# A Detailed Review of the New Application for Uber Drivers



## thomasS (Oct 18, 2018)

*Introduction*

Recently Uber reworked the driver application's technical implementation, while completely redesigning the user interface. Unfortunately, the new application appears to be worse than the old application. The new application has a few new or improved features, but also introduces many defects into the user interface. Also, the new application appears to be less reliable than the old one, although the experiences of this author are not sufficient to reach a definite conclusion about overall reliability.

This article will describe in detail various defects, with emphasis on user interface, in the new application. Note that the defects are not described in order of importance.

*Problems in Utilization of Screen Space*

Any map on a cell phone must be small because the phone is small. As the phone sits on the dashboard mount and jumps around a little on any road not perfectly smooth, the Uber driver has trouble seeing the map. When the car is moving, the driver can take his eyes off the road only during brief moments. Also zoom in and zoom out gestures can be difficult on the small map. For these reasons, the user interface should try not to make the map any smaller than necessary. In the new UI, when the driver is en route to a pick up or drop off, a large black box shows the next turn and the address of the destination. This box wastes space and reduces map size because: 1) some of the text in the box has excessive size; 2) the box contains too much blank space; and 3) a small space is wasted immediately above the box.

*Problems in the Text Showing Address of Pick Up or Drop Off*

In the text showing the address, a portion of this text is in very small font in a gray color that contrasts little with the black background. This type of text is extremely difficult to read, especially when the car is in motion. The address should show the place name, street and city in a font whose color and size are sufficient for easy reading. In order to save space, the address should not include state, zip code, and "Express Pool: rider walks to final destination". In regard to Express Pool, there are other ways to tell drivers that riders walk to final destinations.

*Problems Related to Overall Structure of User Interface*

The old UI had tabs at the bottom of the screen to navigate to major areas of functionality. This overall organization by tabs seemed to work well enough. The new UI is totally different and no longer contains these tabs. Using the new UI, after the user drills down into screens of more and more detail, there is no easy way to return to the main screen. The only way to get back to the main screen is to go back through all screens that led to the current screen. Another difficulty exists when the user is viewing the main screen in the online state and without an assigned trip. The driver has to take two actions to go offline (or three actions if the app asks the driver for confirmation). Drivers need to go offline frequently. This should only require only a single tap.

*Problems Related to Maps*

Maps become more difficult to read when overlaid by ovals and other objects that are not directly related to content on the map. Fortunately, the new UI eliminates many of the map overlays that were present in the old UI. But the new UI also adds some new overlays. For example, when the driver is headed to a pick up or drop off, the new UI shows overlays to allow the user to switch between two views of the map. One view shows the entire route to the pick up or drop off, whereas the other view shows a smaller area that emphasizes the next turn. In the old UI the driver could switch easily between these views by tapping anywhere on the map. The new UI requires the driver to tap on overlay objects to switch between the views. The switch between views was easier and safer in the old UI, as the driver could make the switch without taking eyes off the road. The new UI makes these frequent switches more difficult and less safe, while also cluttering the map with overlays.

Another overlay on the maps is a compass that allows the user to rotate the map. This overlay should be eliminated because the rotation is never useful. In the standard frame of reference, the north direction points upward on the map. Deviation from this standard can cause confusion and is not useful.

In the old UI, a thick blue (or other colors that indicate traffic congestion) line shows the route from the current location to the pick up or drop off location. The new UI shows this same line but also shows a light blue line from the current location backward to indicate the part of the route the driver covered prior to the current time. The Uber driver does not care where he was driving in the past. He already knows roughly how much of the trip he has completed. He only thinks about present and future in getting a job done. The display of the past portion of the route adds no value and increases the time and effort of the driver to understand the route. The map needs to be easy to read so that the driver can comprehend it quickly when taking eyes off the road.

When the driver is not en route to a pick up or drop off, the map shows his current location as an arrow head within a small circle. But in the new UI, this circle is filled with the same white color as the map background. This makes the current location is difficult to see.

*A Problem in the Table Showing Driver Earnings per Trip.*

In the old UI, this table showed different data fields in different columns for logical organization and easy viewing. But the new UI wraps the data for a single trip onto an extra row, thus making this table less easy to read.

*A Change in Policy Regarding Long Trips*

When using the old application, the driver always received advance notification of a trip estimated to take longer than 45 minutes, so that the driver could decline to accept the trip. With the new application, the driver sometimes gets the advance warning of the trip greater then 45 minutes, but other times the driver receives no warning of the long trip and learns of it only when picking up the rider. This change in long trip policy may be the worst aspect of the new application from the point of view of the drivers. Uber drivers need to take breaks to eat, or relieve fatigue, or use a bathroom, or do other activities. Safety decreases when a long trip is assigned to a driver who is already fatigued. A former part time Uber driver told me he quit because he kept getting unwanted long trips. A current Uber driver told me of an incident in which he picked up a rider, learned upon pickup of the long trip, and had to cancel at the pickup location.

*New Features in the New Application*

For the most part, the new application offers all the same functionality as the old one but with a new user interface. But the new application also offers a small amount of new functionality. In particular, the new application sometimes notifies the driver that he is in a busy area and should expect to receive trip requests soon. But these "busy areas" often seem not to be very busy. Nevertheless, the "busy area" notice is informative enough to help the driver make a better decision in some instances. Another useful new feature remembers previously entered addresses, when the driver uses the feature to "set a destination".

*Reliability of the Old and New Applications*

Both the old and new driver applications have quality problems and malfunction more often than I would expect. These malfunctions often have a level of severity such that the driver needs to reboot the phone to get the Uber application working properly. In my experience with the old and new applications, the new one has actually malfunctioned more than the old one. But my limited experience is not sufficient to reach a definite conclusion about overall reliability for all users.

*Conclusion*

The new driver application has a user interface worse than that of the old application. The new application brings some benefit of new functionality, but not enough to make up for the poor UI. The new policy regarding notification of long trips is detrimental to Uber drivers. Reliability of the application may have decreased. After comparing many different aspects of the old and new Uber driver applications, we conclude that the new application is worse than the old one.


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## reg barclay (Nov 3, 2015)

I have personally never experienced getting a long trip without a 45+ warning, not with the new app, and not with the old one.

My only gripe with the new app, is that when I'm using a different app it is easier to accidentally accept pings, at least with my phone, because of the small overlay ping screen that pops up.


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## thomasS (Oct 18, 2018)

reg barclay said:


> I have personally never experienced getting a long trip without a 45+ warning, not with the new app, and not with the old one.
> 
> My only gripe with the new app, is that when I'm using a different app it is easier to accidentally accept pings, at least with my phone, because of the small overlay ping screen that pops up.


You always get the long trip warning, whereas I sometimes get the warning and sometimes do not get the warning. Maybe that is because I drive in Silicon Valley and bay area, whereas you drive in an area close to New York City.


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## DocT (Jul 16, 2015)

My gripe is with the "No match for your preferences" pop-up. I have Select Only in my preference, and on occasion, this pop-up will appear which requires physical interaction to remove the pop-up. This is a distraction during driving. I'm driving Select Only for a reason, and don't need to be reminded to drop down to X/Pool for more rides during non-surge.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Seems only thing uber did was ADD MORE DRIVER MANIPULATION INTO THE APP.

WHILE DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR DRIVERS !

Uber cares !


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

Hopefully Uber trolls can read this and fix this crap!! I was just explaining to a pax last night that I have excellent vision, yet I have to really stare at the app to find stuff. How safe is that? We are supposed to be able to operate the app at the quickest tap and the slightest glance, not turn and stare at the app the equivalent amount of time as of a texting teenager in all those nationwide anti-texting commercials.

In Washington, we have a Distracted Driving Law which makes it illegal to not only hold a cell phone, but requires the driver to make minimal contact with the phone screen even when its mounted in a approved cell phone mount. Since this law came into effect, drivers are getting pulled over if they are seen making one traffic violation while touching the cell phone screen. One missed blinker use on a right turn, while tapping the screen gets you a $136. ticket.

I feel Uber is just setting us all up for tickets and safety issues with this new app.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...s-illegal-hold-phone-while-driving/504821001/


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## Ping.Me.More (Oct 27, 2018)

DocT said:


> My gripe is with the "No match for your preferences" pop-up. I have Select Only in my preference, and on occasion, this pop-up will appear which requires physical interaction to remove the pop-up. This is a distraction during driving. I'm driving Select Only for a reason, and don't need to be reminded to drop down to X/Pool for more rides during non-surge.
> View attachment 269402


I'm UberX and get that same pop-up message when I'm waiting in the O'Hare Airport TNP Lot queue


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## excel2345 (Dec 14, 2015)

Another thing, if you are using google maps and the passenger changes the destination while in route sometimes the app doesn't update google maps. You need to go back to the app and hit navigate again.If you don't it gets kind of embarrassing when you try to drop the pax off! Also, if using google maps, the app takes over navigation up to a quarter mile before dropoff/pickup. Since I dislike ubers nav I need to tap the map twice to get back to google maps.


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## Justmakingmoney (Feb 3, 2018)

Yep. Especially the GPS, I'm having Uber GPS sound issues since update. I can't use USB port anymore, have to use a separate charger with USB ports, weird. The notice of LD pings in Philly is screwing PAX.
2 weeks ago I had X Pax ping from a gas station near the Philly Airport where he was dropped off by the previous driver who didn't check the destination at airport pick up. The pax was a former driver who quit in May and couldn't believe LDT wasn't given up front anymore. I didn't get one, still don't. Took the ride cause, why not. Always have an empty bladder and full gas tank if you're not willing to cancel... and get ready for those 1* ratings on Navigation. Supposedly 1* doesn't impact ratings if app related, but Thursday night showed me otherwise.


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## Dammit Mazzacane (Dec 31, 2015)

How about having to double tap to go offline, considering acceptance rate is tied to quality or quantity of rides during the time on the road? The old one tap was easier.


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## B - uberlyftdriver (Jun 6, 2017)

this is my review of the new app

a picture says a thousand words


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## donurs (May 31, 2015)

My observation is the "rider cancelled" notification while on the way to pick up.
Incoming pings come in loud and clear but rider cancels are barely audible.


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

donurs said:


> My observation is the "rider cancelled" notification while on the way to pick up.
> Incoming pings come in loud and clear but rider cancels are barely audible.


I actually like that. The cancel sound used to scare the crap out of me because it was so obnoxiously loud.


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## Steelersnut (Jan 29, 2018)

thomasS said:


> *Introduction*
> 
> Recently Uber reworked the driver application's technical implementation, while completely redesigning the user interface. Unfortunately, the new application appears to be worse than the old application. The new application has a few new or improved features, but also introduces many defects into the user interface. Also, the new application appears to be less reliable than the old one, although the experiences of this author are not sufficient to reach a definite conclusion about overall reliability.
> 
> ...


I see no mention of:
"Oops, something went wrong".
At least a dozen times I've tapped to accept and get the "oops" message. A few of those rides were XL 45+ that I wanted. 
My theory? They're sending some ride requests to multiple drivers! I feel like I'm playing the Jeopardy game show.


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## Stav53 (Nov 9, 2017)

Yup,
LT 45+ notifications don’t show all the time. Actually rarely does. Very annoying.
I like the simplicity of the new UI but I agree that we have to dig under some software layers to find the info we need. It does get the job done.


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## PioneerXi (Apr 20, 2018)

Variation of the manner in which ratings are reported,

Old app: ratings are reported as a % of the last 500 rides, rounded to the nearest whole %. 

New app: ratings are reported as the number of instances within the last 500 rides.


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## BabyDriverDFW (Jul 9, 2018)

Don't forget the mute sound button is buried somewhere. Yet another safety issue trying to find it while driving.


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## scott9002ca (Jan 18, 2018)

My question is why the hell haven't they developed this into an Android Auto/Apple Car-play compatible app. That is truly ridiculous.


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## HelioAnthus (Oct 9, 2018)

Mine constantly locks up its map. The app is still running and it knows where I am but the map won't move. While I have started to use Ways I don't like that the app has these feature crashes as it tells me they F-ed up somehow and god knows what else they missed (as a former software dev)


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## SoccerDad23 (May 2, 2016)

I’ve been driving for four years. I have a system, which works for me. Tired of Uber shoving new “features” that I am forced to use. Make them options, or give me health insurance and paid time off. If I’m a contractor then let me make decisions about how I run my business. Can’t have it both ways.

For example, I always message pax w ACTUAL ETA and pickup address, so they can respond quickly, and we both stay informed (if they don’t like my actual ETA, they can cancel BEFORE I drive 2 mins in their direction; they can also give me the correct pickup location, if the app gives the wrong one.) In-app messages don’t get viewed half the time, which is why I CHOOSE to use my phone’s texting app where I also get to keep a record of the conversation in case the pax tries to cancel and get a fee refund (or any other kind) by lying to a CSR. Uber just wants everything in-app, so they can manipulate everyone involved.

Also, changing the app’s pickup address to conceal their actual one is fixing a problem that pax’s had already figured out for themselves. As a rider, my GF has been giving (and walking) to other addresses for years to conceal hers. I now have pax taking an extra minute to find me, saying “I don’t know why the app had you pick me up here...” Uber’s trying to protect against a lawsuit, when they could simply make the suggestion that pax use a different pickup address, if they wish to conceal their actual one (but that might alert pax to the potential dangers of Uber which were always there and to a greater degree with a taxi because of poor info and documentation.)

It’s all more manipulation and confusion to the detriment of drivers (and ultimately, riders)...


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## Steelersnut (Jan 29, 2018)

SoccerDad23 said:


> I've been driving for four years. I have a system, which works for me. Tired of Uber shoving new "features" that I am forced to use. Make them options, or give me health insurance and paid time off. If I'm a contractor then let me make decisions about how I run my business. Can't have it both ways.
> 
> For example, I always message pax w ACTUAL ETA and pickup address, so they can respond quickly, and we both stay informed (if they don't like my actual ETA, they can cancel BEFORE I drive 2 mins in their direction; they can also give me the correct pickup location, if the app gives the wrong one.) In-app messages don't get viewed half the time, which is why I CHOOSE to use my phone's texting app where I also get to keep a record of the conversation in case the pax tries to cancel and get a fee refund (or any other kind) by lying to a CSR. Uber just wants everything in-app, so they can manipulate everyone involved.
> 
> ...


This is a badass response. I always wondered about those "slightly" off house numbers.


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## Drivincrazy (Feb 14, 2016)

I accidently updated the app while doing a bunch of them. Any way to get the old app back? I like the honeycomb surge cells far more than the fuzzy, cloudy perimeters.


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## stpetej (Jul 3, 2017)

I haven't driven in awhile and used it for the first time Monday. Upon conclusion of an airport run, Uber suddenly announced that it was directing me to the airport's waiting lot. Thought, ok I'm game, and followed navigation to a dirt road somewhere within airport confines. My only company being heavy construction equipment. What's with this?


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## sheridens (Feb 25, 2018)

The buttons under App settings -> Accessibility are too small and hard to toggle. Also, it is not immediately obvious which position represents on or off. My 18 year old son was able to toggle the buttons with his thumb tips but I can't get them to budge at all. I don't know what I am doing wrong.


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