TIER Mobility + UserTesting

Redesigning the subscription purchase experience

TIER Mobility offers daily passes and a range of monthly subscriptions that enable customers to rent vehicles at an affordable price. TIER discovered that app users were struggling to understand the various offerings and select a package for themselves. Interviews revealed that a poor user experience was limiting the number of purchases completed through the app. 

To help increase their subscriber base, TIER’s researchers conducted further tests to understand how designers could improve the purchase flow and communication about subscriptions. They began by quickly recruiting test participants with experience riding micro-mobility vehicles in different markets around the world. They also sought an even split between individuals with experience or no experience purchasing a TIER subscription in the past. 

The research findings led to the following design priorities for the team:

• Communicate the unique aspects of each offer
• Support users to easily compare the subscription packages
• Showcase the saving potential and value of each type
• Preemptively address concerns around validity and conditions

According to TIER’s Research Lead, Maria Hock, “Redesigning the subscription process contributed to increasing the number of people that purchase the subscriptions. Early results show purchase-flow conversion increased by approximately 6%. It also helped riders understand the value of those subscriptions.”

Mapping the end-to-end experience for riders

Referencing UserTesting’s ease of access to testing participants, TIER’s Director of Product, Florian Weingarten, says, “You want to validate as quickly and as easily as possible whether you are walking in the right direction. If you are building something that people don't see as valuable, they will not use it. So there is no money to be made in things that are not useful for people.”

This business logic applies to existing experiences as well. TIER constantly assesses if the company’s experiences work in the best way possible so that customers will return to use the service again and again. To answer these questions, TIER’s researchers set out to capture and evaluate the user’s end-to-end journey when taking a ride with TIER.

Per Maria Hock, “By mapping that experience, we could identify the biggest pain points across the whole experience, and then give that to the teams for them to focus on and prioritize.”

Conducting in-person testing across major cities is labor-intensive and expensive. But a remote testing set-up has its own challenges. When working with UserTesting, researchers had to ensure that test participants understood they would have to go outside and ride a TIER scooter. Participants would also need to share sufficient input during the test as they searched for a vehicle, started a ride, and ended the ride. Finally, safety was paramount. TIER had to make sure that test participants could avoid distractions from their devices while driving.

The program was a major success. Through live conversations, test participants shared their thoughts and showcased their riding environment while preparing to take their rides. Researchers moderated the conversation to get deeper insights, while at the same time ensuring that participants focus on the road.

Maria Hock explains: “We asked them to rent a vehicle and go and take a ride for a couple of minutes around the block so that we could observe not only how they were using the app, but also how the context in which they were riding was influencing their experience. With UserTesting, they were able to share the screen, show us the application and make quick recordings of their parking situation, how they were interacting with the scooter, how they were testing the brakes, etc. So we could really see how they would interact with the vehicle as well as the digital application.”

TIER learned how to best indicate a vehicle’s battery range. So they adapted the app to show how far a vehicle can travel. This helps customers identify which vehicles will suit their needs before they rent them. TIER’s researchers also detailed riders’ struggles to find parking spots or decide what to do in a ‘no parking’ area. They need more guidance as to where they can leave their vehicles. So now the app routes customers to a parking spot close to their stop–and riders can get to their destinations more easily.