Going the extra mile for you.
Checker Motors Corporation was a company dedicated to producing iconic, durable taxis that set the standard for the taxi industry. It became a cultural symbol of American city streets, shaping generations’ collective memory of dependable and classic taxi service.
We’re here to drive into the new era of taxis with an exclusive, high-end tourism experience that sets Checker apart from the rest by blending history with contemporary convenience.
Role
Visual/UI Design Lead
Year & Duration
2024 | 10 Weeks
Team
HOMERO VERGARA, XIRUN ZHOU, krishna aggarwal, HAOJIA YANG
Blending nostalgia with innovation, this project reimagines the iconic Checker Taxi as a premium, story-driven travel experience for modern tourists in Chicago. We introduced a redesigned vehicle with luxe interiors, dual in-car screens, and a companion app that makes planning and riding effortless. Drivers act as local guides, turning each trip into an immersive, culture-rich journey.
01
my role & responsibilities
As Project Manager and Design Lead, I directed the end-to-end revival of Checker Taxi across digital and physical workstreams, managing timelines and keeping cross-functional collaboration on track from concept through delivery. I led the brand reimagination from the ground up, defining the identity, visual language, and personality of the renewed brand, while staying hands-on in the digital product work, shaping the interface, refining interactions, and ensuring every output felt cohesive across platforms and real-world touchpoints.
End-to-end project leadership
Brand revival & identity design
Team Alignment & Workflow Management
Integrated Experience Direction
Iterative Prototyping & Concept Testing
UI & interaction design
Final Delivery Oversight
02
THE PROBLEM SPACE
Checker Taxi once defined the American city experience. Now the question is how to make it unforgettable again.
For nearly a century, Checker Taxi defined the American city experience. Its checkered cab symbolized reliability, grit, and the pulse of urban life. But as mobility evolved, Checker didn’t, and the brand eventually faded into history.
Today’s travelers expect seamless technology, transparent service, and personalized experiences, but they also crave authenticity. While modern transportation prioritizes efficiency, it rarely delivers cultural depth.
Checker holds something competitors can’t replicate: legacy and recognition. The opportunity is to modernize that icon — blending heritage with technology to create a transportation experience that feels distinctly local, thoughtfully designed, and built for a new generation.
2009
CHECKER DECLARED BANKRUPTCY
82%
OF U.S. RESIDENTS NEVER USE TRADITIONAL TAXIS
65%
of customers expect personalized experiences
3 CORE PAINS
IDENTIFIED THROUGH SYNTHESIS
Research Streams
To understand Checker’s decline and future potential, we analyzed broader shifts in urban transportation, airport congestion, and evolving travel behavior. Traditional taxi systems were struggling to adapt to changing infrastructure and user expectations, while travelers increasingly prioritized seamless, experience-driven journeys from the moment they arrived.
Due to the constrained timeline, we chose to narrow our scope to tailor for a pilot launch in Chicago.
03
Market & Industry
Explored the decline of traditional taxi systems, airport congestion patterns, and the shift toward experience-driven travel.
Traveler Behavior
Investigated how modern travelers plan, book, and evaluate transportation — with a focus on anxiety, trust, and cultural immersion.
Driver Perspective
Explored the decline of traditional taxi systems, airport congestion patterns, and the shift toward experience-driven travel.
1
Market & Industry
To understand Checker’s decline and future potential, we analyzed broader shifts in urban transportation, airport infrastructure, and tourism trends. Traditional taxi systems struggled to adapt to changing city logistics and digital expectations, while travelers increasingly prioritized seamless, app-based services and curated travel experiences. This research helped position Checker’s challenges within a larger systemic shift rather than as an isolated brand failure.
Rideshare (Transportation Network Providers like Uber & Lyft) trips increased by 271% from 2015 to 2018.
After Checker Taxi had already gone defunct, the taxi industry as a whole continued to take major hits.
Taxi demand still exists, but mostly in high-traffic nodes like airports.
The traditional taxi industry in Chicago has been severely affected, but taxis remain preferred for specific scenarios, like airports and major event venues.
Tourism shifted toward experience-driven travel.
Younger travelers increasingly value local immersion, storytelling, and shareable moments over purely functional services.
2
Traveler Behavior
We explored how modern travelers plan, navigate, and evaluate transportation, with a particular focus on the airport arrival experience. We asked 84 participants to rank the importance of aspects when choosing between rideshare and taxis. Research revealed that users often feel disoriented and vulnerable when entering a new city, making them highly sensitive to unclear pricing, confusing pickup locations, and unfamiliar local systems. At the same time, younger travelers expressed a growing desire for transportation that felt authentic, memorable, and connected to the culture of the city they were visiting.
“The salesman approach and bartering makes me uncomfortable. I’d rather book and never discuss payment or deals with the driver.”
SURVEY Responder
3
Driver Perspective
To better understand the full transportation ecosystem, we conducted interviews with cab drivers and industry stakeholders. These conversations revealed operational constraints, regulatory challenges, and shifting expectations that directly impact both driver experience and rider trust. Incorporating these perspectives ensured our solution addressed systemic issues—not just rider-facing symptoms.
Stricter city vetting gives cab drivers a trust advantage that riders rarely recognize.
In interviews, drivers pointed to strict permitting and background checks as standard practice—yet noted this is rarely visible to riders.
Drivers described current apps as functional, but not competitive.
Drivers noted that while app-based systems are in place, they lack the responsiveness and adoption needed to effectively compete.
A lack of unified payment infrastructure leads to confusion, delays, and reduced trust.
Both drivers and riders must navigate multiple payment methods, leading to delays and uncertainty at the end of each trip.
04
RESEARCH OUTCOMES
Going Pedal to Metal
Checker has an opportunity to redesign transportation around authentic experiences. By grounding decisions in both user behavior and market shifts, we identified clear areas where existing solutions were falling short and where Checker could re-enter with a distinct advantage.
Making Energy Measurable
Ports need real-time operational insight to act.
Translating Emissions into Operational Intelligence
Data must map to decisions.
Aligning Environmental Progress with Financial Incentive
Economic case drives adoption.
The icon gets an upgrade. Curated, elevated rides built for the way people explore Chicago today.
Heritage as Competitive Edge
Reignite relevance by turning frustrations into a experience worth choosing again.
Recognition That Drives Revenue
Refresh the ride with a reimagined interior, drivers who know the story, and a traveler app.
Every Touchpoint, Reimagined
Clarity builds loyalty.
Availability and clear, upfront pricing, shaping a focus on transparency and reliability.
New look, same history.
An updated interior that honors Checker’s heritage while meeting modern expectations.
Blend cultural experience with modern convenience.
Seamless, tech-enabled service without losing the authenticity and local character that makes a trip memorable.
05
Development + testing
An idea in motion—shaped through iteration and testing
The luxury Checker Taxi features the iconic traditional exterior design while combining modern elegance inside. It has plush seats, advanced technology for customization, and soft ambient lighting, offering a unique experience that connects passengers to Chicago's rich history. The Checker app will finally allow the brand to break into the space that has been dominated by rideshare services. It offers a new quick and convenient way to call a cab, no waving or whistling required.
Our goal is to:
Redefine the travel experience
SET CHECKER APART
OFFER Timeless identity, modern ease
Testing & Iteration
Test, listen, refine.
Then do it again.
We moved from sketch to screen in two passes — low-fidelity to validate structure, mid-fidelity to validate flow. Each round was tested with target users running real tasks, and the insights folded directly into the next version.
06
1
Lo-Fi
Pressure-test the structure.
Validated whether the dual-screen concept held up under real user flows. Six core tasks. Five testers.
2
Mid-Fi
Simplify the flow.
Re-sequenced the booking flow, rebuilt hierarchy, redrew the timeline. Re-tested with the same task set.
3
Hi-Fi
Polish the surface.
Brought type, color, and motion to production fidelity. Validated the final visual system end-to-end.
07
Final Outcome
A ride worth
remembering.
Built to last.
Checker Taxi emerged from research as more than an app — it’s a reimagined transportation ecosystem that honors legacy while meeting modern expectations for seamlessness, trust, and local identity.
The final system includes a consumer-facing ride experience, a driver companion app, and a brand identity framework designed to scale across cities without losing the soul that makes Checker distinct.
"The opportunity isn't to out-feature Uber. It's to make people feel something Uber never could."
Design rationale — Checker Taxi brand strategy
3
core platforms
Rider app, driver app, and in-ride passenger screen experience
10
weeks end-to-end
From initial research sprint to final delivery and presentation
Screen Highlights
Every screen, built with intent.
From the first tap to the final receipt — a cohesive experience designed around transparency, trust, and the legacy of Checker.
NEXT PROJECT
DESIGNER
Mackey