Week 3

inspo (Privacy)

Reference: https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/the-most-over-the-top-first-class-airline-suites

Starting with concept development in week 02 while working on PDS needs and product goals, I started thinking not only about the vehicle but also the system it will exist in while ideating concept sketches.

I consider this a crucial stage of this project - to define what are the things in scope and out of scope. With this project, I am less interested in the exterior design or stylisation of the vehicle but more about the fact how a self-driven vehicle gives an opportunity to designers to rethink the interior space which now can be utilised for different purposes as already seen in the field.

To build on that, it was discovered in my research one of the main reason ride-share companies are investing heavily in the development of their own autonomous vehicle technology is to replace the main cost factor - the drivers. Even so recently, "Uber faced one disaster of its own making after another. The company was sued by Waymo for allegedly stealing the Google offshoot’s trade secrets. The companies eventually settled, but Uber’s former star engineer (and ex-Googler) Anthony Levandowski was recently sentenced to 18 months in jail for the crime." (The Verge, 2020)

Reference: https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/7/22158745/uber-selling-autonomous-vehicle-business-aurora-innovation

I am curious and interested in how these vehicles can respond as a shared transport option - something which fits between private and public transport while keeping in mind ride-share issues such as deadheading, cold-start and unnecessary vehicle dispatch which neglect sustainable sensitivity at the very core and is driven by profit.

Communication (Vehicle to Vehicle)

As being aware of Deadheading (Time spent driving while the driver is waiting to get a ride as well as driving to and from passengers) done by rideshare vehicles, a key question was provoked -

Who monitors Uber vehicle movements and how do they populate the map when starting their journey?

Are they allowed to drive in any region? How far away can a driver make way to pick a ride? Does Uber monitor this movement?

Key Benchmarks

02. Uber Dispatch Optimisation System

"Uber has a Dispatch system (Dispatch optimization/DISCO) in its architecture to match supply with demands. This dispatch system uses mobile phones and it takes the responsibility to match the drivers with riders (supply to demand)." The dispatch system work according to the GPS location, hence uber points out the importance it gives to its maps and location data. The main purpose of the dispatch system is to reduce extra driving time, minimum waiting time and minimum overall ETA. With information discovered so far, the system does not really limit the number of vehicles being dispatched in one region, yet only tries to allocate ride in the most efficient way possible.

Reference: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/system-design-of-uber-app-uber-system-architecture/

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As of now, there are software measures (Uber Algorithm) in place to avoid a lot of drivers populating the same region. Most of the dispatch work is done based on Uber's Dispatch optimisation (DISCO) algorithm. Although, oftentimes drivers are allowed on the road looking and waiting for rides in a region filled with too many uber cars. Currently, there is nothing in place to address the term "Uber Traffic Control" or "Ride-Share Traffic Control"

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Benchmark Spreadsheet

Concept 01 (Communication)