This solo project explored how a car rental app could make booking more approachable. The work focused on helping customers compare vehicles, understand costs, and reserve a car through fewer, more predictable steps.
The redesign balances speed with the information people need to make a confident choice, from useful filters and clearer price breakdowns to a less disruptive guest checkout experience.
Problem
Car rental customers often complain that most mobile apps feature non-transparent or even incorrect pricing. Apps include distracting promo banners and login pop-ups, hindering a smooth booking process. Pricing explanations contain confusing acronyms, further eroding trust between end users and rental companies. This poor user experience negatively impacts rental businesses, resulting in fewer orders.
Scenario A
Pricing
01
Total price is unclear
Fees and cover costs appear late or change between search results and checkout.
02
Customer trust declines
Customers question whether the offer is accurate and pause to compare alternatives.
03
Bookings move elsewhere
More transparent competitors become the safer and easier choice.
Scenario B
Booking terminology
01
Cover options are difficult to decode
Terms such as CDW, LDW, and PAI appear without enough plain-language context.
02
Decision confidence drops
Customers cannot tell what they need, what is included, or what are the trade-offs.
03
Checkout is abandoned
Uncertainty interrupts the booking flow before customers complete payment.
The average rating for four major car rental company apps in Google Play Store is 3.65 on a 5-point scale
Very poor. Searching/booking for cars sometimes works, but can also be 200% more expensive than simultaneous search on website/laptop. You have to check.
Account charged for 3 times for the full amount without successful booking. Every attempt to book would result in an error message. This should not be possible by design. At the moment I have no idea how to retrieve my money.
Made two booking at nearly same time. One on app and one online. App one did not include the basic insurance. 3£ per day insurance through website on other booking. Ended up costing 30£ per day for same insurance at airport. Will not risk booking though app again.
Never trust this company. After renting the car and paying online, we went to get the car, first they offer different car than what we chose, and they asked to pay 1500£ for insurance. Went to another company and rented a car without any hidden fees or unclear details.
Key insights
27%
of research respondents preferred using a mobile app instead of a desktop site, indicating low mobile adoption for online rental services.
18%
of research participants rated the overall online car rental experience 5 out of 5, the highest possible score.
Research & Discovery
01
Competitive Benchmarking
Competitive benchmarking let me study how similar rental companies address common booking problems without recruiting participants.
Discovery: One company advertised a 15% discount for online payment. Yet 15% off €573.76 is €487.70 not the advertised €500.15.
I used an online survey to identify where rental customers struggle and gather both quantitative and qualitative evidence.
One question asked, “What would you change about the app you used?” The responses reveal recurring needs for clearer pricing, simpler booking, and fewer advertisements.
