Overview

Drive Roulette is a concept for an autonomous mobility service that reframes the ride experience. Instead of choosing a destination, passengers select a duration, activity type, and budget. The algorithm does the rest. The destination stays hidden until the ride begins, turning a simple trip into a curated surprise.

Problem

Ride-hailing has become purely transactional. Users open an app, type an address, and stare at a map. There's no discovery, no spontaneity. At the same time, people in cities often struggle to find new experiences nearby. They default to the same restaurants, the same parks, the same routines. The question was: what if the ride itself became the experience?

Process

The design started with the core tension: how do you build trust in a service that deliberately withholds information? The booking flow uses progressive disclosure: each step (duration, activity type, vibe, budget) gives the user a sense of control without revealing the destination. A "Sneak Peek" on the summary screen provides category-specific hints and teaser words, building anticipation without spoiling the surprise.

Six activity categories (Nature, Culture, Culinary, Adventure, Relaxation, Nightlife) each come with their own set of mood descriptors, giving the matching algorithm enough signal to find a fitting destination. A scoring system weighs budget fit, duration match, vibe overlap, novelty, and ratings to surface the best option.

Safety was a key concern from the start. Users can stop the ride at any time and be rerouted to the nearest safe drop-off point, a feature designed to make the leap of trust feel manageable.

Solution

The final design brings together several interconnected elements: a progressive booking flow that collects preferences without overwhelming, a dramatic 3D card-flip reveal that turns the destination announcement into a moment of delight, a live ride screen with an animated map and real-time timeline, and a safe-stop feature that lets passengers exit to the nearest checkpoint at any point. The home screen showcases previous mystery destinations with real photography, building social proof and inspiring future rides.

Results

Drive Roulette is a concept project exploring how autonomous mobility could move beyond utility toward experience design. The prototype demonstrates a complete end-to-end flow, from browsing and booking to the ride itself, built as a single-file progressive web app with CSS animations, a matching algorithm, and fully interactive screens across 12 distinct views.