Methods and Tools in User-Centred Designs - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Methods and Tools in User-Centred Designs. Answer: Introduction The report explores the digital disruption, which occurred with the advent of Uber Company, which is based on the sharing economy. It is a global taxi company with headquarters in San Francisco, California. The company designs a mobile application which acts as a medium between passengers and the taxi drivers. Uber is considered as the epitome of shared economy and digital disruption as it has been one of the primary company to disrupt a current industry abruptly (Pwc, 2017). Therefore, the phenomenon of digital disruption is also known as Uberization. The Uber drivers have their own cars and they avail the mobile application to find the customers. It is one of the pioneer company for Uberisation. Introduction to the Case The Uber application software is installed by both drivers and users for sharing cab. It is convenient way of finding a taxi in the nearby area. It follows the upfront pricing method in which the rider is quoted a price after he enters the drop location. Other than that, the fares of the company are based on the dynamic pricing method in which the fares becomes high at the time of high demand. The same route costs different to different users at different time. However, the increased usage of Uber and other ride sharing companies has negatively affected the value of taxi medallions in different cities. Previously, they used to play a cortical role in providing taxi services at the specific time and duration. However, their profits have declined over the time. Uber has also disrupted the taxi services and previous structure of taxi industry. Most of the taxi drivers have installed the application and charge the fare as per the policy of the organization (Pemberton, 2017). Although a large number of drivers are working with the organization, the legal arrangement is that of contractors instead of employees. As a result, taxes, working hours and other benefits are not provided to the drivers. WCA before the digital disruption Customers Products Services High-class people Travel services Major Activities or Processes Traditionally, in the taxi industry, the drivers used to operate independently or with the help of medallion. The drivers used to stand at the major traffic area and the people can avail the services through it. Other than that, the taxi drivers can be called through medallion or through their individual contact numbers. The drivers can charge the riders as per the standard rates. They also had freedom to accept or decline a ride. Participants Information Technologies There are several participants in the taxi industry. The first is government, which set the rules and regulations in the taxi industry. The set the standard rates in the industry. Other stakeholder is the medallion who serves as a link between the consumers and the taxi drivers. The taxi drivers drive their vehicle across the city. The consumers are other stakeholders. The responsibility of safety and security of the consumer is biggest concern. Therefore, he federation of the drivers as well as governments of most of the countries have made it mandatory to conduct a background check of drivers. There is several critical information required in the taxi industry. It includes the background check and information of the drivers (Stanton, Salmon, Walker Jenkins, 2017). The drop location of the riders is also necessary for running the taxi system. Along with it, the drivers must be aware of the latest rates and price in the taxi industry. Telephone and internet services are required to book a cab in the industry (Zaphiris Kurniaswan, 2007). WCA after the digital disruption Customers Products Services General public With low rates, students and working professionals have also started using the service Ride sharing service, sharing with other customers, food delivery services, outstation rentals Major Activities or Processes With the advent of Uber, the dynamics or the major activities of transport industry has been changed. A mobile application is used to control the inflow of the customers and the taxi drivers. Previously, the taxi drivers used to have issue in accessing the users or the cab drivers. The mobile application has increased the comfort of both the cab drivers as well as the riders. The users can book a cab by sitting at the comfort of their home. They can easily book a ride and ask the driver to pick them up from their home. It is similar to a personalized chauffer service. On the other hand, the drivers can get immediate access to all the users in the nearby location. They can select a customer as per the travel time or their direction of route. The driver and the user do not have to further struggle over the charge and it is automatically calculated by the mobile application. The users can also choose to pay from their online payment methods or through the cash. It increases the convenie nce and the comfort of the users. Participants Information Technologies There are several participants in the taxi services. The government plays a crucial role in the price determination of the services. The government set some standard rates, which are needed to be maintained by the taxi drivers. They are called the base rates. The taxi drivers have to comply by it (Galer, Ziegler Galer, 2016). Currently, Uber has been in issues with several governments because of employment and the user privacy laws. The drivers are termed as independent contractors and they are not given employment benefits. In several countries, the company has been under the government radar due to several cases, which breaches the consumer security. The information pertaining to the users is confidential and should not be shared or revealed. The users share their name and mobile number while booking the cab. However, this information should not be used for any malicious purpose. As discussed above, Uber follows a dynamic pricing model. As a result, the company needs to collect information regarding the peak hours at a particular location. It also needs to collect information regarding the personal background of the drivers. This information needs to be verified and authenticated. Uber is a technology-based company and needs mobile application to handle all the operations. Other than that, it needs appropriate infrastructure and population so that the profits can be generated through the application (Khosla, Damiani Grosky, 2012). Problem Identification It can be identified that in the previous structure of the taxi industry, the customers as well as the taxi drivers used to have issues to access each other. The intermediary used to take unnecessary commissions. Moreover, the overall access to the riders was also limited. The taxi drivers have access to limited profitability. The customers also do not have proper access to the taxi drivers. However, there are several issues in the contemporary mobile application too. The foremost issue is that of the customer safety. There should be additional features in the mobile application, which assures the safety of the customers. The company should also take initiative to assure the safety and security of the drivers. Recommendations In order to address these issues, the company should make clear policies in its system. A thorough background check should be made mandatory for the drivers. It will examine the previous criminal record and other information for the drivers. It is an important step to maintain the safety of the customers. Due to a few legal cases, a negative air is created surrounding the company. The company should design appropriate marketing efforts so that this negative air is diminished (Baines Fill Page, 2013). The marketing campaign should be designed as per the local culture and customer choice. Implementation Plan In order to conduct a background check for the drivers, the company should develop a clear policy. All the subsidiaries and local branches should abide by the policy. Other than that, the organization should also offer incentives and other employee motivation techniques to keep the employees motivated. The company should design unique marketing campaign according to the local culture of the country (Baker Hart, 2016). It will increase the attractiveness of the product. The company can also adapt the product as per the local culture of the country. Conclusion It can be concluded that digital disruption is a significant phenomenon, which can change the dynamics of the entire industry. The taxi industry was disrupted with the advent of Uber, a ride sharing service. It develops a mobile application through which the consumers and the drivers can access each other. Several recommendations have been identified in the report. An implementation plan has been proposed to address the situation. References Baines, P., Fill, C. Page, K. (2013). Essentials of Marketing. OUP Oxford. Baker, M.J., Hart, S. (2016). The Marketing Book. Routledge. Galer, M., Ziegler, J., Galer, M. (2016). Methods and Tools in User-Centred Design for Information Technology. Elsevier. Khosla, R., Damiani, E., Grosky, W. (2012). Human-Centered e-Business. Springer Science Business Media. Stanton, N.A., Salmon, P.M., Walker, G.H., Jenkins, D.P. (2017). Cognitive Work Analysis: Applications, Extensions and Future Directions. CRC Press. Zaphiris, P., Kurniaswan, S. (2007). Human-Computer Interaction Research in Web Design and Evaluation. Idea Group Inc (IGI). Pwc. (2017). Uber, digital and disruption: whats happening and why does it work? [Online]. Available at: https://digital.pwc.co.nz/ideas/uber-digital-and-disruption-whats-happening-and-why-does-it-work/ [Accessed on: 4 January 2017]. Pemberton, A. (2017). Uber is everything that is wrong with disruption. The Campaign. [Online]. Available at: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/uber-everything-wrong-disruption/1440077 [Accessed on: 4 January 2017].