Uber

The opportunity

Our work with the global tech company, Uber, focused on its ride-hailing service in Egypt. When Uber initially launched in Cairo, drivers were recruited through fleet partners. However, when a global app-based service was introduced to facilitate independent onboarding, the volume of driver applications and successful sign-ups dropped significantly in this region. The opportunity was to understand the context of this local trend in order to resolve it with a solution that maintained the integrity of the global strategy. 

Our process

Our research recruited aspiring drivers who were considering fleet sign-up or independent sign-up and also included established, ‘veteran’ drivers in Cairo. In addition to conducting usability testing with would-be drivers, we orchestrated mobile ethnography during a 28-day longitudinal study and an in-depth social analysis of cultural and social motivators in order to contextualise individuals’ behaviour. 

Our results

The insights and strategic recommendations gained from our research informed Uber’s local strategy in Egypt for 2018 – and also identified development opportunities for its worldwide product. In addition, our study of Egyptian drivers revealed a new business-related driver group, increasing Uber’s potential scope in the region. Our design and delivery of an engaging web-based research portal is now used by multiple teams and stakeholders at Uber.