3 Major Changes in The Super App Pathao

Exciting things are brewing in the tech industry. With the introduction of ride-sharing 3 years ago, Bangladeshi companies have spear-headed previously alien concepts of design-thinking and customer-convenience, blending ease-of-use, and service, all in one place. Pathao, the first digital platform in the country, has continuously strived to improve on the design and look of the app. It is clearly evident with the recent changes they have brought on to the app. Among many others, here are 3 major improvements in the app.

The Pick-up Point
The pick-up point screen puts more emphasis between the rider’s current location and the pick-up point. Instead of a static view where the entire route was visible, along with the rider’s current location, the app now only shows the shortest possible distance that the rider has to take to reach the pick-up point. Additionally, the Safety Features button, for sharing your location to loved ones and calling National Emergency Services (999), has been placed on the top-right corner to make it more visible.

This change goes to show greater design empathy from the company which cares about its riders’ convenience. The first convenience is to break down the entire journey into three small and different parts, which makes it easy for on-the-rush users to follow the information that is provided, avoiding unnecessary scrolls and zoom-ins.

Secondly, the emergency contact on the top-right illustrates how the product takes user security seriously. Following through on BRTA orders, the placement of the Safety Features is quite likely the best among all the competitive services – visible, in-your-face and easiest to place a call.

During The Trip
Starting from the pick-up screen, customers can now have access to greater amounts of information. The vehicle registration number, along with the vehicle model, is made visible under the riders’ name and rating. While it might be slightly difficult to find a vehicle solely based on their vehicle registration number, having both the license number and the vehicle model makes it simpler for customers to find their desired ride in the middle of the road.

During the trip, the entire rider information is available at the bottom of the screen, in a card that you can pull up anytime. The pull-up card also ensures that your screen shows a bigger map, with better zoomable features for you to view where you are during the ride.

The New Feedback System
Pathao has listened to their customers and re-introduced the 5-star rider feedback system. To go the extra mile, Pathao made sure the 5 points are all shaped into emoticons, which makes it simple for the customer to send more reliable and helpful ratings. In extension, the company also introduced Comments, where the customer can select one of the predetermined comments to

describe the ride, such as “Professional”, “Clean & Clear” or “Well Behaved”. These comments change with the provided rating and make it a dynamic feedback system.
One of the most important changes that Pathao brought in the app was the customer feedback. If a customer rates a bad ride or clicks on the ‘Other’ button, the custom feedback options pop out,

where basic information regarding the ride is also available so it is easier for the customer to report the details of the ride. While this might sound like just another step towards safety, the attention to detail and the addition of ride details shows the company’s awareness of the user’s experience.
Customers often have difficulties remembering details in case they want to file a complaint. By automatically filling up ride details make the process smoother for users.