BlaBlaCar
How can we enable better management of trips linked to big events (concerts, festivals, matches...)?
Product Designer
3 Product Designers - Kristyna Anderlova, Bertrand Gamblin and myself
2 Weeks
Interaction Design
UX
UI
CONTEXT
BlaBlaCar is the world's leading carpooling platform, connecting riders and drivers across more than 25 countries. In recent years, it has expanded beyond carpooling to also offer bus and train travel. Today, nothing in the app helps facilitate the planning and management of trips linked to big events.
Of trips published on the platform are linked to big events
Of customer service tickets relate to these trips
This is a fictional case study exploring how BlaBlaCar could better support trips linked to big events (concerts, festivals, matches). This project was done during a product design bootcamp at The Design Crew in Paris. Unlike the other case studies in this portfolio, this exercise focused only on the delivery phase of the double diamond, working from a given brief rather than original discovery research. It was originally conducted in French, and I localized it into English myself for this portfolio.
The benchmark that structured the project was…
In BlaBlaCar's destination search, we'd add big events (concerts, festivals, matches) as searchable locations, pulling from an existing events database like Ticketmaster or Songkick rather than maintaining one in-house. This way, users could search directly for the event name instead of needing to know its exact address, and venue details would stay accurate even as locations change from year to year.
The user test goals were…
Coordination Tool Relevance
Assess whether the concept of a coordination tool built into BlaBlaCar addresses the problem, and whether the perceived value is sufficient to trigger usage.
Meeting Point Screen Comprehension
Identify friction points on the "My meeting point" screen: do users understand how to interact with the interface (filling it in or requesting additional information about the departure point)?
Five users tested the product…
The solutions we tested brought us useful observations…
SOLUTION 1
Departure point information page
DRIVER FLOW
Detailed information page to fill, about the departure point (photos, description, geolocation)
Push notification inviting the driver to fill in detailed departure point information
3/3 users understood the additional information page and successfully completed the flow
Some users tended to prioritize the call and messaging options before entering or asking for additional information
PASSANGER FLOW
Button to request detailed departure point information (photos, description, geolocation)
The request sends an instant notification to the driver.
2/2 users understood the additional information page and successfully completed the flow
Some users tended to prioritize the call and messaging options before entering or asking for additional information
SOLUTION 2
Light Signaling
A feature both driver and passenger can activate to light up their screens in matching colors, making it easier to spot each other in crowded, nighttime settings.
3/5 understood the light signaling on the second screen
4/5 users didn't understand the light signaling right away
2/5 users found the intermediate page unnecessary
ITERATION 1
Departure point information page
Some users tended to prioritize the call and messaging options before entering or asking for additional information
SOLUTION:
Added a button to enter or request more information about the departure point directly on the "Your trips" page, the page that leads to the Itinerary screen and to the chat
Changed the driver notification text to be shorter
ITERATION 2
Light Signaling
4/5 users didn't understand the light signaling right away
2/5 users found the intermediate page unnecessary
SOLUTION:
Removed the intermediate page
Added an illustrated animated demo on the itinerary page
WHAT I'D DO DIFFERENTLY
If I redid this project…
If I redid this project, I'd focus on either the driver or the passenger platform first. Given the short timeline, we only interviewed 5 users (3 drivers, 2 passengers), and a full sample of 5 drivers or 5 passengers would likely yield more precise, role-specific insights than a small, mixed sample of both.
NEXT STEPS
Iterations
Iteration 1
Set up a percentage showing the increase in the chance of selling for each highlight plan
Iteration 2
Improve the visibility of the Highlights performance inline strip
Iteration 3
Design a credit system to allow sellers to earn free or discounted Highlights
Other concepts to explore
Idea 1
Support sellers and buyers to encourage improved quality of human interaction
Idea 2
Bulk purchases from the same seller to reduce shipping costs
Idea 3
Implement live auction sales to maximize item value and create engagement
