Leading Uber Pro:
A Retrospective
Short for "progression", Pro is a rewards program designed to help drivers earn more money, save money on gas, and even cover college tuition!
ith Uber Pro, drivers have the opportunity to unlock new rewards as they reach higher status, through driving and providing good service to riders. Rewards stack with tier and new rewards are being added every 90 days.
I joined Uber as 1 of 4 designers on the driver rewards program. Half a year in, I became the lead on design.
By this point, Uber Pro had been around for about a year and we'd collected a wide swathe of feedback from drivers. Over time, 4 problem areas emerged as the clearest:
Design principles keep our team true to our original intention when the business may later be at odds with what's good for the consumer.
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
In order to avoid multiple experiments at once, we began with a single idea. For that idea, product partners and I discussed what might help have a good impact on simplifying the user experience, we wondered if the long-scrolling page might have to go.
Rather than forcing users to scour through a really long page of content containing a points tracker, metrics progress, rewards, and multiple links, we created a version where content is bifurcated along two types: progress and rewards.
People ignore design that ignores people.
Drivers could begin to track their savings and understand the value of Uber Pro and what personal implications it had for them. And not only is this monetary savings from things like cash back on gas, it was time savings as well, which was afforded by rewards such as shorter wait times at airports.
Prior to this exercise, we were sending Uber Pro messages through many channels: email, push notification, the in-app inbox, modals, full-page takeovers, just to name a few. There wasn't a system in place for messaging. Even worse, some drivers felt message-fatigue and found some messages interruptive. This resulted in pretty low reward awareness, even though many rewards are completely free and easy to redeem.
We introduced a banner framework to consolidate all messages into one dedicated, yet ephemeral space that doesn't interrupt the user, only to exist within the Uber Pro hub for Uber Pro messages. Even better, if the messages aren't engaged with, they automatically disappear with time. These messages also provide insights into a driver's personal progress towards rewards.
Also, since this time last year, we’ve shipped a bunch of features, one being the ability for drivers to extend their status. This is for drivers who are already putting in a lot of time and effort and have reached Platinum or Diamond.
After being in either of those tiers for 6 months, they will get a free status pass to enroll in that status again for another 3-months at any time of their choosing. When they activate the pass, they can continue to enjoy rewards should they want to take time off the road.
I’m working with our in-house illustration team on some delightful trip milestones, in progress, that will span from trip 5 all the way to trip 50,000.
Daily restaurant snacks for drivers
Recognizing driver status to riders
Tip boosting
Here's some stuff that didn't make it past design crits, hit roadblocks in eng implementation, or were put on ice.
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
RECOGNIZING
Free restaurant snacks for drivers
PERSONALIZING
Spicing up the reward detail views with illustrations and personalized savings info
RECOGNIZING
Moments of celebration for drivers that don't often cancel on their riders
RECOGNIZING
Milestones
RECOGNIZING
Milestones
RECOGNIZING
Milestones
RECOGNIZING
Making the rewards program feel more rewarding
RECOGNIZING
Making the rewards program feel more rewarding
RECOGNIZING
Making the rewards program feel more rewarding
PERSONALIZE
Helping drivers save money and time and showing their aggregate savings
PERSONALIZE
Categorizing rewards in a way that may matter more to drivers
PERSONALIZE
Showing drivers their savings, achievements, driving activity
RECOGNIZING
Celebrating Uber Pro status to riders
RECOGNIZING
Celebrating Diamond status to riders
Instead of boring you with a self-assessment, I had some of my peers assess my performance this year:
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