Waze Case Study: Revolutionizing Indoor Navigation

Navigating the Future: Transforming Travel with Indoor Maps

Introduction:

In the realm of product management, innovation thrives on identifying gaps and delivering solutions that redefine user experiences. Our journey commenced at Protothon, a dynamic hackathon hosted by Northeastern University's Aspiring Product Management Club. Faced with the challenge of enhancing engagement and revenue for Waze, a renowned navigation app, our team embarked on a quest to pioneer change in the realm of travel technology.

Question:

How might we elevate the user experience of Waze to meet the diverse needs of modern travelers and position it as a frontrunner in the competitive navigation market?

Assumptions:

- Waze's acquisition by Google presents an opportunity for integration and innovation.

Pre-Analysis:

Before delving into solution crafting, we conducted a comprehensive pre-analysis to discern the landscape of Waze's challenges and opportunities. This involved scrutinizing user feedback, market trends, and competitor strategies to inform our approach. And answering the following questions:

1. What are the number of current users?

2. Who are the current users of Waze?

3. What is the USP?

Understanding the Problem Statement:

Waze, despite its popularity among drivers, faced limitations in serving pedestrians and travelers navigating complex environments such as airports and urban centers. Key challenges included the absence of pedestrian navigation features, inadequate public transport integration, and a lack of distinct value propositions beyond community-driven insights.

People Who Currently Use Waze:

Waze boasts a diverse user base, including daily commuters, delivery drivers, rideshare drivers, and casual users such as public transportation users and tourists.

Potential Issues:

- Limited utility for pedestrians and travelers navigating airports and urban areas.

- Competition from established navigation apps offering comprehensive features.

- Reliance on community-driven insights as the primary differentiation factor.

User Groups and Pain Points:

Through rigorous analysis, we identified distinct user groups and their corresponding pain points:

1. Daily Commuters: Frustration with congested routes and limited alternative options.

2. Travelers: Difficulty navigating airports and unfamiliar urban environments.

3. Public Transportation Users: Lack of integrated public transit information.

4. Casual Users: Limited awareness of amenities and points of interest.

Hypothesis:

Our strongest hypotheses centered on addressing the unmet needs of travelers through indoor navigation solutions. By prioritizing features such as indoor maps, crowd estimation, and amenities identification, we aimed to enhance user engagement and retention.

Which Problem Is Worth Solving?

The pressing need for seamless navigation solutions in complex environments, coupled with the untapped potential of indoor maps, highlighted indoor navigation as the primary problem worth solving for Waze. This can give the app a new USP and a centralized solution to indoor navigation across the globe. 

User Interviews:

We conducted a user experience research of about 30 people and had them answer the following questions:1. How often do they find themselves stuck at the airport for long hours but don’t know what is around to eat and available as well.

1. How often do they find themselves walking too much instead of just taking a cart

2. How often does it happen that they are not aware of all the options available near them at the airport gate assigned

3. How often is the place they want to go to closed?

4. How often is the place they want to go to too full to get their food on time?

Problem for Users and Solutions:

Travelers expressed frustration with navigating airports and urban areas, often leading to missed flights or stressful experiences. Our solution aimed to alleviate these pain points by integrating indoor maps, crowd estimation features, and real-time amenities information into Waze's platform.

Summarized Flow of the Solution for the User:

1. User opens Waze app, there will be a new toggle for aiports.

2. Waze provides indoor navigation guidance within airports or urban complexes.

3. Crowd estimation features help users anticipate travel times and plan accordingly.

4. Real-time amenities information enables users to locate facilities such as restrooms and dining options.

Risk Analysis of the Suggested Solution:

While our solution holds immense potential, potential risks include technical challenges in implementing indoor mapping features, user adoption hurdles, and competitive responses from rival navigation platforms.

Scalability:

Our solution is designed to scale seamlessly with Waze's user base and evolving market demands. By prioritizing user-centric design principles and iterative development, we aim to ensure scalability while delivering continuous value to users.

Conclusion:

In our pursuit of innovation, we stand poised to transform the landscape of navigation technology. By addressing the unmet needs of travelers through indoor navigation solutions, we embark on a journey towards redefining the future of travel. As we navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead, we remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering meaningful impact and shaping the evolution of navigation technology. Join us on this transformative odyssey, and let's chart a course towards a brighter future together. Prototype link:

Team Members:

Aniqah Ahmed (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aniqah-ahmed-6184191a6/)

Arushi Gupta (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arushigupta0511/)