Juno

Competing with Giants in NYC

Role

Head of Product Design

Industry

Mobility & Transportation

Duration

2.5 years

The Challenge

How do you take on Uber in their strongest market? Juno positioned itself as the driver-friendly alternative in NYC, but creating a better experience required more than just lower commissions - it demanded a complete rethinking of how rideshare could work for both drivers and riders.

We needed to build trust, scale rapidly, and create differentiation in a market dominated by billion-dollar competitors, all while maintaining the quality and reliability users expected.

Market Research & Positioning

  • Analyzed the NYC rideshare landscape to identify gaps in user experience and driver satisfaction

  • Conducted extensive interviews with both drivers and riders to understand pain points with existing platforms

  • Developed design principles focused on transparency, fairness, and community building

Driver Experience Design

  • Created driver onboarding flows that emphasized Juno's equity sharing and fair commission structure

  • Designed earnings dashboards that provided clear, transparent information about income and opportunities

  • Built features that gave drivers more control over their work experience and schedule flexibility

The Challenge

How do you take on Uber in their strongest market? Juno positioned itself as the driver-friendly alternative in NYC, but creating a better experience required more than just lower commissions - it demanded a complete rethinking of how rideshare could work for both drivers and riders.

We needed to build trust, scale rapidly, and create differentiation in a market dominated by billion-dollar competitors, all while maintaining the quality and reliability users expected.

Market Research & Positioning

  • Analyzed the NYC rideshare landscape to identify gaps in user experience and driver satisfaction

  • Conducted extensive interviews with both drivers and riders to understand pain points with existing platforms

  • Developed design principles focused on transparency, fairness, and community building

Driver Experience Design

  • Created driver onboarding flows that emphasized Juno's equity sharing and fair commission structure

  • Designed earnings dashboards that provided clear, transparent information about income and opportunities

  • Built features that gave drivers more control over their work experience and schedule flexibility

a cell phone on a bench
a cell phone on a bench
a cell phone on a bench
a cell phone on a ledge
a cell phone on a ledge
a cell phone on a ledge

Rider Experience & Trust Building

  • Designed rider interfaces that emphasized safety, reliability, and supporting ethical business practices

  • Created community features that helped users understand how their choices supported driver welfare

  • Developed transparent pricing displays that built trust through clarity rather than surge confusion

Rapid Scaling & Iteration

  • Established design processes that allowed us to iterate quickly based on real-world usage data

  • Created design systems that enabled rapid feature development during our growth phase

  • Balanced user feedback with business objectives during our rapid expansion in Manhattan

a cell phone leaning on a ledge
a cell phone leaning on a ledge
a cell phone leaning on a ledge
a black cellphone with a white letter on it
a black cellphone with a white letter on it
a black cellphone with a white letter on it
a cell phone on a table
a cell phone on a table
a cell phone on a table

Key Achievements

  • Market Penetration: Designed experiences that helped Juno grow to nearly 25,000 daily trips in NYC within the first year

  • Driver Satisfaction: Created driver experiences that attracted quality drivers through transparency and fair treatment, differentiating us from competitor platforms

  • Brand Differentiation: Established a design language that communicated Juno's values of fairness and community while competing directly with industry giants

  • Acquisition Success: Led design work that contributed to Juno's successful acquisition by Gett for $200M

Reflections

Competing with Uber taught me that great design isn't just about usability - it's about values. Every interface decision we made had to communicate Juno's commitment to treating drivers fairly while delivering the reliability riders expected.

The experience of building in a David vs. Goliath scenario showed me how design can be a powerful differentiator when it authentically represents company values. Even though Juno eventually became part of Gett's larger strategy, the work we did proved that thoughtful design could carve out space in even the most competitive markets.

Key Achievements

  • Market Penetration: Designed experiences that helped Juno grow to nearly 25,000 daily trips in NYC within the first year

  • Driver Satisfaction: Created driver experiences that attracted quality drivers through transparency and fair treatment, differentiating us from competitor platforms

  • Brand Differentiation: Established a design language that communicated Juno's values of fairness and community while competing directly with industry giants

  • Acquisition Success: Led design work that contributed to Juno's successful acquisition by Gett for $200M

Reflections

Competing with Uber taught me that great design isn't just about usability - it's about values. Every interface decision we made had to communicate Juno's commitment to treating drivers fairly while delivering the reliability riders expected.

The experience of building in a David vs. Goliath scenario showed me how design can be a powerful differentiator when it authentically represents company values. Even though Juno eventually became part of Gett's larger strategy, the work we did proved that thoughtful design could carve out space in even the most competitive markets.

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