Enhancing the Physical Brand Experience at Uber
Few brands have changed the landscape of user experience as much as Uber. But what does a ride sharing service have to do with the built environment?
As Uber positions itself as more than a brand, it’s focusing on how to extend its brand (for both customers and drivers) and how the experience blends into the destination.
In her session at the 2018 SEGD Branded Environmentsevent, Uber Senior Designer Danielle Lindsay-Chungwill share how the internal brand team for the world’s largest transportation company is creating and enhancing the physical brand experiences and parallel connectivity for cities and their user’s end-point destinations.
Here, Danielle shares her professional journey (including what brought her to Uber), what inspires her, and what you’ll learn from her session, “From Ride to City: Physical Experiences Along the Journey.”
Describe your professional journey in 20 words or less.
Meandering and lucky. My education was in the fine arts but I now work for a tech company at the frontier of reinventing global transportation.
How do you approach design?
With curiosity and feeling. I know it’s about process, but you have to bring some human qualities to the mix.
What drew you to Uber?
The opportunity to be a part of something massively transformative. My mother had never learned how to drive so growing up I saw the impact of how poor public transportation affects opportunity. When I first used the Uber app there was a sense of magic I experienced, and I could immediately envision how improved mobility could positively impact people’s lives.
How has working at Uber changed the way you approach brand experiences?
I’m more aware of the intersection of product and brand, and how these can vary widely across different countries and cultures. The digital realm is a very controlled and sterile place compared to the messiness of the real world.
What are the top considerations when creating a brand-centric customer experience?
For Uber, the experience is about the end-to-end journey for both riders and drivers. The challenge is to harmonize what users experience in the digital realm with the constraints of the built environment. Uber is unique in that our technology physically moves people (and things), so from a brand perspective the touch points we focus on emphasize building trust as well as the emotional connection.
What are some branded environments that inspire you?
I was inspired by Eric Heiman of Volume Inc. and his talk at last year’s event. His firm consistently puts out work that amazes me. From an in-house brand perspective I think the WeWork team does a good job of localizing their spaces. I was also really impressed with the Starbucks Reserve experience in Seattle.
What do you hope attendees will take away from your session?
I’d like to share a sense of optimism and magnitude for the opportunities that lie ahead—particularly for environmental/experiential designers whose work has the potential to affect not only the physical design of spaces and cities, but also the design of digital products and services.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Branded Environments event?
Seeing the friendly faces who tirelessly run, organize and support SEGD.
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Join Danielle and the rest of the lineup of talented designers at the 2018 SEGD Branded Environmentsevent, March 27–28 in Las Vegas. Register today!