Belkacar is a prominent mobile app-based car rental service in Russia. With a sprawling fleet of over 6,000 cars across six cities, we've carved a significant niche in one of the world's most dynamic carsharing markets.

Business Goal

The carsharing arena in Moscow is fiercely competitive, boasting a staggering 20,000+ per-minute rental cars. Despite entering a mature, profitable market, the ultimate challenge was to sustain growth, retain existing customers, and attract new ones.

My Role

As the Lead Product Designer, I was solely responsible for designing the main application for both iOS and Android platforms. While I had colleagues focusing on other parts of the product like the B2B app and admin panel, my domain was the consumer-facing application. My role extended beyond just making things look good; it involved leading a team and shaping the entire design culture within the company. I identified areas where we needed more expertise and hired skilled designers to make our workflow even more efficient.

Process

I had an idea: why not to put a simple guide in the app to walk people through Macan's key features? This would make users more comfortable renting premium cars and also take some weight off our customer service team. Plus, I thought adding a car badge on the map would help users make a decision more quickly.

After identifying the problem, I immediately moved into research mode. I created a prototype that encapsulated my solution and presented it to our CPO and Product Manager. To my delight, my vision resonated perfectly with theirs, giving the green light to proceed.

Implementation and Testing

During a fast-paced design sprint, I iterated through different design alternatives and put them to the test with real users.