DMV
UX/UI Design - Mobile
Overview
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is the state agency that registers motor vehicles and boats and issues driver licenses in the U.S. State of California. The DMV is notorious for its long wait times and inefficient service. Certain citizen services can only be rendered at the DMV - which often always leads to overcrowding. Despite having a mobile application, their features are outdated and doesn't really cater to users needs.
Role
Research,
Design, Prototype
Team
Devi Chandra
Patricia Fnu
Suna Yang
Duration
2 weeks
Tools
Figma, Photoshop
Problem
The DMV is grappling with three main challenges: excessive wait times causing frustration, an inefficient service structure unprepared for high visitor volumes, and limited physical space leading to overcrowding. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, it has become imperative that these challenges are addressed to provide a streamlined and user-friendly experience for visitors.
Research
The research aims to enhance the DMV mobile app's usability, with a special focus on addressing pandemic-related overcrowding concerns. It involves closely observing user goals, difficulties, and motivations, guiding the redesign process to improve the experience. The goal is to identify ways to keep users engaged while providing a streamlined and efficient interaction with the app's features.
Heuristic Evaluation
We began our research with a Heuristic Evaluation of the current DMV app. We identified significant heuristic violations with the app’s learnability, efficiency, and satisfaction of use. Key findings as follows:
Location-Service Mismatch: Users faced frustration due to mismatched office locations and services, causing confusion and wasted time.
Overload of Text and Information: Excessive content led to cognitive overload, affecting readability and user-friendliness.
Lack of Back Button: Absence of a back button disrupted navigation flow and made backtracking difficult.
Confusion in Home Button Functionality: Two different home buttons caused user confusion and an unclear user path.
Inconsistent Universal Navigation: Inconsistent navigation patterns led to confusion about app structure and functionality across pages.
Current App
User Interviews & Online Surveys
We conducted user interviews and usability tests involving 10 individuals who had recent interactions with the CA DMV application. We asked about their viewpoints on and interactions with the DMV.
Each interviewee shared unfavorable perspectives about the DMV, highlighting extended queues and governmental inefficiencies as common concerns.
Within the interview's task analysis phase, we prompted our target users to utilize the app to schedule an appointment at the local San Francisco DMV office. Users consistently conveyed significant dissatisfaction with the app during this process, and a few participants opted not to complete the task due to this frustration.
Participant #3
" The DMV app left me feeling lost and frustrated. It's like trying to
find my way in a maze without any clear directions. "
Project Goals
We started defining the main focus of the project by analyzing the user's goal of having a user-friendly online experience to improve the CA DMV’s negative reputation and also to ease the load on DMV customer service and other staff by improving efficiency and functionality.
1
Alleviate Waiting Time
3
Mitigate Overcrowding
2
Optimize Service Structure
4
Enhance User Experience
Persona & User Journey
Existing User Journey
Anne arrives at the local DMV office to renew her ID card
Based on the research findings, Anne and Max have been defined as the personas that would represent the user archetype for future decision-making
and the development of the design.
Desired User Journey
Anne arrives at the local DMV office to renew her ID card and uses the mobile app to check-in
Sketches & Wireframes
Finally, we synthesized our best ideas and moved forward into the wireframing process. Taking into account the heuristic violations of the original app, we polished our prioritized features for the redesign.
Design Specification
We recreated the visual components making sure all the new components were in line with the existing theme colors and brand identity.
Typeface
Color Palette
UI Design
The wireframes is translated into the final design, which embodies all the visual explorations of colors, moods, and styles.
Main Features and Onboarding
Sign Up
OTP Verification Page
Check-In Feature
Upon arriving at the DMV, users can effortlessly check in through the app, instantly securing their spot in line. Real-time updates on queue positions ensure users can remotely monitor their progress, allowing them to wait in a location of their choice. This innovative functionality not only minimizes physical wait times but also offers a more flexible and convenient experience, which is especially crucial during the pandemic to mitigate overcrowding and maintain social distancing measures.
Find DMV
This feature provides users the options to locate different categories according to their preferences: DMV field offices, DMV kiosks, or DMV partners. This is especially useful for those who may not know about the convenience of DMV kiosks for registration renewal, helping them save time by avoiding field office visits.
Explore the Area
While waiting in line or for their turn, this feature enables users to discover nearby cafes, workspaces, and points of interest. By utilizing mapping services (Google Maps), users can conveniently find suggestions for places to wait based on their preferences. Whether their looking to be productive, enjoy a cup of coffee, or relax, this feature offers options to make their wait more enjoyable and convenient.
Usability Testing
Once the prototype was ready, we conducted a usability testing with a group of participants. We asked them to complete a few tasks on the prototype to observe how users interact and navigate within the app.
Observations
-
95% found the app easy to use and follow
-
They found the newly added feature really useful -– especially the check-in and explore the area feature
-
Navigating the app is easier and faster
-
85% are more likely to start or continue using the app for future use
Insights
-
They would prefer more graphics to be incorporated
-
Design feels a little monotonous, they would prefer more colors to be added
-
They found the "Explore the Area" feature valuable, but suggested integrating more diverse places in the icon selection
Takeaways
The majority of users have positively received the redesigned app's features. Introducing the mobile app and its redesign is crucial, especially in the current pandemic, as it offers a safer and more efficient way to interact with the DMV. This enhanced experience has the potential to transform people's attitude towards the DMV, fostering higher satisfaction levels by providing convenient, time-saving solutions and promoting a positive perception of government services during these challenging times.