Myrik: Designing Mobility for Bharat's Underserved Towns
How I designed the end-to-end experience for an EV ride-hailing platform that brings affordable, reliable transport to India's Tier 2–4 cities — where 400M+ people have been left behind by the digital mobility revolution.
The Brief
Myrik is an EV ride-hailing startup founded in 2023 under Arohana Technologies Pvt Ltd, Mumbai. I joined as the sole product designer to shape the entire rider and delivery experience — from first-time onboarding to daily commute habits.
The challenge was clear: design a mobility experience for people who've never used a ride-hailing app before, in towns where auto-rickshaws run without meters, routes are informal, and smartphone literacy varies wildly.
Design Goals
- Simplicity First — Zero learning curve for first-time smartphone users
- Trust by Default — Transparent pricing, visible driver identity
- Affordability Centric — Design for ₹10 rides, not ₹300 cabs
- Multi-Modal — Same platform for people + parcels
What Users Actually Face Every Day
Before diving into solutions, I needed to understand the lived reality of commuters in Tier-3 and Tier-4 towns. The problems aren't abstract market gaps — they're daily frustrations affecting real people.
The Haggling Trap
"Every morning I argue with auto drivers about the fare. Some days they refuse to go to my college." — Priya, 22, nursing student in Muzaffarpur. No fixed pricing means anxiety on every commute.
The Waiting Game
"I stand at the crossing for 30 minutes hoping a shared auto passes by." — Rajesh, 34, government clerk. No real-time visibility means wasted hours every week.
The Cost Burden
"₹60 for 3km? That's my lunch money." — Ankit, 19, college student. For families earning ₹15,000/month, existing transport eats 15–20% of their income.
Understanding the Ground Reality
I conducted field research across three small towns to deeply understand how people actually move and what barriers prevent adoption of digital solutions.
Research Methods
- Contextual Inquiry — Spent mornings at auto stands observing how commuters find rides, negotiate fares, and deal with refusals
- Driver Shadowing — Rode alongside 8 e-rickshaw drivers to understand route decisions, earning patterns, and pain points
- Diary Studies — 12 daily commuters logged their transport experiences for 2 weeks via WhatsApp voice notes
- Merchant Interviews — Spoke with 10 local shop owners about their delivery challenges and costs
"I don't trust apps. Last time I booked online, the driver called me and said 'come to the main road.' I ended up walking 15 minutes."
— Meena, 45, homemaker, Bhagalpur"My customers call me and say 'send someone with the order.' But I have no delivery boy. I lose sales every day."
— Vikram, pharmacy owner, GayaWhat the Research Revealed
Synthesizing hundreds of data points, I distilled four critical insights that shaped every design decision going forward.
Observation
Users don't distrust technology — they distrust unfamiliar interfaces. Most use WhatsApp and YouTube daily.
Insight
Design literacy exists, but only for patterns they already know.
Design Implication
Use familiar patterns — large buttons, OTP-based login (like WhatsApp), visual-first navigation over text labels.
Observation
The biggest fear isn't price — it's uncertainty. "Will the driver actually come? How much will it really cost?"
Insight
Trust = transparency. Show everything upfront, no surprises.
Design Implication
Fixed pricing displayed before booking. Real-time driver tracking. Driver photo and vehicle details visible immediately.
Observation
Many commuters ride the same route daily — school, market, hospital. They want predictability, not on-demand flexibility.
Insight
Subscription beats on-demand for habitual riders in small towns.
Design Implication
Monthly booking feature as a first-class citizen — not buried in settings. One-tap daily commute with zero daily decision-making.
Observation
Local merchants desperately need delivery infrastructure but can't afford dedicated delivery staff or aggregator commissions.
Insight
The same fleet that moves people can move goods — "utility stacking" is the unlock.
Design Implication
Design a unified platform where ride-hailing and delivery share the same driver network, vehicle fleet, and dispatch engine.
What We Built
A mobile-first EV ride-hailing platform designed ground-up for non-metro India. Rides start at ₹10. The same fleet handles passengers, bulk orders, and monthly subscriptions — creating a self-reinforcing ecosystem.
Daily Commuters
Affordable rides from ₹10 with monthly subscription options
Local Merchants
On-demand bulk orders & parcel delivery at fraction of costs
E-Rickshaw Drivers
Maximized earnings via pooled rides + delivery tasks
Designing for First-Time Users
Every screen in the onboarding flow was designed with one question: "Would Meena, the homemaker who's never used Uber, understand this?" Each step earns trust before asking for commitment.
Why: Establish the value prop in one glance. Regional language support builds immediate familiarity.
Why: Phone-only login — no email, no social login. Single input field reduces cognitive load for first-time users.
Why: Auto-read OTP reduces friction. Users see this pattern daily in UPI apps — familiarity breeds trust.
Why: Explain why we need location before requesting it. Transparent reasoning prevents the knee-jerk "Deny" response.
Why: Instant map view with nearby drivers creates a sense of possibility. The "book" CTA is unmissable.
The Ride Booking Experience
Three screens. Under 30 seconds. That was our target for the complete booking flow. Every interaction was stripped to its essential purpose.
Design Rationale
- Fixed Pricing Upfront: Eliminates the #1 anxiety — "how much will this cost?" No surge, no surprises. Price visible before confirming.
- Pooled Ride Default: Shared rides are the default (not an opt-in), matching how e-rickshaws already operate. This keeps costs at ₹10–25.
- Real-Time Tracking: Once matched, the driver's live location is visible. This addresses the trust gap directly — users can see the driver approaching.
The "Why" Behind Every Choice
Good design isn't about making things look pretty — it's about making the right trade-offs. Here are the key design decisions and the reasoning behind them.
Mobile-First, Low-Bandwidth Optimized
Decision: Designed for Android-only launch with minimal data usage.
Why: 92% of our target users are on Android. Many use 2G/3G networks. Every screen loads under 1 second by using system fonts, compressed assets, and minimal animations on lower-end devices.
Card-Based UI Over Complex Navigation
Decision: Single-screen home with card-based actions instead of tab navigation.
Why: Card patterns are universally understood — swipe, tap, done. Complex hamburger menus or bottom tabs create hidden functionality that first-time users never discover.
UPI-First Payment Architecture
Decision: UPI as the primary payment method, with cash as fallback.
Why: UPI penetration in Tier-3 India exceeds 65% thanks to PhonePe/GPay. Credit cards are virtually non-existent. Supporting UPI means supporting the payment method users already trust.
Visual-First, Text-Minimal Interface
Decision: Icons, maps, and color coding over text-heavy UI.
Why: In multilingual regions, visual communication transcends language barriers. A green dot on a map communicates "driver is here" faster than any text label — in any language.
Extending the Platform — Hyperlocal Delivery
The most powerful design insight was that people and parcels can share the same infrastructure. I designed a delivery flow that merchants and individuals could use with the exact same fleet.
Who Uses This
Medicine delivery within 45 minutes, no dedicated staff needed
Bulk orders from warehouse to retail shops
Monthly booking for recurring group transport
What Changed Along the Way
No design ships perfectly on the first try. Here are the key iterations that significantly improved the experience.
Iteration 1: Splash Screen Evolution
The original splash screen was visually heavy with detailed illustrations. User testing revealed it took too long to load on 2G networks and confused users about what the app does.
Heavy illustration, slow load, unclear messaging
Clean branding, instant load, clear value prop
Iteration 2: Simplifying Permissions
In early testing, 40% of users denied location permission because the system dialog appeared without context. We added a pre-permission screen that explains why location is needed using simple illustrations. Permission grant rate improved from 60% to 92%.
Iteration 3: Booking Confirmation Redesign
The first version of the booking screen showed price, distance, and ETA in a dense table format. Users with lower literacy found this overwhelming. We switched to a visual card format — large price, animation for "finding driver," and a simple map showing the route. Booking completion rate increased by 35%.
Measuring Design Impact
Design success isn't just about aesthetics — it's about outcomes. Here's how the design decisions translated into measurable results.
Competitive Context
| Platform | Focus | Fleet | Pricing | Myrik's Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uber/Ola | Tier 1 | Cars, Autos | Premium | Capital efficiency in Tier-3 |
| Rapido | Tier 1–2 | Bikes | Budget | Shared rides = cheaper per seat |
| Namma Yatri | Metros | Autos | Subscription | Multi-channel revenue model |
| Myrik | Tier 2–4 | E-Rickshaws | ₹10 micro | Digitalizing the informal sector |
What I Learned & What's Next
Key Learnings
Designing for Bharat ≠ dumbing down. It means respecting user context. People in small towns are smart — they just operate in different constraints (bandwidth, literacy, trust).
Field research is non-negotiable. Every desk-based assumption I had was wrong. The real insights came from standing at auto stands at 7 AM watching people struggle.
Trust is the product. The biggest design challenge wasn't UI — it was designing for trust in a market where digital platforms have a poor reputation.
Utility stacking creates defensibility. The decision to combine rides + delivery on one platform wasn't just good UX — it created network effects that are hard to replicate.
What's Next
Hindi-First Localization
Full app translation and voice-guided navigation for lower-literacy users
Driver App Redesign
Earnings dashboard, incentive gamification, and route optimization
Accessibility Audit
Larger touch targets, high-contrast mode for outdoor visibility, screen reader support
Offline Mode
Ride booking via SMS fallback for areas with intermittent connectivity
Women Safety Features
SOS button, trusted contacts sharing, driver verification badges