was to create a user-centric app that simplifies the process of arranging horse transportation, while ensuring the safety, comfort, and well-being of the horses throughout the journey.

Scope

Course project with Cornell University

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User Research

I conducted contextual interviews with 10 individuals across the US to gain insight into their existing behaviors, thoughts, and feelings regarding their experiences securing transportation for their equine partners.

From this, I discovered four primary challenges that were common among all the participants:

  1. Complex Booking Process: The existing method of booking horse transportation was cumbersome and time-consuming, involving multiple phone calls and manual paperwork. This led to inefficiencies and potential errors.

  2. Lack of Transparency: Horse owners and trainers faced challenges in tracking the location of their horses during transportation and ensuring the credibility and reliability of transporters.

  3. Limited Communication: Effective communication channels were lacking between horse owners, transporters, and drivers, making it difficult to relay important instructions or receive real-time updates on the journey.

  4. Safety and Well-being: Ensuring the safety, comfort, and well-being of the horses during transportation was a crucial concern, requiring features and functionalities to monitor their health and provide emergency assistance if needed.

Activity notes from the contextual interviews.

Aggregate personas generated from the contextual interview data.

Proposed Solutions

With the data from the contextual interviews and user personas in mind, I began formulating user requirements to address the aforementioned challenges:

  1. Streamlined Booking Process: EquiRide features a user-friendly and intuitive booking interface that simplifies the process of requesting horse transportation. Users can easily specify pickup and drop-off locations, select transport options, and provide horse details in a few simple steps.

  2. Real-Time Tracking: The app incorporates GPS tracking and real-time updates, enabling horse owners and trainers to monitor the location and progress of their horses during the journey. Transporters and drivers can also provide updates on estimated arrival times, ensuring transparency and peace of mind.

  3. Efficient Communication: EquiRide integrates a messaging system within the app, facilitating seamless communication between horse owners, transporters, and drivers. Users can exchange important instructions, ask questions, and receive prompt responses, ensuring effective coordination and reducing miscommunication.

  4. Safety Features: The app includes advanced safety measures to monitor the health of horses during transportation, such as temperature, hydration, and stress levels. In case of emergencies, users can trigger alerts for immediate assistance and access emergency contact information.

User flow diagram showing login to horse profile creation.

Interactive Prototype

Using the mockup program Balsamiq, I turned my wireframe sketches into an interactive, medium-fidelity prototype.

Usability Testing

With the medium-fidelity prototype, I recruited 5 individuals already familiar with the endeavor to participate in a usability testing session. This provided valuable data which I later used to conduct a heuristic evaluation and revise my designs for the next round of prototyping.

UI Kit

Before moving on to the high-fidelity prototype, I first created a logo and UI kit to support the effort. The primary logo and color way is reflective of both a carrot and navigation icon, as well as colors used traditionally in the equine sport.

Next Steps

The next steps for this project are actually to take a few steps backwards. Due to time constraints from the course, I was unable to conduct thorough market testing and research. I would like to continue developing a business case, generate a fully functioning prototype, and test the product with a larger user base. There is potential for EquiRide to bring positive change to the equine transportation industry and I am excited to continue working on this project.

Next

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