Optimizing the first-ride experience across both digital and physical touch points
DiDi is China's largest mobility platform, serving over 550 million users. DiDi Luxe is its premium service, offering luxury cars and professional drivers to deliver a five-star travel experience
In 2023, I interned at DiDi Luxe department as a UX Designer, collaborating with the team to launch the first-order service, aimed at enhancing first-time passenger experience
I redesigned DiDi's premium customized ride booking experience, helping users better understand vehicle options, personalize their trip, and book with greater confidence
Underutilized premium feature
The customized service was frequently overlooked, as many new users skipped or abandoned it. This weakened the intended premium impression of DiDi Luxe's five-star experience, which is central to its brand positioning
Slow new user growth
Many potential users were not aware of or familiar with DiDi Luxe, which limited its visibility and slowed new user growth
First-time passenger mindsets
First-time passengers expect DiDi Luxe to stand out from regular rides. They are willing to pay more if the experience feels unique, personalized, and memorable
Choosing Luxe when other rides are hard to get
Creating memorable or special moments
Willing to try something new and different
Redesign customized riding service feature
Key design decisions
I started with a design audit of the existing customized service page, identifying issues in visual clarity, usability, information structure, and the lack of a strong premium brand impression
Clarify hierarchy and improve usability
Organize structure and visual priority so that users can quickly understand options and make confident choices
- Made the car the main focus for better hierarchy
- Reduced choice overload by showing one choice at a time
- Added key descriptors to highlight the car's features
- Explanation text reduced ambiguity and built user confidence
- Reduced repeated setup
- Quick Texts simplified communication by reducing typing effort and enabling faster customization
Reduce cognitive load
Simplify interactions and minimize unnecessary steps to create a seamless flow
I redesigned the selection experience by introducing a centralized vehicle list for quick comparison and detailed vehicle pages that provided richer context, helping users choose the right vehicle faster and with greater confidence.
Strengthen brand perception
Highlight DiDi Luxe's premium positioning through refined visuals and copy to differentiate it from standard services
- Deep blue tone, calm and elegant, more aligned with a high-end travel identity
- Realistic interior background directly communicates the luxury experience
Create physical first-order welcome card
According to the REWARD EFFECT, when people receive benefit such as discounts or points after using a product or service, they tend to develop a more positive attitude toward it. This motivates them to use or recommend the product again. To address the problem of low awareness and slowing new user growth, we planned a reward that delivers a personalized and memorable experience, encouraging users to re-engage with DiDi Luxe
Design visual assets for marketing campaign
To enhance awareness and attract more first-time users, I collaborated with the marketing and operations teams on visual assets for the first-order campaign. Within two days, I designed the hero image, pop-up window, and banner to showcase the refreshed customized service page and reinforce Luxe's premium identity
What I've learned
- In consumer-facing services like ride-hailing, designing a premium experience goes beyond interfaces. It requires coordinating online and offline touch points to build consistency and trust
- Working under tight deadlines and budget negotiations taught me to prioritize effectively, make strategic trade-offs, while still delivering impactful solutions