Improving bus booking experience on Nuego: A case study
A UX case study exploring key friction points in NueGo’s bus booking journey and redesigning the experience can make travel simpler and move seamless.
About NueGo
NueGo is a platform for booking intercity electric bus journeys in India. The app allows travelers to search for buses, choose travel dates, select seats, choose pickup and drop-off points, and manage their bookings. Overall, Nuego aims to make intercity travel more convenient, comfortable, and sustainable for travelers.
Research source: NueGo on Google Play
In this case study, I focus on improving three existing parts of NueGo’s booking experience — pickup and drop-off selection and trip review — along with introducing a new round-trip booking option.
Why i chose this problem
While using the NueGo app to book a bus ticket, I experienced difficulties when selecting pickup and drop-off points. I was often unsure which location would be the best and closest to me. I also found parts of the navigation difficult to use, which made the booking journey feel less seamless. These experiences made me curious to understand the underlying issues and explore how the experience could be improved.
Target user
The target users are intercity bus travelers booking trips through mobile apps, often traveling to destinations they may not be familiar with. They need to quickly compare pickup and drop-off locations, understand trip details, and confidently complete their booking.
Research — User reviews
To understand how users experience NueGo beyond my own usage, I reviewed customer feedback on Google Play. I looked for recurring issues related to pickup and drop-off locations, navigation, booking completion, and return-ticket booking. These reviews helped me identify patterns in the booking experience and validate the areas that needed further investigation.
Research source: User reviews on NueGo — Google Play
User flow
The Typical journey of a traveler booking an intercity bus starts with choosing where to go, when to travel, and which bus best fits with their requirement.
Understand the problem space
After going through NueGo’s existing bus-booking flow, I identified several friction points that could make the journey harder to understand and complete.
The main issues i identified were:
- Pickup and drop-off points lack clarity: The app does not clearly explain which pickup or drop-off location is more convenient or closer to the user.
- The review screen lacks important information: Key booking details are not presented clearly enough on the review screen, making it harder for users to verify their trip before payment.
- No return-trip option in the booking flow: The current experience does not provide a clear way to plan and book a return trip as part of the journey.
- Too many buttons and icons create visual clutter: The screens contain multiple buttons and icons competing for attention, which can make the interface feel confusing and disrupt the booking flow.
After evaluating the booking flow, I identified four areas for improvement. I focused the redesign on the areas that created the most friction in the booking journey: location selection, trip review, and round-trip booking.
Success metrics
1. Higher booking completion rate: Reduce drop-offs during the booking flow.
2. Improve customer trust and satisfaction: Give users clearer information so they feel more confident about their booking decisions.
3. Reduce booking time: Help users select their travel locations and complete the booking with fewer steps and less confusion.
4. Improve user retention: A smoother and more reliable booking experience can encourage users to return to the app for future trips.
5. Reduce booking errors: Make pickup and drop-off locations clearer to reduce incorrect location selections.
I. Pickup and drop-off selection
Selecting the pickup and drop-off points is a critical step where users need to be confident that they are choosing the right location for their journey.
Improving clarity of pickup and drop point selection:
The pickup and drop point selection screen did not provide enough information to help users understand each location and decide which one would be more convenient for them and it harder for users to make an informed choice.
By added the distance from the user’s current location, users can quickly compare pickup points and identified the most convenient option, “view on map” option helps users understand where each pickup point is located before making a selection and a short address or nearby landmark gives users additional context and helps distinguish between similar location.
1. Pickup point selection — key improvements
1.1 Distance from current location: Displaying the distance for each pickup point lets users compare options based on how far they are from their current location. This helps them quickly identify the closest boarding point.
1.2 View on Map: The “View on Map” option lets users see the exact position of a pickup point before selecting it. This helps them understand the location in relation to nearby roads and landmarks.
1.3 Location details: Adding a short address or nearby landmark under each pickup point gives users context about where they need to board. This helps them distinguish between locations with similar or unclear names.
2. Drop-off point selection — key improvements
2.1 Distance based on destination: Users can add their destination location, and the app shows the distance from each drop-off point to that destination. This helps them compare the options and choose the point that works best for their final journey.
2.2 View on Map: A “View on Map” option lets users see where each drop-off point is located before making a selection. This gives them a better understanding of the area and nearby locations.
2.3 Clear location details: Showing a specific address or nearby landmark for each drop-off point makes the options easier to understand. Users can identify where they will get off without relying only on the location name.
II. Making booking details easier to review
The review screen does not provide some key details users need to verify their journey before booking. For example, the travel duration and bus name are not clearly shown, and there is no option to edit the selected trip details if a user notices a mistake. This makes it harder for users to review and confirm their booking with confidence.
By adding key trip details such as the bus name, travel duration, departure time, and selected seats, users can quickly verify their journey before payment. Edit options for trip and passenger details also allow users to correct any changes without restarting the booking process. Clear pickup/drop-off details, fare breakdown, and cancellation policy make the final review easier to understand.
III. Improving hierarchy between primary and secondary actions
The old version uses too many icons and buttons, including some that are not interactive, making it difficult for users to understand what they can tap.
In this design, I reduced the number of colors used across the screen and limited the interface to two brand colors. I used them consistently for active states, icons, and primary actions like “Search Buses”, while keeping secondary content neutral. This makes the screen feel cleaner, reduces visual clutter, and helps users identify the most important actions more easily.
IV. Adding the round-trip booking flow
The old version does not provide a clear way to plan and book a return journey along with the onward trip. Users have to manage the return booking separately, making it harder to keep track of the return date, route, and travel details.
By adding a Round Trip option at the beginning of the booking flow, users can select their onward and return dates together and manage both journeys within the same flow. This reduces extra steps and makes the return booking easier to understand.
The redesigned experience introduces a new round-trip option, allowing users to select their departure and return dates within the same booking flow. This makes planning a return journey more straightforward and keeps the entire booking process connected.
Impact
The redesign aims to make the NueGo booking experience clearer, easier to navigate, and more reliable, especially when selecting pickup and drop-off points.
- Users can choose more convenient locations by seeing distance and map information before selecting a point.
- The improved review screen helps users verify their trip details before payment, reducing the chance of booking mistakes.
- The round-trip flow makes it easier to plan both journeys within the same booking process.
- A clearer visual hierarchy and fewer unnecessary elements make the booking flow easier to understand and complete with confidence.
You have reached the end!
This project taught me that every design problem comes with its own challenges. I learned that good product design is an iterative process, where feedback helps refine decisions and improve the overall experience.
It also gave me more confidence to break down problems, think logically, and make design decisions based on user needs rather than just visual preferences.
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