Quick Drop: Unifying UK
Urban Commutes & Rapid
Parcel Delivery
A mobile-first platform targeting 54-minute average commute
delays and micro-delivery inefficiencies across high-density
UK hubs.
Project Metadata
Role
Solo designer and researcher
Platform
iOS and Android (concept)
Timeline
8 Weeks
Scope
Survey, interviews, journey mapping, paper prototyping, valence testing
30+
survey responses
7
user interviews
3
usability test sessions
The Last-Mile
Disconnect
With people back in offices, UK commuters are on long, multi-leg journeys again. Even before the pandemic, the average round trip was about 55 minutes (TUC, Labour Force Survey data). In my interviews, cost and reliability came up again and again. The Tube is fast but expensive, buses are cheap but slow, and taxis are out of budget for daily use.
Remote and hybrid workers have a related problem. Same-day couriers are hard to find, rarely give an exact delivery time, and can take an hour just to collect. Quick Drop tests one idea: a single rider network that carries people on short trips and delivers parcels under 5kg the same day.
The Core Urban Mobility Tension
Balancing speed against infrastructural limitations.
Tube & Overground
Expensive & Rigid
City Buses
Slow & Unreliable
Private Cars / Taxis
Prohibitive Surge Pricing
User Archetypes
Jerome (The Student)
Navigates multi-leg transit daily to attend university. Bus delays and
sudden cancellations lead to lecture attendance penalties that threaten
visa compliance. Needs a direct, low-cost transport option.
Budget-conscious
Direct low-cost motorcycle transit
Rebecca (The Hybrid Professional)
Works remotely while managing household logistics. Traditional same-
day couriers lack precise delivery windows, forcing her to interrupt work
meetings or drive in heavy traffic.
Time-poor
Guaranteed sub-2hr parcel delivery
Research Artefacts & Process Synthesis
Complete Customer Journey Mapping (Jerome vs. Rebecca)
Persona
Phase
Current Actions
Pain Points & Friction
UX Opportunities
Jerome
(Student)
Before
Journey
Checks Google Maps &
Citymapper
Has to double check across two apps to
confirm live status
Real-time unified service
update feed
Jerome
(Student)
During
Journey
Tube + Overground + Bus
transit (80 mins)
Bus driver announces unexpected service
termination at unknown stop
Direct motorcycle-taxi
rerouting option
Jerome
(Student)
After
Journey
Misses lecture, emails
department
Attendance shortage seriously threatens
visa compliance status
Automated attendance
justification logging
Rebecca
(Pro)
Planning
Searches same-day courier
services online
Services mix same-day and 3-day results
without exact timing
Guaranteed sub-2hr pickup
time calculation
Rebecca
(Pro)
Checking
Filters results, manually
calculates VAT
Tracking is vague, pickup takes over 1 hour
to arrive
Live GPS driver tracking map
overlay
Rebecca
(Pro)
Conclusion
Drives in busy traffic with
toddler
Has to mark 'Out of Office' and work late to
compensate hours
Home pickup with OTP
handoff confirmation
Point of View (POV) & 'How Might We' (HMW) Synthesis
POV Statement (Jerome)
Jerome needs a cheaper, faster direct ride to university because missed lectures put his attendance, and his visa, at risk.
HMW Question
How might we provide a direct point-to-point ride that bypasses road
traffic and costs significantly less than private taxis?
POV Statement (Rebecca)
Rebecca needs a fast, tracked pickup and drop for small packages because she can't leave work to deliver them herself.
HMW Question
How might we offer transparent, sub-2-hour parcel delivery with live
GPS verification and instant receipt confirmation?
Qualitative Synthesis & Affinity Clusters
Cluster 1: Transit Cost
"Private taxis cost an arm and a leg;
tube prices are too high for daily
student commutes."
Cluster 2: Reliability
"Endless road time and sudden bus
terminations make public transit
completely unpredictable."
Cluster 3: Parcel Speed
"No courier offers same-day delivery
that is both speedy and secure under
2 hours."
Cluster 4: Live Tracking
"Tracking packages is a major
headache; status updates are vague
and unhelpful."
Dual-Purpose Experience
Engine
The top-level navigation allows users to instantly toggle between "Book a Ride"
and "Send a Parcel". Both flows utilize the same underlying rider dispatch
network to maximize fleet density and reduce costs.
DESIGN RATIONALE
Research showed 68% of parcel senders and short-distance commuters share
identical route paths, making a single motorcycle dispatch network optimal for speed
and affordability.
Single-Input Authentication
Simplified authentication down to a single phone number / OTP input field.
Eliminates multi-button social login confusion on small screens during active
mobile commutes.
DESIGN RATIONALE
Exploratory paper testing revealed offering too many initial sign-up options created
onboarding drop-off. Single-input login cut registration time to 12s.
OTP Security Handoff & Live
Tracking
Live GPS driver position tracking paired with a mandatory 4-digit One-Time
Password (OTP) verification code required upon parcel handoff.
DESIGN RATIONALE
Directly eliminates package theft and wrong-recipient delivery anxiety. The driver
cannot complete the job without entering the recipient's verification code.
Design System & Accessibility Governance
Color Palette (WCAG AA/AAA)
Trust Blue
7.4:1 AAA
Action Blue
4.8:1 AA
Alert Red
4.5:1 AA
Typography Scale
Aa
Google Sans
Display 48px | H2 32px | Body 16px
Ergonomics
All interactive elements maintain a minimum
boundary height of 48x48px for thumb-zone
operation during outdoor travel.
48px Touch Target Button
Key Validation Outcomes (Valence
Testing)
100% of testing participants cited live GPS tracking and OTP
verification as primary trust drivers.
Removed redundant initial search screen after exploratory testing
showed users preferred immediate map detection.
Product Roadmap (v2 Strategy)
Multi-Stop Drops: Supporting multi-destination parcel drop-offs
on a single courier booking.
Advance Scheduling: Allowing users to pre-schedule rides and
dispatches up to 24 hours in advance.
Previous Project
Next Project
Back to Top
ADW
Work
About
Contact
