Blog #9
Grab is a Southeast Asia-based mobile app providing Deliveries, Mobility, Financial Services, Enterprise and Others services. Grab is used by over 670 million users across 8 countries. This blog will focus on the Grab app and functions available at the Vietnamese market.
Grab’s core service is a rideshare app, as Grab is developed and owned by Uber. Because Vietnam is not as developed as other countries, most families do not own a car. Traveling with motorbikes can be dangerous and tiresome, especially for the elderly and young children. Grab rideshare services include motorbike and car options that suit individuals’ needs. Traveling within major cities over a short distance with a motorbike is an excellent option for single users, while long-distance traveling is more suitable for car rideshare. As providing rideshare services is the core of Grab, the app’s value lies in its convenience and safety in getting from one place to another, even from remote areas. The rideshare fares are cheap compared to the traditional way of hiring a private driver. Grab provides additional services delivering food and products to your doorsteps. Overall, the app is easy to use with separate functions and easy to navigate.
The app’s UI has a modern and cohesive look using one main color scheme: green, yellow, and white. The navigation bar is well-designed, with icons and names visible across the app. The main rideshare page suggests places to go and saved options for frequently visited locations such as Home or Work. There is also an interactive map. Overall, the rideshare page is very similar to Uber’s UI. The Home page has a Search bar with interactive typing animations that points out this is where users can type in the destination or food suggestions which is an excellent element of the app. As many Vietnamese are unfamiliar with using card payments, the app provides users with cash payment options in addition to paying with cards. These cash payment options encourage more users to try and use the app without worrying about not having credit or debit cards. This feature is very intuitive for the Vietnamese market. This app’s rideshare and food delivery functions are well-developed and intuitive.
Typography, iconography, and other design elements are executed well. The typeface is well-chosen and has an easy-to-read style for both English and Vietnamese. The choice of sizes and variations are comparable with the visual hierarchy within the app. The icons are well-designed with simple, modern, and cohesive looks. The ads, although small, have a nice hierarchy, typography, and colors that grab users’ attention. Many interactive elements within the app are fun to watch and help reduce idle time switching between different functions.
However, the hotel booking functions can be improved in the future. Right now, the app will lead users to third-party booking websites, which could be more convenient. If Grab could incorporate this feature directly into their app, it would attract more users. The food delivery service is an excellent area to develop even more, especially in more suburban areas where few food delivery services are available.
Currently, the app offers too many optional functions, including insurance, paying bills, and grocery shopping. They should focus more on developing appropriate options for travel and rideshare services. Ticket booking can be an excellent addition to the experiences and hotel booking. Besides, the app is full of ads ranging from product advertisements, discounts, car buying options, and recruitment to movie advertisements. These ads can be challenging for users to navigate, and I don’t know if anyone has time to read through all these ads. They should have a dedicated area for ads or put ads into relevant categories that are easier for users to manage. Since Uber owns Grab, the two apps are similar in certain functions. However, while Uber only focuses on rideshare services and has a separate app, Uber Eat, for food delivery, Grab seems like a one-stop shop for everything. This difference can derive from their target audience’s shopping behaviors. It is still uncommon for Vietnamese people to use mobile apps, so Grab might want to incorporate everything into one to minimize the confusion of switching between apps.
Mimi Nguyen's Design 