A big redesign is daunting. There are a lot of variables and unknowns that tell you there will be potential failure down the road. But we knew that if we wanted to build for the future, we had to be comfortable taking that risk. This meant not only taking a big bet on how things look, but also re-imagining how things flow.

Uber’s original premise was simple. “Push a button, get a ride.” You didn’t need to set your destination, you didn’t need to select a product, you just hit a button, or two, and you were off.

As we added more features and our products became more complex, we continued to strive to keep the original simplicity and speed of a single button. But we realized that speed was about much more than minimizing taps and streamlining flows. People were selecting the wrong product when they had to catch a movie (I’m looking at you, Uber Pool). Opportunities to save time by suggesting good pick-up spots were being missed.

In a fast growing environment it can become challenging to see the way ahead. So, to move past the comfort of our beginnings we decided to design the new Uber experience with a simple twist: “Start at the end.”

Where to?

Sometimes in order to get more quickly from point A to point B, you need to slow down, look up, and see what’s ahead of you. Where Uber originally asked you to only think about getting a ride, we now ask you “Where to?”.

Everything starts there and builds around that. Interface elements fly in from the next step and route-lines animate toward your destination. It’s a philosophy based on looking ahead that carries you forward. Each action you take propels you to the next step and each trip you complete feeds back into the experience. By the time you’re ready to enter your next destination, it’s already there.