Uber for Business feature tour
Familiar name, unknown product
Although Uber had high brand recognition, its B2B product faced a serious issue: Few people understood what it did or how it worked. The website attracted a lot of visitors but suffered from high abandonment rates. New customers frequently opened support cases for help with basic onboarding.
To reduce this high friction point, I developed an informational marketing experience to provide visibility on what to expect beyond the login wall, while showcasing all the benefits that Uber for Business can provide.
My role
I was asked to “paint the vision” for this web-based resource. The planning and implementation were largely up to me, but to ensure alignment through the process, I met regularly with a cross-functional stakeholder matrix of PMs, UX designers, engineers, marketing, sales, developers, and customer success.
The deliverables needed to be completed within a three-month timeframe –if not the full product, at least a comprehensive framework with a clear path to completion.
High-level goals
Create a web-based resource to:
1. Improve conversions
2. Decrease case open rate from new customers
3. Replace previous onboarding resources (PDF and video) that were difficult to update
Discovery
Audit
I began with a thorough content audit to see what materials were being used to fill this gap. I found a lot of overlapping and outdated resources, including a series of videos and PDFs which were quickly rendered obsolete. I concluded my audit with a list of recommended resources to deprecate or update. I also took note of relevant topics that weren’t being adequately explained. This became the basis for the feature tour.
Research
Next, I met with cross-functional stakeholders, such as researchers, sales leaders, marketing managers, customer representatives, and product managers. I sat in on customer calls, reviewed existing persona research, and asked stakeholders what issues they were facing in terms of highlighting key benefits to potential customers. With this, I developed a list of key personas and the questions and issues they tend to have.
Assess technical requirements
I met with developers and the marketing team to discuss options for where this tour would be hosted. I examined existing website templates and brand library graphics to get an idea of what could be built using currently available resources.
Initial insights
The content strategy required a delicate balance: provide enough information to attract potential customers without overwhelming them with too much detail. The content also needed to be general enough to withstand frequent product changes, but specific enough to lower the case open rate from new customers.
We needed to consider different use cases (rides, meals, and travel), as well as different user types (employees vs. clients, admins vs. users).
Our goal was to communicate value without revealing every intricate detail that might create unnecessary barriers to adoption.
Ideation
Journey mapping
I mapped out the actual onboarding process for users, then iterated upon this list to highlight the steps that a prospective user didn’t understand and needed to know, and remove the steps that were less necessary to showcase. This gave me an initial basic flow to work with.
Since we had different users with vastly different needs (for example, one customer might be more interested in sourcing rides for clients, while another might want to an easy way to expense after-hour meals for employees), I repeated this process for different tasks, then simplified based on stakeholder input.
Defining key messaging
For each journey, I developed the key messaging points that were essential to communicate to each user. I also created a list of terms and concepts that had proved confusing to prospective users, and suggested more accessible alternatives. I ran these by the relevant stakeholders and gained approval.
Identifying primary persona
I identified the primary persona: the SMB office admin who most understood the need for U4B, would likely be the one to set it up, and held some sway over decision-making. I optimized the content for this figure, then simplified and iterated.
Content thinking
Once the user clicks in, we guide them through common pain points during setup:
1. They cannot sign in with a personal email address.
2. The user has to create an account or sign in twice.
3. Personal and business Uber accounts are totally separate.
We lower cognitive load with clear, concise wording, keeping the flow short and leaving out unnecessary details. In subsequent steps, we highlight more of the key benefits.
Prototyping and review
Writing
I drafted the initial content in accordance with existing voice and tone guidelines, then tested how my copy looked on various website template modules. After finalizing the modules to be used, I iterated upon the copy until I was satisfied. I also accompanied the content with imagery from the brand library for the marketing team to get a baseline of how the graphics might look.
Peer review
I collaborated with a content designer who reviewed and helped me improve upon my content, then signed off on it.
Results
A shareable resource that’s easy to update
The previous solution was a series of videos which became obsolete within a year. Moving to a website ensured that information could be easily updated, while eliminating screenshots reduced the need for frequent updating.
Reducing friction and providing transparency
To encourage conversions, we provided a short, step-by-step guide to how the product works from the moment of sign-up. Simple language and focusing on benefits help to minimize pain points.
Inviting users to sign up
The feature tour concluded by introducing users to explore more solutions within the product suite.
Assessment
As this was a short-term contract gig, I was unable to assess long-term performance using the success metrics I had originally set. However, the tour is still active and updated on the Uber for Business website five years later, so I believe it laid the groundwork to give prospective users a view into the benefits of the product.