Maps are a big part of rideshare. Lyft needed a map to help riders choose better pickup and drop-offs, and give drivers more accurate guidance on where they can and can’t pull over (yes, this can be particularly tricky, especially in downtown areas). Our LyftNav map would give Lyft a competitive advantage and reduce fees to insurance and third party mapping providers.
Initially, content design wasn’t allocated to this project. However, I volunteered to support the mapping team since maps are 45.2% text. They’re a high touch and occasionally painful part of our product for riders and drivers. And a map built for rideshare had the potential to save the company millions.
I worked closely with the product design lead, product designer, lead engineer, and product manager on the overall strategy and content for LyftNav.
High-level content strategy
How we sound
We’re a helpful co-pilot
LyftNav is reliable and always gives drivers the right instructions, at the right time. Like a good co-pilot, LyftNav gives timely directions, keeps the chit-chat to a minimum—and will never change the station when your favorite song comes on.
Two principles inform our content:
Contextual
The instructions we give are relevant to current or upcoming maneuvers
Succinct
We keep it snappy so drivers can focus on safety and great service
Banner IA
Primary is the next maneuver, this is when we provide the most detailed information. It’s repeated in the map bubble.
Secondary is the supportive text for primary (we round up fractional miles, we use icons to show the turn degree, etc.)
Tertiary is a heads up on upcoming maneuvers, after primary, lane guidance, etc.
Audio principles
We sound human.
We live for descriptive grammar.
Example:
Left onto Van Ness Ave ❌
Left on Van Ness Ave ✅
Audio guidance can provide additive, non-critical context, along with occasional rideshare-specific content
Examples:
Non-critical context: Route justifications are communicated via audio (i.e. “You’re on the best route based on current traffic.”), along with visual icon treatments.
Ride-share specific: ”Your next pickup is on the left.”
Future state: Ride-type specific sound effects for matching (ka-ching sound for high value rides, etc.)
Audio can provide additional details, but nothing critical that’s missing from the visual guidance
Not all drivers will use audio. The driver could be deaf or hard of hearing, a passenger might ask the driver to turn audio off, or the driver simply might prefer not to use audio.
Therefore, audio is never used as a “catch-all” to convey necessary instructions that are missing from/don’t fit in the banner(s).
Content ecosystem
A large part of this project was creating content for banners and audio guidance across the gamut of potential maneuvers. Here’s a subset of the ecosystem for reference:
Roundabouts
We knew from research (and our own misadventures with entering and exiting roundabouts) that these roadway features struck fear into the heart of many drivers. So we spent time brainstorming how we could provide drivers with the right level of guidance at the right time.
Ongoing UXR sessions with drivers were overwhelmingly positive and helped make roundabouts a little less foreboding.
Warm welcome
We created a warm welcome flow to explain key features and encourage drivers to take it for a test drive (and reassured them that could always revert to a third party map).
