team
3 UX Designers & Researchers
my role
UX Designer / UX Researcher
Skills applied
User Research, Usability Testing, Prototyping
Duration
2 months

Revolutionize biking experience by designing an interaction paradigm with driving automation.

This studio project leverages semi-autonomous technology to design an interaction paradigm that enhances users' riding experience by prioritizing safety, ease of use, and accessibility. This project also aims to redefine users' engagement with e-bikes by exploring new possibilities of mobility.
Project Background

Ever wished your bike taking care of the traffic and riding itself?
That's the promise of driving automation.

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) defines 5 levels of driving automation, ranging from level 0 - level 5.

In this project, we focused on Level 3 Autonomy (Conditional Driving Automation), which strikes a balance between full autonomy and manual control. The automated system monitors the driving environment and performs the most of driving tasks, such as steering and balancing. However, when unexpected circumstances occurs, human override is needed.
Source: SAE & NHTSA
Problem Space

Using driving automation, we aim to design an interaction paradigm that not only addresses users' pain points in current biking experience...

Pain point 01
Non-bikers often face intimidating barrier that discourages them from starting to learn biking
Design principle: Low Entry Barrier
Pain point 02
Users need to manage repetitive tasks during the ride, leading to inconvenience
Design principle: Ease of use
Pain point 03
Users often multi-task while riding e-bikes at high speeds, which increases the possibility of accidents
Design principle: Safety

...But also explores innovative usage of e-bikes.

Design Solution

High-Fi Interactive Prototype

Ensure safety with collaboration between physical & digital features

Prioritizing safety, we designed physical controls and voice commands to help users access essential functions with minimal hand movement from the handlebars, while the digital dashboard provides key information at a glance.

Automate repetitive tasks

We designed the system to handle key repetitive tasks for users to reduce their cognitive load and allow them to focus on the riding experience. For example, users no longer need to estimate distance based on the battery range or carry a physical chain to lock the bike.

Unlock the full potential of driving automation

Beyond automating the ride to a destination, we designed a beginner mode that helps users to learn biking with the assistance of automation. This mode allows users to learn step by step in a safe environment, such as focusing on steering while the bike handles balancing.
Design Process
01. Conduct research to identify the problem space
Facing an unfamiliar industry, our team started a journey of rapid learning by conducting guerrilla research, background analysis, and task analysis.

Through our research, we developed an initial understanding of users' pain points needs with their current riding experience and insights into standard design practices in the e-bike industry.
02. Define initial design directions through data synthesis
Due to the large number and interdependencies of features in the e-bike system, we conducted "abstract laddering" and "MoSCoW prioritization" activities based on research data. This allowed us to synthesize user needs, identify a clear design direction, and prioritize the most essential features for the system.
03. Iterate designs based on users' behavior & feedbacks
We conducted three rounds of usability testing with prototypes to ensure efficient collaboration between physical and digital controls, enhance concise message communication, and explore full potentials of driving automation.

Iterate towards efficient collaboration between physical and digital controls

Iteration 1
Originally, we designed the pedal assist on the dashboard, but users were concerned about the safety when they need to click or swipe the screen during the ride.
iteration 2
The pedal assist was then designed as a physical feature that users can access without removing their hands from the handles.

Iterate towards better message communication

Iteration 1
The original cluttered layout made users difficult to focus and digest information, and the bird's-eye view of the map made it hard for them to pinpoint their location.
Iteration 2
We removed non-essential information on the dashboard and adjusted the map to an on-the-ride perspective so that users can easily follow the navigation without feeling lost.

Iterate towards unlocking full potential of automation

Iteration 1
Despite providing notifications on how to initiate autonomous drive, users were still unaware of the feature and uncertain about how it could function.
Iteration 2
We integrated onboarding guidance to help users understand the auto-drive feature and give them a hands-on opportunity to experience it.
Iteration 3
In addition to turning on auto-drive with a specific destination, we designed a beginner mode that allows users to rely on autonomous capacities to gradually learn biking.

Key Take Aways

Uncover the Root Problem
At first, our team was more reactive than proactive in addressing user pain points, which led to confusion in the original design flow. This project taught me the value of digging deeper into users’ motivations by asking more “whys” during research and design.
Break Design Fixation
Early in this project, we experienced design fixation — our ideas were limited by user needs and the current functionalities of e-bikes. This experience helped me practice the skill of reframing problems to discover innovative solutions.
Manage Holistic System Flow
This experience of designing a system where features influence each other made me more comfortable managing complex flows.

Next Project

Service Design: Art at Amarah
huazeshaoux@gmail.com
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