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UZURV: On-Demand Paratransit and Assisted Mobility
At UZURV, a mission-driven adaptive transportation company, I collaborated with product managers, developers, and a senior designer to improve the Rider and Driver apps for paratransit users and our internal CRM. I led end-to-end design efforts from user research to high-fidelity prototypes focusing on accessibility, clarity, and user trust. Working in agile sprints, I contributed to scalable design systems and helped shape inclusive experiences that empower people with disabilities to move through the world with confidence.
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Duration
May - July 2025
Team
2 Senior UX Designers
5 Project Manager
1 Supervisor
Role
UX/UI Design Intern
What I did
User Research
Design System
Accessibility Designs
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My Contributions
Working cross-functionally with senior product designers, product managers, developers, I shaped both the UX and UI of platform-wide enhancements across the UZURV ecosystem. I redesigned core workflows in rider and driver app, and our CRM. I implemented in-app notifications system in our rider app, and overhauled an updated design system for the rider app for great consistency and scalability. I actively sought feedback and done multiple iterations for team review. Using Jira for coordination, Confluence for detailed documentation of our platforms, Angular documentation to oversee consistent components. I thoughtfully delivered scalable solutions that balanced user needs and technical goals.
Problem
The rider app lacked a notification system, causing users to miss crucial updates, reminders, or alerts (negatively affecting their experience and reliability).
Missing In-App Notifications for Riders
Users were required to manually enter organization codes to generate CRM reports, making it inefficient especially as organization and naming conventions evolved over time.
Manual CRM Report Generation
2023 version of the Rider App Design System has been difficult to scale and have consistent updated components of the current 2025 version of the rider app.
Outdated Rider App Design System
New drivers lack a clear and standardized understanding of the ride execution process, leading to confusion during their first trips. This included a need
Driver Onboarding Confusion
The current organization configuration was difficult to navigate, with unclear field labels, ungrouped inputs, and missing configuration fields, increasing admin error and setup delays.
CRM Configuration Complexity
Invalid DOBs could crash the data warehouse or violate compliance policies. Further posing risks for reporting, eligibility verification, and regulatory adherence.
Date of Birth Date Integrity Risks
Goal
To design and research a more intuitive, scalable, and reliable experience across UZURV platforms by improving onboarding, simplifying admin tools, ensuring data integrity, and modernizing our design system.
Solution: How might we create a more intuitive and reliable experience by improving key work and user flows, strengthening data integrity, and unifying the design system?
Process
RESEARCH
What is a notification/alerts system important?
By the Numbers
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1 in 4 people in the United States have a disabilit
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We have over 68,800+ completed rides between our drivers/riders
By 2050, the number of people who need assistive technology is projected to reach 3.5 billion.
I conducted the discovery phase to better understand user pain points around missed alerts, identifying key needs, behaviors, and frustrations. The research informed the redesign of the alerts badge system with clear visual distinctions between read and unread messages, an archive system, and improved accessibility, ensuring users could confidently manage important updates.
Discover Stage Scope
EMPATHIZE
Mapping the Message Experience
To improve the notification system, I created a full user flow and conducted a comparative analysis of top apps with effective alert structures. I then audited and organized our existing messages—categorizing them into types (e.g., ride updates, promotions, system alerts) and ranking them by priority and frequency. This allowed our team to understand messaging patterns and user needs. I wrapped this phase with a rough wireframe prototype to visualize opportunities for a more intuitive, prioritized notification system.
MODERATED TESTING
Development Team Feedback
To validate the initial design direction, I conducted moderated usability testing sessions with our development team. These cross-functional reviews helped uncover edge cases, technical limitations, and real-time developer feedback on interaction logic. Their insights led to actionable improvements in how alerts were grouped, displayed, and triggered—ensuring technical feasibility while maintaining a user-friendly experience.
In a prototype exercise, I opened the space for 5 of our development peers to share their insights on two versions of the notifications preferences and rank their vote by dragging their heart sticker tally to what they see best fit. Lastly, we did open discussion on the 1st iteration of the alerts badge.
Answer from Prototype Exercise
GET IN TOUCH
Made with ❣️ by Valeria Espinoza
Updated Rider App Design System 2025
Reflection
As our products evolved beyond the scope of our 2023 core design system, we established separate foundational systems for both Rider and Driver apps. I led the creation of the Rider App design system, using Ionic and Material Design as a base while building custom components tailored to our unique use cases. I ensured visual consistency, accessibility (WCAG-compliant), and scalability across platforms—while also collaborating with developers, product managers, and senior designers to maintain clear documentation and efficient handoff.
This design system was organized based on the component being an Atom, Molecule, and Organism. First 3 images belong to the Atom category as Next 2 belong to the Molecule category and lastly the last 2 belong to the Organisums cateogry.
Solution In-Depth
Elevating every interaction with smarter workflows, smoother rides, better tools
I redesigned the CRM configuration to be scalable, organized, and admin-friendly.
Filter System
To simplify CRM setup and reduce admin friction, I designed an intuitive filter system that organizes checkbox fields into clear, logical categories including rider profile, payments, communication, scheduling, rider and driver app capabilities, and client invoicing. This solution transformed a previously cluttered interface into a structured, user-friendly experience, streamlining workflows and enabling faster, more accurate configurations.
Solution
A smart filter system that categorizes complex settings for faster setup and fewer errors
How it was like before
Without structure, the system presented all checkboxes in a single list, making it time-consuming and frustrating to configure rider or driver profiles.
Alphabetized Auto-Fill Filter System
Previously, users had to type organization codes manually—slowing down reporting and increasing the risk of input errors as naming conventions shifted over time.designed an alphabetized auto-fill system that surfaces all valid organization codes instantly, reducing friction and boosting accuracy.
I built a reliable notification system to keep riders informed.
With insights from a collaborative research initiative alongside developers, I designed a robust alert experience that boosts confidence and reduces missed ride details.
Notification Preferences
To enhance clarity and accessibility, I organized notification settings into clear categories with pill-style buttons that guide users directly to relevant options. This structure not only reduces cognitive load but also improves screen reader navigation—making it easier for users to check or uncheck preferences independently and confidently.
Alerts Badge System
After a feedback session with my developers on the initial iteration, I restructured the alerts badge system to clearly distinguish unread versus archived messages. Users can now mark all alerts as read without losing access to them in the archive. Unread alerts are visually highlighted for clarity, and an alerts icon helps prioritize critical updates over general promotions—making the system more intuitive and accessible for all users.
I designed a universal DOB validation system to reduce user error and backend risk.
Developed a shared pattern of input validation to ensure regulatory-safe DOB entries across platforms.
Rider App
A streamlined 4-state UI flow of default, missing character, error, and success that was built for clarity, compliance, and user confidence across the rider app.
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Driver App
A clear, compliant 4-state UI flow with default, missing character, error, and success crafted to support confidence in interactions and reduce friction in the driver experience.
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
Default
Error Message
Missing Number Message
Success Message
How it was like before
Without proper DOB validation, entries like “1500” led to backend crashes, threatening system stability and accurate reporting.
Driver App
Rider App
Rider App
Driver App
Rider App
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