Giving clients a voice and professionals' credibility
ESTIMATED READING TIME
5 mins
ROLE
UX Designer
UX Researcher
SKILLS
Mobile App Design
User Research
TIMELINE
6 Weeks
Project Overview
The Appointment I Almost Skipped
I love switching up protective styles during the school year. Instagram is often the only place to find Black hairstylists, and without reviews, every booking felt like a risk.
The Challenge
Trust Where New Business Lives
Many beauty professionals especially Black hairstylists don’t have Google or Yelp business accounts.
Instagram is their storefront, but it lacks a safe way for clients to leave reviews and share experiences.
As a result:
Clients can’t easily assess professionalism, safety, or quality.
Professionals rely only on photos and word-of-mouth to earn trust.
Negative experiences go unspoken, and positive ones don’t translate into credibility.
While this problem is most visible in the beauty space, it extends to other businesses that use Instagram as their storefront, from fitness trainers, photographers to small retailers/
USER RESEARCH
User Insights
To better understand these struggles, we spoke with multiple students:
Interviews: 6 students (3 with cars, 3 without cars); 25–35 min each, Zoom/IRL.
Survey: 20+ responses, Google Forms; multiple choice + short text.
Once interviews are done, we narrowed down to types of personas:
One who wants to ride but struggles to coordinate timing, trust profiles, and stay on budget.
Another who drives, fronts gas and tolls, and waits to get paid back, often without clear seat commitments.
Sarah Thomas
Age: 19
Major: Finance Student
MAIN TASK:
Coordinate safe, affordable transportation for school breaks while balancing academic commitments.
WANTS/NEEDS:
Needs a reliable way to find compatible passengers with similar schedules and destinations.
Wants assurance of trust and security in ride-sharing experiences.
Desires cost savings and opportunities to meet new people while reducing environmental impact.
FINDINGS:
Travels home for all breaks, uses her own Toyota.
Organized and environmentally conscious, but worries about time management with carpooling.
Alex Kahlo
Age: 22
Major: Civil Eng. Student
MAIN TASK:
Find affordable and trustworthy transportation options to attend events and visit home multiple times per semester.
WANTS/NEEDS:
Wants access to cost-effective rides that simplify planning and booking.
Needs reliable transportation
Seeks reassurance of safety in shared travel.
FINDINGS:
Frequently travels home (4–5 times a semester) but doesn’t own a car.
Hesitant to engage in new options unless safety measures are clear.
User Statements
In the survey, we asked what features they would like to see in a long-distance ride share app and this is what they wanted:
“Verified student profiles would help me trust people I ride with.”
“I want to see seats and prices before I commit.”
“Real-time tracking would make me feel safer on long drives.”
"It would be cool to see what events are happening in Florida."
“I want to message riders before the trip in case there's any questions."
“Mileage-based pricing suggestions would help me set fair prices as a driver."
Competitive Analysis
By researching alternative travel options, we identified opportunities for enhancing the GatorRide app within the current market.
Key Takeaways & Problem Statement
85%
of riders said they missed trips home due to buses being sold out or unaffordable.
65%
would hesitate to use ridesharing unless drivers or riders are verified and safety features are clear
How can we provide University of Florida students with a safe, affordable, and convenient transportation option for long-distance trips while fostering a sense of community?
Solution
Concept Exploration
“Hundreds of students are driving to the same places, during breaks or when big events happen around Florida. Riders can hitch a ride for much cheaper than usual, while drivers get their gas, mileage, and stops covered for trips they’d be making anyway.
Along the way, people make new friends, and everyone wins.”
Community Engagement
Match to rides for far popular events and create group chats.
Community Drives Adoption
Trust grows whenmake riders and drivers feel connected not transactional.
Exclusive Safety Measures
Student-specific: live tracking, edu verification, SOS, trusted circles.
Exlcsuive Access
Only UF students can join, ensuring a trusted community.
IDEATION & DESIGNS
Lo-fi Prototypes
The process began with some sketches and wireframes to quickly explore core flows and layouts.
Hi-fi Prototypes
Next, we developed hi-fi prototypes to refine branding, layout, and overall design.
Reflections
Metrics of Success
User Adoption Rate: Track the number of registered users over time.
Engagement: Monitor the frequency of rides taken and community chat activity.
User Feedback: Survey users on app ease and safety.
Retention Rate: Analyze how many users continue using the app after their first ride.
With more time...
Accessibility Enhancements
I would conduct A/B testing and usability studies to optimize navigation and refine features like trip ratings and profile management, ensuring a user-friendly interface.
A/B Testing & Usability
I’d focus on improving accessibility with better screen reader support and high-contrast modes, creating a more inclusive app experience.
What I Learned
Working on GatoRyde wasn’t just another school project; it was something I personally related to. Getting home or traveling to events was always pricey, stressful, and sometimes didn’t even feel safe, and I knew a lot of other students felt the same way. That’s what pushed me to design the app with those real experiences in mind. By the end, GatoRyde felt less like a generic ride-share app and more like a student-focused community where rides are affordable, safer, and even a way to connect with people going the same way.
