Lyft + Tinder: Gift a ride

Goal

Empower Lyft users to gift each other rides and grow ride volume

Before this project, the only way users could gift rides would be by sending a gift card. This worked, but we wanted something more seamless for the recipient, so we set out to design a feature that would allow users to send ride credits to each other from the Lyft app.

Our plan was to launch this via a partnership with Tinder where their users could access the Lyft feature from Tinder’s app.
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Research

Examining the experience of gifting a Lyft ride

We conducted interviews to see how our users were already sending each other Lyft rides as well as their expectations around those experiences. We also pulled usage data to examine this behavior on a larger scale.
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Users valued safety above all else, but convenience was also a factor

• Users wanted it to be made clear what information was being shared with the sender/receiver when using the product.
• Despite some initial questions, most participants found the act of sending a ride to someone to be more thoughtful than just sending money.
• All participants said that if the process felt too laborious, they wouldn’t use it.

Additional considerations

Protecting users' information

This project involved connecting strangers through Lyft, so we worked closely with our Legal and Safety teams to ensure the product met their requirements. This involved making sure any sensitive information (e.g. users’ addresses, phone numbers, and transit data) wasn't permanently saved on the ride gifting platform.
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Working with cross-functional partners to build faster

We looked our tech stack to see if we had any existing backend services that we could leverage to build faster. From there, we mapped a user flow of the ideal user experience that was also technically feasible within our timeline.

Designs

Creating and sharing a ride credit

To hit on the theme of thoughtfulness, we gave users the ability to personalize a credit. To help them feel more comfortable using the product, we provided users with some context-setting material that outlined what to expect. Once created, the credit could be shared via copying a link or through the device’s native sharing experience.

Managing credits

Once users had created a credit, they could access a menu that would allow them to see all of their credits, both active and inactive. Tapping into one presented the users with the status and details of that credit as well as the ability to rescind it.

Claiming a credit

For the credit redemption experience, we wanted it to be as streamlined as possible. That said, our Legal and Safety teams did require us to have the user manually accept the credit rather than it being auto-redeemed once they tapped the gift link.

Booking a ride

During the ride booking experience, we presented the user with a special banner and updated price to give them peace of mind that their credit was applied.

Impact

Positive press and influencer partnerships 

After launching, the story was picked up by major outlets such as TechCrunch, The Verge, and PC Magazine. We also had some fun TikTok influencer campaigns highlighting the feature.