UX Bites #1 — Citymapper, Apple & more

Hey,

Get ready for your bitesized dose of UX inspiration.

Here are the 5 most popular 🍪 UX Bites from the last 2 weeks:

Citymapper: alternative safer routes

You’ll be shown the fastest route, and an alternative route that only uses main roads.

This is a real nod towards safety (and great UX), rather than directing people down alleyways and quiet suburbs at night.

See study on Apple vs Google maps

Apple: smart charging notifications

If your Apple Watch is charging, while your phone isn’t (i.e., during the day), you’ll be notified when it’s fully charged.

This acts as a reminder: “hey, your watch is charged, remember to put it on”.

Slack: Syncing to Google Calendar

You can have your Slack status automatically set itself to 'busy' during Google calendar events.

This is a low-effort way of reducing unnecessary notifications (“Where are you?”) and frustration.

Uber: Bike lane risks

If you’re going to be dropped off by a known bike lane, you’ll get this notification. It’s a really smart and dynamic warning.

See study on Uber Eats

Duolingo: Dynamic loss aversion

If you get a few questions wrong in a row, you’ll see this message.

What’s really smart here, is that they’re reframing what would be a negative moment (“wow, I’m terrible at this”), and reminding the user that they’re still learning.

It’s reassuring and motivating.

Was 5 not enough? There’s a growing archive of them right here: