Process Bike Link Project: Interactive Solution DSGN 397, Spring 2014 Grace Anderson, Nicole Rogers, Jason Tea
Brief & Requirements Brief - Biking in Bellingham The city of Bellingham has established itself as a place for tourism and a community of green commuters. The city would like to push it s initiative to increase the population of cyclists for locals and visitors alike. You are asked to propose a new system that will inform new cyclists of the area and increase the amount of bicycles traffic in Bellingham. Business Goals Increase biking in Bellingham for locals and tourists Utilize the existing biking community in Bellingham Create a collective resource to act as a hub for bikers in the area User Goals Find safe but challenging trails suitable for bikers of varying skill levels Contribute and benefit from the rich biker community existing in Bellingham Learn about avoiding personal obstacles: weather, fitness, knowledge
Contextual Research Biking in Bellingham Bellingham city has an existing network of bicycles lanes include 65 miles of bike lanes, 68 miles of bike friendly trails, and 60 miles of planned lanes. The Bellingham Master Bicycle Plan details the cities continued mission to increase the network to connect neighborhoods, create low-stress routes, and improving bicycle facilities. http://www.cob.org/services/planning/transportation/bikemaster-planning.aspx Wayfinding and Signage The existing wayfinding and signs on Bellingham bike-friendly trails is small, low-budget, and often confusing. There is generally little help for navigation while on route between beginning and end points, which can be disorienting and make people feel like they re unsure of their direction. Some of the arrows on trails were hand drawn with chalk, making them feel hap-hazard or unfinished. Icons are inconsistently used and don t properly convey information about the trail. Conclusion Bellingham is established as a bike community, but there is little to connect all the resources that both the city and community have to offer. A system to organize information about trails and bike lanes would allow more access to the information.
Competitor Research Everybodybike.com A Detailed bike resource but it is not set up in a user friendly way. They have the trails listed with no difficulty ratings or user feedback to help make a decision about where to ride which seems overwhelming to someone new to biking instead of inviting. The interface lacks an interesting brand identity trails app This app is a trail finder and offers GPS navigation. It includes things like the temperature/weather of the trail, the length, user ratings, when the sun will be setting, etc. The app offers easy to use features but doesn t allow the user to meet up with other bikers looking for a riding partner. Mount baker bike club This is a local biking club s most recent flier. They list the upcoming events and show featured members of their community. This resource helps connect bikers and create a community interested in helping Bellingham grow as a biking hub. Their website does offer difficulty ratings on local trails but not in an easy to understand way.
User Research - Online Survey Target Audience The online survey asked users about both their challenges for biking and their motivations. We found that users who bike a little currently but are interested in biking more regularly would be our best target audience because they probably already have access to equipment. Our results were based on closed and open-ended questions.
User Research - Personal Interviews Bellingham Biker Survey: Personal Interviews Question: How many hours a week do you bike? A. 0 - I don t own a bike [Path A] B. Less than 1 hour [Path B] C. Less than 4 hours [Path B] D. More than 4 hours [Path B] Specific Time: (if given) Notes: How do you discover new paths or trails to bike on? A. Books, maps, physical resources B. Google maps, other navigation apps or websites Notes: Interviews were conducted to really understand our key demographic. After conducting interviews, we determined our key demographic would be people who bike a small amount currently who we could motivate to bike more frequently. We interviewed both bikers and non-bikers. The survey split after determining the persons biking habits. Our results follow: [Path A] This user doesn t bike What is your main form of transportation? A. Bus B. Other public transportation C. Personal Car D. Company Car What is holding you back from buying a bike or beginning to bike? A. Money - The bike and equipment are too expensive B. Fitness - I don t feel confident in my biking capabilities C. Distance - Everything is too far from where I live D. Knowledge - I wouldn t know where to bike E. Safety - I don t like biking in traffic F. Dislike - I hate biking [Path B] This user bikes What is your most common motivation to go biking? A. Commuting to work, general transportation B. For exercise, cycling at the gym C. Hobby, passion D. Social, go with friends, community C. Bike specific digital navigation resources - apps, websites, forums D. Word of mouth E. Exploring on my bike Follow-up: Is this method of discovery currently satisfying your needs and/or wants? Where do you do the majority of your biking? How has the Bellingham community affected your biking habits? A. Increase in biking - positive B. No change - neutral C. Decrease in biking - negative Follow-up: Can you be more specific or explain what about Bellingham has shaped this experience? What Bellingham communities do you identify with? A. WWU student - don t live here year round B. WWU student - live here year round C. Bellingham local Where do you go, in Bellingham, for your biking needs - repairs, equipment? A. Bike Shop Name: (if given) B. Personal Garage - order parts C. Craigslist, community second-hand D. AS Outdoor Center or other community resource E. Friends or personal relationships 1. A 55% B 18% C 9% D 18% 2. A 27% B 9% C 45% D -- E 18% 3. A 9% B 18% C -- D -- E 27% F 9% 4. A 9% B 9% C 18% D 18% E 9% 5. A -- B -- C 9% D 27% E 9% F 9% 6. A 18% B 9% 7. A -- B 18% C 9% 8. A 9% B 18% C 18% D 9% E 18%
User Research - Personas Primary - Libby 24, Bellinghamster Environmental PR at Peoples Bank Secondary - Mason 32, Seattlite International Marketing Manager at Expedia Negative - Kai 22, Western Senior Studying at WWU from Marysville Gear street bike helmet lock iphone laptop Avg Bike Time per week: ~30 mins Characteristics: outdoorsy takes yoga classes at a local studio weekly shops locally Biking Habits: Tries to bike to work, but feels discouraged by traffic, after-dark biking and weather. Doesn t like biking in the rain/doesn t feel safe biking at night Looking to connect with other likeminded people in town (now that she s out of school it s harder to meet people) Gear mountain bike street bike helmet lock bike tools tire pump Android tablet desktop Avg Bike Time per week: ~5 hours Characteristics: vegan training for his first triathlon dog-lover grows his own produce at local community garden environmental activist loves to travel Biking Habits: Enjoys taking the weekend to find mountain bike trails in the region. Commutes on bike to work daily but mountain biking is his passion and hobby. Has trouble connecting with bike communities as a tourist. Characteristics: likes to hunt NRA member interested in car mechanics member of a local shooting club currently training his bird dog Non-Biking Habits: Hates to share the road and will speed in order to pass bikers on the road. Drives a Toyota truck everywhere. Isn t concerned about sustainability or saving gas. Wants to explore new areas by bike.
User Goals Experience Goals Product is easy to navigate and the mapping feature provides a clear route for navigation. The features are intuitive to use and customizing features allow for the user to save their frequently ridden or top rated routes. End Goals The user is more aware of the biking opportunities in Bellingham and feels more connected to the biking community in Whatcom county because of the different features offered in the application. The user feels more comfortable trying to bike around town and is motivated to bike more often because of the ease of the app. Life Goals The user increases the amount they are biking, both recreationally and for commuting. They reduce their carbon footprint by using a form of clean transportation and become a more active member in the community by conversing with others on the app.
Scenarios ONE [1]: It s Libby s New Year s resolution to actually ride her bike to work at least 2-3 times a week. She needs to explore alternative routes for getting from point A to point B. Search destination Loading/Login Map Select route Swipe to compare Save as favorite TWO [2]: Libby finally got that three day weekend. She wants to spend it finally doing some mountain biking with her pals. She wants to meet some new people to join her excursion. Loading/Login Link Find a ride from the everyone feed Add friend as a link THREE [3]: An angry Toyota driver just heckled Libby on her morning bike commute. She wants to report this bad experience on the bike trail. **this assumes that the user has not navigated away from the ride in progress screen Star rating Ride in progress Review Post to link feed Comment
Product Development - Define, Then Design Define, Then Design What is the product? A mobile app as a collective Bellingham bike resource containing information about the area, gear, and community. What is its one, main purpose? Allow users to find routes on the road or trails in the mountains for biking. What one problem or concern does it solve? Centralize the scattered Bellingham bike community so information is more accessible. Who will use the product? Locals or new Bellingham residence who are interested in biking more frequently for commute or are beginning to bike recreationally.
Product Development - Group Brainstorm Our team worked together to begin planning the user flow of our biking application. We discussed possible features including a map, navigation, shopping, community, and favorite locations and routes.
Product Development - High-Fidelity Sketches
Product Development - High-Fidelity Wireframes
Visual Research - Moodboard
Visual Research - Moodboard
Visual Design & Identity R 198 B 102 G 40 R 252 B 246 G 228 R 52 B 62 G 85 R 25 B 32 G 46 R 216 B 217 G 217 Fonts: Blanch Caps Din Regular Word List: Bike Connect Link Chain Community Friendly Cycling Fast Bellinghamster Trails Outdoorsy Local Collective Resource Transportation Mapping WayFinding Transit Commuter Safety Orientated Active Simple Informative Bike Link
Visual Design & Prototype Bike Link map map Current Location map York Street 10 Mins Heavy Bike Link example123@gmail.com Sign Up Sign up with Facebook Log in Hit the Road Link Your Ride
Visual Design & Prototype map map map Ride Alex M 31 Connect N Garden St to Ellis St & York St 2 pm Time : COmment: 2 pm Next Right Ellis St in 50 feet Link the ride Go for it Next time
Visual Design & Prototype map Filter Lengeth (Miles) Profile Profile Connect Mile Log Badges Links Everyone My Links HIlls 27 miles 4 Badges 3 Links Link Trail Review Mason took a bike ride with a new friend Mason went on a new route to work Mason wrote a review of the S. Bay Trail Link Route Review Ride Nicole took a bike ride with Alex They made a new link! Jason went on a new route to work He road an extra 2 miles! Grace wrote a review of the S. Bay Trail She gave it Alex wants to meet up for a ride He ll be at State St and N Forest St at 2 pm Car Traffic Intensity (Smoothe to Rocky) Whatcom Ed map Whatcom Educational Credit Union 2.5 miles from here Eddy Whatcom M, 29 27 miles biked 4 Biker Badges
Usability Testing & Results Testing was conducted with paper prototypes with users who also consider themselves bike riders. During the testing phase of our product Bike Link logged users responses and discovered the following issues or points of confusion with the product. What follows is a brief description of the issue and Bike Link s current solution: Link icon is not easily identifiable, upon first look users do not know what it s intended function is: The link icon is central to Bike Link s identity, with some exploring the user will gain a better understanding of it s function and no adjustment is needed. Monitoring required. Alternate routes were not easily distinguishable from one another: When demonstrating multiple routes for the same destination, it would be helpful to differentiate the paths with separate colors. Update required. Map icon wasn t easily identifiable: Users do not immediately identify with the map icon, however, with only 1 use, most users were able to understand that the icon lead to the map page. At this stage, this is not a high priority issue and should be monitored moving forward. Monitoring required Confusion on how to view badges: Only a select few users tested managed to find the badge section on the profile page. This particular function helps with the gamification of the application and adding additional hyperlinks or a static icon directly to its page would help emphasize it s presence. Further testing is required. Difficulty understanding how to set destination/place bookmark/ drop pin on map: This particular test type was difficult to pinpoint the users exact point in which the user experience broke down, as users of smartphones have general experience with mapping applications it can be assumed that their expectations far exceed the limitations of paper prototyping. At this stage, this issue is medium priority, and further testing is needed to confirm a valid solution. Further testing is required. Start and finish icon were identified as being too similar : The difference between the starting location of a trip and the ending location is subtle but not indistinguishable, users were able to identify them but required a minute to recognize which was which. This leads us to believe that users with very little time logged in usage will easily overcome this issue and no update will be required. Monitoring required. Difficulty understanding swiping between pages to compare route options: Demonstrating the swipe feature was poorly designed during the testing stage and at this point unclear whether the user would find difficulty with its function during multiple route comparisons, or on other pages with this feature. Further testing is required. User doesn t understand what his friends can/can t see on his profile or what is shown to others when trying to link up : The design of the user profile lead almost all users to some form of confusion. Redesign and further testing required. Usability Test https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=2e184322c820b284!966&authkey=!aosnwfwimjsjeem&ithint=video%2cmp4
Process Fin