Finding the best and cheapest car rental options can be a stressful task. Consumers often spend significant time searching different rental car websites, comparing locations and prices, and reading terms and conditions before making final reservation decisions. The goal of the new Airport Rentals app was to reduce users' pain points by doing all the hard work for them.

While the web experience met expectations, we identified the mobile app required some extra love. It had received negative reviews on app stores due to an outdated UI that does not comply with current Material/iOS guidelines and numerous bugs that require fixing.

Goal

Our primary objective was to revamp the outdated mobile application and give it a modern, user-friendly, and sophisticated design. We drew inspiration from the Google Material guidelines, which served as a visual language that combined traditional design principles with the latest technological innovations.

My role

I was the primary point person for our product design standards & guidelines, ensuring consistency, scalability, and modernity of elements and patterns. I was responsible for updating and documenting our new style guide, determining the appropriate use of patterns, and when to evolve them or leave them behind entirely.

The process in a UX team of one

When I began working on this project at Online Republic as the sole UX designer, I knew covering all the design process steps would be a challenge. To start, I conducted a heuristic evaluation of the current app to identify key improvement areas. After summarising the data, I developed the following considerations:

• Users require a lot of information before making their decision. The current interface needed a satisfactory experience for users to access all the necessary information.
• Users faced inconvenience due to the absence of essential features.
• The filters did not provide the necessary flexibility, making selecting a car with specific preferences time-consuming.
• The booking process had too many steps.
• The outdated design was making the company appear less reliable.

In addition, I wanted to explore what other companies were doing, so I conducted a competitor analysis to identify potential ideas that would help the Airport Rentals app compete at the same level as other major car hire companies.

Validating assumptions

I had to rely on the data available because I didn't have all the resources to conduct live user tests. I scheduled coffee sessions with stakeholders and coworkers to understand their views on customer expectations and pain points. Those sessions were also extremely valuable to get all the ins and outs of the business.

With all the information and data I could get my hands on, I started experimenting and generating ideas quickly. That would help to have a basic view of how the screens would work in user interface form.

My next task was to create mid-fidelity wireframes and run a guerrilla test with people not involved in the business. I asked the participants to give qualitative and quantitative feedback on their experience when interacting with the prototype.

Designing the user interface

Takeaways

I spent several months designing over 120 screens for both iOS and Android. The process was both challenging and exciting. Unfortunately, I left the company before the product was delivered to customers.

However, I still occasionally check the app reviews. While there has been some negative feedback, I value it as a way to learn from my mistakes and improve. As the sole member of the UX team, I'm proud of the final result. The experience was fantastic, and I enjoyed every step of the process.