In January, when I was on a break, I swapped my laptop for a helmet and traded the digital world for the bustling streets of Bangalore as a food delivery partner.
I want to share how it’s like to be a front line worker and learn some traits which comes as part of the job, empathise with users and understand how to design for emotions, empathy and motivation.
This is a personal project, without any affiliations.
Designing for critical scenarios can be addressed effectively if sometimes directed towards different senses.
e.g.: Audio feedback on receiving orders was the first and most effective cue.
Understanding good user context is critical to design effective UIs, therefore sometimes guidelines or the design systems need to adapt.
e.g.: While driving and balancing food, a delivery partner cannot effectively tap a 40x40 or 48x48 icon. Bigger was better and convenient.
Human touch and positive reinforcement messaging are the biggest motivation for such sole warriors.
e.g. Confetti with personalized messages on hitting a milestone was encouraging and delightful.
Strategically placed information, sequence, and progressive disclosure within the app help to prioritise and address anxiousness.
e.g. On receiving an order, first only the restaurant’s address is available, and the rest are disclosed step by step.
Cross integration and communication of apps is a very promising enabler.
e.g. MyGate pre-approved gate access with Swiggy/Zomato was a huge time saver, especially in gated communities.
Being responsive and quick to acknowledge saves time, money and effort.
e.g. Time saved in each delivery led to one more extra delivery and closer to the bonus incentive.
The Power of a Smile
A genuine smile from a customer, looking in the eye and thank you, made every delivery worthwhile and felt respectful. That small human effort.
Time is Precious, so pre approve gate access
Every minute saved translates to more deliveries and earnings. Pre-approved gate access was a huge time saver, especially in gated communities.
Clarity is Key, thus landmarks please
Clear and complete addresses are a delivery partner's dream. No more frustrating detours, just happy customers!
Tring.. Tring...
Picking up calls promptly saves riders money and of course one more delivery closer to incentive
That 10 Rs tip is sometimes 50% more money.
Average per delivery earning is around 20-40Rs. If you tip 10Rs, it can mean world to a delivery partner. But of 21 deliveries I got only 1 tip and I am still appreciating the gesture.
Difficulty in nailing down trending zones
Difficulty in quickly picking the best zones to travel to, as all zones are shown with equal prominence. Possibly, a chloropath map or an AI can provide clear recommendation.
Battery drains faster, need to carry battery pack for shift greater than 3-4hrs
Battery drains faster, due to low-end or constrained device. Maps consume most of the battery. Possibly, the app could provide a battery management setting or guide in the app.
Direction to Home and calling flow hitches
In most scenarios, if not in a gated community in Bangalore, the partner has to make a call to ask for direction or alert the customer after reaching the closer to the shown destination, which is not smooth. The app can have an live location, inbuilt bell, voice notes or alerting mechanism to notify the customer without the need for a call.
Information overlay and UI Improvement
The specific address of the customer or the restaurant, such as flat# / House # / Shop # etc., is not available on the map, which requires the partner make a mental note and spot while riding. Its difficult to juggle between the partner app and the Google map. Possibly, the juggling could be improved by an interaction treatment.
Order readiness notification
The flow does not notify the partner when the order is ready at the restaurant to be picked up, which forces the partner to constantly check with the servers and feel anxious. The app should introduce an alerting mechanism to nudge the partner to collect order from counter only when it is ready.
Restricting patterns or dark patterns used for multiple order delivery
The app discourages the partner from rejecting multiple orders by using unclear messages like “Penalties may be levied” and shows the same order again even after rejecting. The flow uses some dark patterns to influence the partner’s behavior.
Need for some more human touch and care
Nudge with human touches like a lunch break or a drink water break is not available, which can make the partner feel less belonged. The partner has to go offline to take a break, which feels regrettable.
Little improvements on onboarding kit
The onboarding kit has only t-shirts, which are not suitable for the hot noon weather or cool breeze at night. Wind cheaters and water bottles, if provided with the kit, can be more contextual for Bangalore.
Idle time can be best time for more
When the partner is searching for an order, it is idle time. Possibly, the app could offer some learning courses or other useful content to the partner during this time to enhance their skills or knowledge.
Total Money Made
Rs. 1243
Total Deliveries
~27
Avg. earning per hour (~ Rate Card - With Surge (Per Delivery))
Rs. 20 - 46
Highest Earning on a single delivery
Rs. 102
Clocked Hours (+Travel to Koramangala Zone)
~ 20 - 21 hrs
Tip Received
1 of Rs 10
Total Km Travelled
~360+ Km
Note: Approximates and includes surge earnings
Truffles is the leading restaurant in terms of food delivered.
The Bowl Company is Swiggy's own Cloud Kitchen, they have leveraged the data well and always trends.
Delivery agents are paid if the restaurants takes more time than committed.
In general, a delivery guy at Koramangala Zone can make 900-1300/per day Rs in 2 full shifts, including bonus incentives.
The status shown on food delivery app like "Delivery Partner Assigned" "Your food is on the way" are mostly manually triggered by respective delivery partner after assignments at each steps.
Mostly deliveries and surge happens for dinner i.e 6PM-10PM.
Of 1000s of restaurants there are few regularly trending ones. In other words, in case of food deliveries user retention of specific loved restaurants are very high.
Special Thanks
Siji and Jia
Special Mentions
Music: Will Taylor - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Platform: Swiggy