Amidst increasing urbanization and concerns about sustainability, e-bikes have emerged as a popular choice for Gen Z. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z has grown up in an era defined by rapid technological advancements and heightened awareness of environmental issues. They prioritize technology-driven solutions that offer convenience, efficiency, and sustainability. The motivation behind designing a semi-autonomous e-bike experience for Gen Z riders stems from the desire to address their evolving needs and preferences in urban transportation.
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Riders face safety challenges when riding bikes due to congested roads and lack of bike lanes, leading to accidents and injuries.
Existing e-bikes and urban mobility solutions may lack features such as easy access and efficient navigation systems, making them less convenient for users.
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Users mentioned using e-bikes necessitates reliance on supplementary infrastructure like charging stations and entails the need to anticipate battery usage.
Effortlessly plan your journey, assess elevation changes, and seamlessly incorporate charging stops for a hassle-free ride.
Effortlessly monitor battery usage, receive low battery warnings, and optimize trip planning.
Stay informed of your surroundings with computer vision, which alerts you about vehicles while turning and provides emergency alerts for manual intervention when needed.
Experience dynamic charging through regenerative braking and enjoy 5x pedal assist power for your e-bike.
Stay connected with your e-bike, track ride details, and manage your journey—all from your phone.
Our initial research began with an in-depth analysis of current approaches in the e-bike market. We sought to understand how autonomy is integrated with human control to ensure safe and convenient rides for cyclists. Specifically, we focused on identifying the factors that influence riders' interactions with e-bikes.
We found that e-bike usage falls into three main categories, with factors influencing user interactions differing among them. These categories were:
We conducted intercept interviews with 11 individuals who had experience with riding e-bikes before ranging from young university students to active middle-aged individuals with families. The interview questions aimed to reveal usage frequency, safety perceptions, frustrations with e-bike riding, and, most importantly, the context in which they are used—whether for recreational purposes, commuting, or adventure and sports.
The most common themes that emerged revolved around usage, visibility, and safety:
“E-bikes are convenient to use in hilly regions of the city.”
Users primarily use e-bikes for commuting, citing speed and convenience as key factors. During commutes, they actively seek charging spots along their route or nearby parking lots. Conversely, when using e-bikes for recreation, users prioritize route altitude when selecting their path.
“There are only a few streets with bike lanes, so I am always alert when riding on streets.”
Users frequently expressed feeling tense while biking, attributing it to the absence of dedicated bike lanes and worries about visibility amidst fast-moving traffic.
“I don’t want too many distractions when riding a bike because it may lead to accidents.”
Most users mentioned that they remain highly focused when commuting on roads with bikes, preferring to avoid distractions while riding.
To further solidify our understanding, we interviewed two experienced senior riders with over five years of riding experience. They highlighted additional aspects of the display and security of the e-bikes that influenced their cognition when riding them. Key findings included:
Users prioritize essential information such as speed, distance, and motor mode on the display screen, emphasizing the need for a clear and concise presentation of data.
Concerns about visibility and safety, especially in areas with limited bike lanes, highlight the importance of incorporating features that enhance rider visibility and awareness of surroundings into the display design.
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Users value convenience, such as easily accessible charging spots, particularly during commuting. Designing the display interface to provide information on nearby charging stations can enhance the user experience.
Users prefer minimal distractions while riding, underscoring the importance of designing an intuitive and user-friendly display interface that minimizes cognitive load and allows riders to maintain focus on the road.
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Theft emerged as a significant concern among e-bike owners, suggesting the need for display features that enhance security, such as theft prevention alerts or tracking functionalities.
Before initiating our design process, we conducted a task analysis to identify interaction opportunities for riding autonomous e-bikes, breaking down each task involved. We categorized these tasks into High, Medium, and Low priority and then created user flows for each task. Task analysis revealed the need for straightforward controls for high-priority tasks like charging and battery status, while medium and lower-priority tasks were designed with ease of use in mind, maintaining focus on the primary riding experience.
We then utilized feature mapping, aligning it with the prioritized tasks. This method ensured that essential tasks received the appropriate attention and resources during the design process.
The sketching session proved to be a significant phase in our design process. Whiteboarding all our concepts allowed us to swiftly jot down ideas, make quick adjustments, and iterate on our sketches without consuming excessive time.
Inspired by our sketches, we utilized materials such as cardboard, foam, and paper to construct a foundational physical structure for our e-bike. The goal was to address and accommodate the physical intricacies within our designs, aiming to incorporate the multimodality of the interface. The physical interface deeply influenced our design decisions within the digital interface.
Based on feedback from our initial usability testing, we implemented significant improvements in our second iteration. One recurring issue highlighted was users' difficulty linking physical controls with the digital dashboard interface. This led us to recognize the necessity of revising the semantics of our physical prototype.
We aimed to maintain a clear and concise display on the digital interface, minimizing the paradox of choice for users. Colors were intentionally selected and mapped to corresponding buttons on the physical interface to enhance user understanding and consistency.
Upon receiving constructive ambiguous feedback from the instructor, prompting us to reevaluate our designs, our team faced a critical juncture in the project timeline where reconstructing our existing designs seemed impractical. However, we decided to rally up our determination to deliver impactful designs. We went back to our sketchbook, guided by introspective questions like 'How do we rectify these issues?' and 'What does the user truly seek during a bike ride, and how can the autonomy feature align with these needs?'.
Our goal was to create minimalistic and modern designs to ensure that riders remain focused on the road without unnecessary distractions. We meticulously addressed each of the insights gleaned from our research process. Let's take a deeper dive into our final designs:
This project has taught me the importance of resilience and the necessity of continuously incorporating user feedback and being open to making significant changes based on it.
I frequently returned to sketching, as it facilitated the rapid generation of new ideas and concepts. Visualizing my thoughts helped me simulate out-of-the-box thinking and refine my designs effectively.
Our team faced several challenges, particularly time constraints that put us in tight spots. Through this experience, I learned to approach such situations strategically and to take bold steps when necessary.
I'm eager to integrate these learnings into future projects.
