The design of the app was based upon existing user stories provided by the client. The app’s functionalities were very limited, hence its interface was also very simple.

In fact, the app’s limitations led to some complex challenges. Clearly, the app needed to be intuitive enough for each driver to understand its basic functionalities. I thought of the app as something like a traditional time-monitoring card, with a more contemporary design.

As per the time card, the app must be activated at the beginning of the shift, then stopped by the driver at shift end. The MVP did not include the possibility of alerting the driver with a ‘push’ notification at any time.

This was a challenge for two reasons.

First, the authenticity of the data collected by the app was at the sole discretion of the driver, who must be relied upon to activate the app at the start of their shift, and deactivate it when finished (to avoid being tracked outside of working hours).

Second, due to the new GDPR legislation, there is a requirement for the driver to always be aware of exactly when they are being tracked.

To address the first challenge, I incorporate ‘reward’ messages to accompany each task, which help motivate the driver to use the app when they start work.

I also created stickers that could be attached to the steering wheel, to remind the driver to use the app at the beginning or at the end of their shift.

To ensure driver awareness of the app’s activity (my second challenge), the main – and only – view of the app took the form of a huge Start button, that would animate as soon as it was pressed.

This function would immediately show that the app was tracking the driver, whilst a slow and pulsing light next to the chronometer clearly showed that the app was recording their movements.

Finally, together with the developers, we manage to include the possibility of sending an email to the driver after the app was running for eight consecutive hours. This would inform the driver that they were still being tracked.

Another important aspect of the app was to provide Transvision with other relevant data related to the specific vehicle license plate, the contractor, and whether or not the assignment had been planned.

These views were designed to be shown at any point when the driver was ready to start driving the bus, so they could not start tracking their driving hours before submitting the necessary information to Transvision.

The app was aimed at drivers who were riding around the Netherlands, so I also enjoyed designing little Dutch landscapes and some typical elements of Dutch culture, such as tulips, gouda cheese and of course, a glass of beer to enjoy after a long day!