Lyft "Take Back the Ride" Campaign

In the fall of 2018, rideshare safety advocate Allison Tielking received national attention for her "Take Back the Ride" campaign, which demanded that rideshare companies better protect female riders from sexual misconduct. In January 2019, she brought me in as a Product Design Consultant, and we co-presented to the Lyft C-Suite at their headquarters in San Francisco.

Coverage by The Washington Post ↗

Coverage by CNN ↗

BACKGROUND

My responsibility in this role was to understand the pain points of reporting misconduct in the Lyft app and propose opportunities to enhance safety in the UX/Ul. I had one month to put together a research plan, design solutions, and prepare for the presentation. All of the figures shown are sample slides I personally created and presented.

RESEARCH

My goal was for the research to be efficient, grounded in real people's stories, and highlight a market pressure, so I decided to—

Analyze the 40 stories Allison had collected from people who experienced sexual misconduct during a Lyft ride.
Conduct a task analysis study using 5 participants, asking them to complete the task of reporting misconduct in the app
Audit both the Lyft and Uber app in order to present a competitor analysis

I found that the excessive steps, vague language ("The app was actually really not explicit with its language"), and unpredictable email follow-up from customer support created barriers, added confusion, and emotionally invalidated users during the sensitive aftermath of an incident.

Task analysis of reporting harassment in the Lyft app

Task analysis of reporting harassment in Lyft app, in Jan 2019

Sample slide of Lyft vs. Uber competitor analysis

Deciding to report sexual harassment is a heavy, often isolating choice. Where Lyft could be working to ease this difficult process, the inattentive user experience is instead complicating it and diminishing the courage of those who speak out.

So... where can Lyft improve?

1. OFFER SAFETY OPTIONS DURING & IMMEDIATELY AFTER A RIDE

In addition to linking to the Help Center for non-immediate support, Lyft must offer options for emergency assistance during a ride. There should also be an option to report immediately after a ride in the case where a user wants to promptly file an incident only once out of a driver's vehicle.

Comparison of Lyft in-ride experience and my proposal for emergency assistance

Left: Actual Lyft app | Right: Proposal for emergency assistance

Comparison of Lyft app and my prposal for a post-ride reporting option

Left: Actual Lyft app | Right: Proposal for post-ride reporting option

2. SIMPLIFY REPORTING A PREVIOUS RIDE

Those who experience sexual harassment often need time before deciding to report, if they choose to at all. That's why simplifying the reporting process for a previous ride is crucial. Filing a report must require fewer steps and use more specific language. Additionally, users should have immediate access to support and follow-up communication options beyond just email.

IMPACT

In February 2019, the month following the presentation, Lyft launched a Community Safety Program steering committee. They released a statement reinforcing their commitment to safety, specifically citing additions of emergency assistance during a ride and an option to report immediately after a ride. Their updated flow for reporting sexual misconduct has fewer steps, includes more specific language, provides immediate access to support, and offers alternative follow-up communication options.