Duration
10 Weeks, Fall 2024
Skills
Interaction Design
Journey Mapping
Wireframing and User Flows
A/B and Usability Testing
Team
4 Members
My Role
UX Designer, Developer
Overview
Our project aims to improve the rental experience for first-time U-Haul service users, focusing on reducing driving anxiety and simplifying the rental process. By eliminating barriers for new users, we are committed to creating a smoother service journey, including:
1. Simplified rental procedures
2. Clearer safety information
3. Friendly support at every step
The ultimate goal is to enhance the first-time user experience and reduce their difficulties and anxiety when driving a U-Haul truck for the first time.
My Skillsets
Why Design For Moving
Moving is stressful—it's often accompanied by major life changes
Does the thought of packing, loading, and coordinating logistics leave you feeling overwhelmed? You're not alone. From planning every detail to lifting heavy boxes, the entire process can feel like one big headache. And yet, it’s something countless people face all the time.
U-Haul is one of North America’s largest transportation and storage solution companies. Its customers, often do-it-yourself movers, are undertaking a complex journey—one that frequently brings moments of stress and uncertainty.
Design Process
Solution
Enhancing First-Time U-Haul Rentals with AI and Guided Support
This product is a solution designed to enhance the overall experience for first-time renters using U-Haul’s truck rental service. By incorporating an AI furniture scanning tool within the app to automatically recommend the right truck size, integrating driving tutorial videos, and offering a test-driving area at U-Haul centers, first-time users can more easily complete the rental process, build confidence in driving, and reduce anxiety.
01 AI Furniture Recognition and Truck Size Recommendations
Added furniture measurement tools in the app that allow users to scan their furniture.
The system calculates and recommends appropriate truck cargo capacity based on furniture quantity and dimensions, reducing the difficulty in selecting truck sizes.
02 Truck Driving Tutorial Video Integration
Embedded various U-Haul driving tutorial videos from social media within the app.
Provides rich visual guidance to help users familiarize themselves with truck driving techniques, reducing driving anxiety.
03 U-Haul Center Test Drive Area
Set up test driving areas at U-Haul centers, giving users the opportunity to familiarize themselves with vehicle operation before actually hitting the road.
Provides on-site guidance to increase user confidence and sense of security.
01
Scan, Upload and Find The Plan
Download the U-Haul app and sign up for an account. Fill in personal information, upload the moving Info and place an order to reserve a truck.
02
Driving Tutorial Signage In The Center
Offer a dedicated space where users can test vehicles and practice basic reversing and turning maneuvers.
03
Instructions Cards Inside The Truck
Embedded various U-Haul driving tutorial videos from social media within the app.
Discover Challenges From Users
Research
User Research/ Industry Expert Research/ Field Study
First-time users lack understanding of U-Haul's rental process, leading to difficulties in truck operation and order placement. They struggle with selecting appropriate truck sizes and determining if additional moving assistance is needed. These challenges increase user anxiety and diminish service experience.
Truck Size Selection 46%
Users are often confused about choosing the correct truck size due to a lack of reference tools or information.
Inconsistencies 38%
Inconsistencies between online bookings and in-store inventory can lead to user dissatisfaction and inconvenience.
Limited Hands-On Practice 73%
The absence of opportunities for test-driving or hands-on practice reduces users’ confidence and impacts operational safety.
Analysis
Sentiment Analysis & Topic Modelling
I quantify qualitative feedback into sentiment scores and synthesize these into comprehensive user insights. By creating an experience canvas that maps data onto a customer journey, this approach helps me make informed, data-driven decisions to enhance the overall user experience.
01 Sentiment Analysis
Identifies user emotions in feedback, revealing overall positive, neutral, or negative attitudes.
02 Topic Modelling
Automatically extracts themes from user data, highlighting key areas of discussion.
03 Insight Clustering
Groups similar feedback to uncover recurring trends and actionable insights.
Storyboard
Identify Pain Points From Users
Identify Issues & Bridge Gaps
This diagram illustrates how first-time renters rely on a measure tool, capacity information, and assistance from U-Haul’s online platform. The warning icons highlight potential misalignments and data synchronization issues that lead to confusion about truck sizing, driving instructions, and pickup services, ultimately causing user anxiety and inconvenience.
HMW Reduce Our Communication Time By 30%
We ensure the deployment of appropriate user data by selecting ethically sourced, representative, and secure datasets, enabling effective and responsible model training.
Prototyping Plan
Prototyping
Start From "Conversation" Prototypes. Let's Talk!
Conversational prototypes simulate realistic user dialogues, enabling teams to validate and refine interaction designs early and iterate rapidly. They foster cross-department collaboration, helping teams accurately pinpoint and address user needs and pain points while reducing development risks. Plus, they're cost-effective!
Prototyping
Machine Learning Prototypes & Wizard of Oz!
When users enter personal details and moving information, a hidden “wizard” (often a human or simplified logic) quickly processes their data and suggests the most suitable vehicle. This method allows us to validate user interactions, gather real-world feedback, and refine our design before investing in a full-scale ML implementation.
01 Machine Learning Model Architecture
Tools: Orange 3
02 Simulator Coding
Tools: Python, VS Code,
Chatgpt
03 Data Input & Predict Result
Tools: Figma. Kaggle, Excel
UHAUL Mobile App Redesign
Reflections
What I Learned…
Strategic Design & Service Blueprinting
Facilitated a design sprint to uncover user pain points and secure stakeholder alignment, producing a comprehensive service blueprint. Conducted user research, applied sentiment analysis, and ran collaborative workshops to translate insights into actionable improvements. Leveraged Auto Layout to streamline design iterations, ensuring consistency and scalability across platforms.
AI-Driven Simulation & User Engagement Optimization
Developed machine-learning predictive simulators in Python to test AI-driven recommendations, achieving a 20% increase in user satisfaction and a 15% reduction in confusion during usability testing. Enhanced mobile user experience through A/B-style iteration on visual hierarchy, typography, and layout structure, leading to a 40% boost in engagement and participation.
