Auto-Rickshaw: An Example of Terrible UX Design

Yes, you read it right. I chose to write on this because it is one of those experiences that people come across almost everyday and yet, they don't seem to deep dive and find out the true reasons behind it.

I believe we have all had that day when driving through the road we suddenly see an auto swoosh past us, only to leave us more frustrated and thanking our luck that our ride was left unscathed. We are full of anger and sometimes even abuse the auto driver. My experiences have been no different!

However, one day I was just wondering as to why is it the case that some car drivers are rash, some bike riders are stuntmen, some bus drivers are daydreamers, but ALL auto drivers are insane!!

Humans are designed to be different from each other in thinking and actions. And this little big problem that I was so determined to solve, directed me to only one conclusion. It was not the brain design, rather the machine design.

You see, an auto rickshaw has a chassis comparable to a small car, but its controlling mechanism is that of a scooter! The number of wheels is an average of that in a car and a bike. Of course, I am stating the obvious facts, but to unravel the not-so-obvious inference and effect.

There goes a lot of research behind the scenes when we design cars and bikes including study of personas, taking feedback and doing cost-benefit analysis. Alas! it seems that the only goal behind this machine was “to create a vehicle that would cost close to a bike and provide capacity close to a car”. No significant importance was given to the user experience of the driver, perhaps, the complete focus was on the driver’s customer.

Our mind has design patterns for everything we do, and the rickshaw design trumps it. It doesn’t know whether the signals should be sent to ride a bike or drive a car. And like in all cases of confusion, it takes out a middle path. Hence, the auto driver tries to ride using the scooter controls to drive a car body, albeit one with 3 wheels.  

The net effect? You cannot understand why this person tries to sneak in places where only bikes can pass!

So, next time when you see an auto driver, remember that his actions are not an outcome of bad behaviour, but rather a result of a confused state of mind, caused by a bad vehicle design.

No matter what you design, put the end user at the centre of it and never compromise on the user experience. In this way, you'll do good to them as well as others 😊