RCA for hypothetical Uber case study

1. Root Cause Analysis
Problem statement: You are the PM of Uber. The
AppStore / PlayStore rating dropped from 4.5 to 3.8
in the last 2 weeks. Find the root cause of the
problem and come up with solutions.
Note: This case study is hypothetical and for educational purposes only.

2. Assumptions
● Is this particular to a geography? - Yes, India only.
● Was the drop gradual over the last two weeks or happened in a certain time period? -
Gradual over the last two weeks
● Were the low ratings for a specific type of service? (Premier, Uber Auto, etc.) - No
● Is the pattern same across iOS/Android? - Yes
Clarifications and final objective
The objective is to find the potential reasons for the platform agnostic, gradual dip in rating over
the last 2 weeks, across Uber services in India and provide potential solutions to improve the
ratings.

3. User Journey
Sign up and account verification Ride booking and payment
● Search for the Uber app, install it.
● Enter mobile number and OTP.
● Enter email ID and name.
● Accept T & C
● Choose preferred payment method.
● Verify Uber account via email
● Open the app, click on ‘Ride’
● Select if the ride is for self or someone else.
● Select pickup and drop location
● Choose the type of vehicle
● Confirm the type of payment method, add
offers / vouchers if any.
● Confirm the selected options and a driver is
allocated.

4. Possible issues during the user journey
● Customer could not download the app due to large size / device incompatibility.
● App did not open after installation.
● The OTP was not received / timed out during sign up.
● Email ID was incorrectly provided / inaccessible due to which customer could not verify account.
● Customer was not successfully registered after following the sign up steps.
● The app hangs at random points.
● The selected ride type was not available.
● The selected payment method was not applicable to the customer.
● The rates and time taken for the driver to reach pickup location were high due to high demand.
● Frequent ride cancellations.
● The GPS location is not getting updated in real time.
● Customer support was not responsive / helpful in solving an issue.

5. Factors which may have caused the rating dip
Internal
● Were there changes / releases done by the product team in this period? - No
● Were there changes carried out by other teams in this period? - Yes, a DB migration activity took place 2 weeks
ago.
● Was there a strategy change / major announcement from the company? - No
● Was the data on AppStore / PlayStore recorded correctly? - Yes
● At which step on the app are drop offs being noticed if any? - Once the pickup and start location are selected,
there is a 34% drop off in the last two weeks.
● Has there been a similar issue in the past? - No
External
● Are there new competitors in this space? - Yes, FastRide is a new app, launched last week.
● Has there been a rise in fuel prices or taxes or any other factor which has increased rates on the app? - No
● Has there been any complaints / incidents reported in this period? - Yes, there were 3 incidents of rash driving
from verified customers which have been reported.
● Has there been any negativity / false rumours around marketing /social media/ word of mouth? - No

6. Hypothesis
We can narrow down the possible root causes into the below.
1. The DB migration activity may have broken some functionality of the app.
1. FastRide, being a new launch, may be offering cheaper rides and better facilities
to increase user base.
1. The 3 incidents of rash driving may have caused a negative outlook of the
company.

7. Data point analysis
● PlayStore and AppStore reviews in the last 2 weeks - 210
● Reviews with 1,2 or 3 stars among them - 82
● Customer issues reported / found in comments
○ App not responding after entering location details - 43
○ App is slow - 28
○ Driver was impolite / unprofessional - 5
○ Rash driving - 3
○ Others - 3
4% dip observed in social media followers

8. And the root cause is…
1. From the data, we can see that majority of the complaints are regarding app
performance and speed. This is directly related to the DB migration activity that took
place within the time frame in question. Hence, this is a valid hypothesis.
2. There are no complaints regarding competitors offering better prices of services.
Hence, this hypothesis is invalid.
3. There are 8 complaints of rash or unprofessional driving, which has hit the reputation of
the company, owing to safety concerns. Hence, this is a valid hypothesis.
Thus, owing to a degradation of performance from the database side and negative
opinion about Uber due to the chain of rash driving incidents, the rating of the app
was hit.

9. Solutions
● A rollback must be carried out immediately, with appropriate back up, to
the previous database configuration to avoid further user drop offs. The
new database infrastructure can be parallely tested in a thorough manner
and once this is completed, a planned migration can take place.
● Drivers must be given periodic training on professional etiquette, traffic
rules and vehicle safety. Their concerns must be duly addressed, so that
they do not end up frustrated while on the job. Customers must also be
politely requested not to prompt the drivers to break rules or provoke
them in any manner through advertising or bonuses.