Future of Accessible Delivery Apps
For OpenLocal
OpenLocal is a start-up which emerged in reaction to the pandemic beginning in 2020. The platform looked to provide more equitable and accessible transit/delivery services for smaller cities. These less densely populated cities could not afford the same service fees that companies like Uber charge municipalities. In some cases, it can cost a city several million to have a transit/delivery service app operate there. However, if a city could operate it’s own open-sourced app, and customize it according to its needs, this could be significantly more useful and help keep revenue within the city.
As this product was in its early stages, I conducted horizon scans and qualitative research to help the founders better understand people's needs, and what positive contributions the platform may offer for the future. This research was also important in the business development of the platform, to support the sourcing collaborators and funding partners.
The qualitative research focused on the barriers and benefits of delivery as a service, and included in-depth interviews with multiple stakeholder groups; businesses, delivery people, and customers.
Raw data was synthesized into several key insights, which revealed a key value proposition - OpenLocal could help better meet the accessibility needs of lower-income earners, people with disabilities, and aging seniors at their homes. This could position the platform as quite valuable as the Baby Boomers are expected to retire in larger waves very soon.
Read more about OpenLocal here.
Read the full white paper online here.
