Let’s build together: the story behind the new Driver app

Nobody knows the ins and outs of using the Uber Driver app better than you. So when we set out to build a better app experience, we asked for you help.

Over the last year, more than 400 driver-partners and delivery-partners in 7 cities around the world have been participating in a unique Beta trial program to help our team design and test a new Driver app. They’ve been working alongside  Uber designers and engineers to provide new ideas, share feedback, and help report bugs.

“A typical Beta wasn’t going to cut it for us. We had to step it up a notch. We truly had to understand how the app performed in various cities and in different circumstances for different drivers and delivery partners. We wanted to know when it worked and met expectations and when it fell short. So we camp up with a few ways to listen and learn.”

– Haider, Uber engineer

For Beta participant, Eva, it was the opportunity to provide direct feedback that she found most rewarding about the experience.

“Just the fact that I was heard and my opinion mattered was huge. I was able to express what I thought needed to be fixed and also what I thought worked well that we could use more of… I was happy to be a part of the process.”

– Eva, driver-partner

Our driver-partners and delivery-partners were a huge help in spotting glitches and areas in need of improvement. Over the course of 16 weeks, they reported over 2600 bugs by sharing screenshots with Uber employees through various channels, including social apps.

“One of the things I brought up during beta testing had to do with the color overlays on the map that indicate surge and Boost. You saw either big grids, no grid, or very little detail. Now you can see at a moment’s glance that there’s a hotspot. Before, you would have seen a little bit of color and then would have had to zoom in tremendously to figure out what it was.”

– Mike, driver-partner

Employees also joined driver-partners and delivery-partners for ride-alongs as they took trips and made deliveries using the new app.

“I liked the fact that Uber was reaching out to actual drivers. They could have done a survey, but I feel like having it on a personal level and having them in the vehicle with me, they can see it first hand how things are done and how we have to handle stuff. It’s good that I was able to speak to them right then and there, instead of writing an email and waiting for them to write back.”

– Glory, delivery-partner

Thank you to all the driver-partners and delivery-partners who helped build the new Driver app.

What’s next?

Over the next months, the new Driver app will be rolled out gradually to driver-partners and delivery-partners around the world, including partners in Australia and NZ. You will receive an email and in-app message from us as it becomes available for you to download.