RAAH · URBAN MOBILITY / SERVICE DESIGN
Making auto-rickshaw movement more efficient - one trip at a time.
We explored how better coordination across riders, drivers, vehicles, and infrastructure could reduce the behaviours that create wasted movement and congestion.
1
month of field research
60+
Rider and driver interviews
ROLE
Service Designer · Team of 3
project
Reduce unnecessary movement contributing to congestion
METHODS
Field research · Systems mapping · Prototyping
SCOPE
Rider experience · Driver experience · Physical + digital touchpoints
THE PROBLEM
Too much movement wasn’t producing useful mobility.
Rickshaw strikes resulted in
88% ↓
Idle time
Less idle activity improved traffic flow.
50% ↓
Cruising
Less searching meant less unnecessary movement.
25–30 km/h
Typical speed
Predictability mattered more than speed.
SYSTEM INSIGHT
The goal wasn’t to move autos faster. It was to reduce unnecessary movement.
Instead of treating congestion as something that begins on the road, I looked at the decisions that create movement before a vehicle even starts demand visibility, trip selection, pickup coordination, navigation, and what happens after drop-off.
Sharing Auto
Traffic
Haults
Last Mile
Income
Congestion
Peak time
Customer
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
-
-
Calming
Measures
Traffic Flow
Vehicle
breakdown
Exit
Lane
changing
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
-
-
-
Lane
Haults
Auto
Congestion
Income
no. of customers
Roadside
parking
Traffic
(No. of vehicles)
Peak time
Traffic sense
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
-
Behavioural Analysis
When movement equals income, interruption feels like loss.
“You’re coming in my way.”
Windshield bias
From the driver’s seat, anything that slows momentum can feel like friction shaping how time, risk, and road behaviour are judged.
Rules feel flexible.
Inconsistent enforcement lowers the perceived cost of breaking them.
Every delay has an economic cost.
More movement can mean more trips and more earning opportunity.
What works gets repeated.
If a shortcut saves time without consequence, it quickly becomes normal.
The Interventions
Four opportunities to reduce friction before it becomes traffic.
01 / SHARED RIDES
Problem
Destinations were hard to understand before boarding.
Shared office rickshaws relied heavily on verbal coordination. Riders often couldn’t tell who was going where, while drivers changed routes based on demand creating confusion and delays at pickup points.
Solution
Make routes recognizable at a glance.
Color-coded route identifiers give each shared route a clear visual identity, helping commuters identify the right rickshaw faster and making the system easier to learn for first-time users.
System effect
Less confusion → faster boarding → less curbside waiting
02 / VEHICLE FORM
Problem
Stop poking your nose!
The vehicle made tight gaps feel easier to take.
The narrow front profile of the rickshaw made small openings in traffic easier to judge, encouraging tighter spacing and more aggressive maneuvering.
Solution
Make road clearance easier to perceive.
Reworking the front body and seating geometry makes the vehicle’s width and surrounding space more perceptible, encouraging more deliberate positioning on the road.
System effect
Better spatial judgment → fewer aggressive gap decisions
03 / BOOKED-RIDE IDENTIFICATION
Problem
Passengers struggled to spot the right rickshaw in dense traffic.
License plates were difficult to see during busy pickup periods, leading to repeated calls, missed connections, longer halts, and unnecessary vehicle movement.
Solution
Make vehicle identity visible earlier.
A more prominent identifier placed higher on the rickshaw helps passengers recognize their vehicle before it reaches them.
System effect
Faster recognition → shorter pickup time → less stopping
04 / BUSINESS INCENTIVE
Problem
System improvements need a reason for operators and drivers to adopt them.
A mobility intervention that only benefits riders or the city is harder to sustain if drivers and operators carry the cost.
Solution
Create economic value through the system itself.
Branding surfaces and digital advertising can generate additional visibility and revenue, giving operators and drivers a commercial reason to participate.
System effect
Better adoption incentives → stronger system participation
NEXT PROJECT
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN · PHYSICAL PRODUCTS
Form follows consequence.
Designing objects where form, behaviour, material, and human judgment meet.
2020-2024
Reflection
The project pushed me to design for the system, not just the touchpoint.
This project reinforced the importance of looking beyond individual touchpoints and understanding how people, behaviours, incentives, and environments shape an experience together. It pushed me to think more systemically and design interventions that work across the journey rather than solving isolated moments.
RAAH · URBAN MOBILITY / SERVICE DESIGN
Making auto-rickshaw movement more efficient - one trip at a time.
We explored how better coordination across riders, drivers, vehicles, and infrastructure could reduce the behaviours that create wasted movement and congestion.
1
month of field research
60+
Rider and driver interviews
ROLE
Service Designer · Team of 3
project
Reduce unnecessary movement contributing to congestion
METHODS
Field research · Systems mapping · Prototyping
SCOPE
Rider experience · Driver experience · Physical + digital touchpoints
THE PROBLEM
Too much movement wasn’t producing useful mobility.
Rickshaw strikes resulted in
88% ↓
Idle time
Less idle activity improved traffic flow.
50% ↓
Cruising
Less searching meant less unnecessary movement.
25–30 km/h
Typical speed
Predictability mattered more than speed.
SYSTEM INSIGHT
The goal wasn’t to move autos faster. It was to reduce unnecessary movement.
Instead of treating congestion as something that begins on the road, I looked at the decisions that create movement before a vehicle even starts demand visibility, trip selection, pickup coordination, navigation, and what happens after drop-off.
Behavioural Analysis
When movement equals income, interruption feels like loss.
“You’re coming in my way.”
Windshield bias
From the driver’s seat, anything that slows momentum can feel like friction shaping how time, risk, and road behaviour are judged.
Rules feel flexible.
Inconsistent enforcement lowers the perceived cost of breaking them.
Every delay has an economic cost.
More movement can mean more trips and more earning opportunity.
What works gets repeated.
If a shortcut saves time without consequence, it quickly becomes normal.
The Interventions
Four opportunities to reduce friction before it becomes traffic.
01 / SHARED RIDES
Problem
Destinations were hard to understand before boarding.
Shared office rickshaws relied heavily on verbal coordination. Riders often couldn’t tell who was going where, while drivers changed routes based on demand creating confusion and delays at pickup points.
Solution
Make routes recognizable at a glance.
Color-coded route identifiers give each shared route a clear visual identity, helping commuters identify the right rickshaw faster and making the system easier to learn for first-time users.
System effect
Less confusion → faster boarding → less curbside waiting
02 / VEHICLE FORM
Stop poking your nose!
Problem
The vehicle made tight gaps feel easier to take.
The narrow front profile of the rickshaw made small openings in traffic easier to judge, encouraging tighter spacing and more aggressive maneuvering.
Solution
Make road clearance easier to perceive.
Reworking the front body and seating geometry makes the vehicle’s width and surrounding space more perceptible, encouraging more deliberate positioning on the road.
System effect
Better spatial judgment → fewer aggressive gap decisions
03 / BOOKED-RIDE IDENTIFICATION
Problem
Passengers struggled to spot the right rickshaw in dense traffic.
License plates were difficult to see during busy pickup periods, leading to repeated calls, missed connections, longer halts, and unnecessary vehicle movement.
Solution
Make vehicle identity visible earlier.
A more prominent identifier placed higher on the rickshaw helps passengers recognize their vehicle before it reaches them.
System effect
Faster recognition → shorter pickup time → less stopping
04 / BUSINESS INCENTIVE
Problem
System improvements need a reason for operators and drivers to adopt them.
A mobility intervention that only benefits riders or the city is harder to sustain if drivers and operators carry the cost.
Solution
Create economic value through the system itself.
Branding surfaces and digital advertising can generate additional visibility and revenue, giving operators and drivers a commercial reason to participate.
System effect
Better adoption incentives → stronger system participation
Reflection
The project pushed me to design for the system, not just the touchpoint.
This project reinforced the importance of looking beyond individual touchpoints and understanding how people, behaviours, incentives, and environments shape an experience together. It pushed me to think more systemically and design interventions that work across the journey rather than solving isolated moments.
