Research

We started by conducting research on competitors within the bike application industry and sorted them based on the apps' target consumers and content on the Competitive Matrix shown below.

Competitive Matrix

In our quest to understand the user landscape, we encountered a common theme among competitors: an obsession with metrics. Speed, distance, calories burned; the hardcore riders reveled in it. Yet, a whisper of opportunity echoed for those just dipping their toes into biking. This discovery marked the genesis of our focus on casual and beginner riders. We recognized an untapped market among those who were just starting to explore the world of biking.

User Insights

Derived from insights gathered in interviews with 10 users, we translated their preferences into 'I-statements,' shaping our app's direction and focusing on key features for a more user-centric approach.

Synthesize

Informed by crucial insights derived from user interviews and usability testing, we crafted a persona. This persona serves as a powerful tool, allowing us to deeply empathize with the user and strategically prioritize goals based on their specific needs. The preferences, needs, goals, and frustrations encapsulated in this persona distinctly mirror the lifestyle of our interviewees, ensuring a relatable and user-centric approach in our design process.

Design

Driven by a user-centric approach, we prioritized Alex's needs by leveraging the insights from our Problem Statement and How Might We question during the ideation phase. Before immersing ourselves in the design studio, we carefully executed a Competitive/Comparative Feature Analysis to discern industry trends and benchmark against existing applications. This strategic synthesis of user insights and competitive analysis not only steered our decision-making process but also ensured that the features we integrated into the application were not just tailored to meet Alex's needs but were also strategically aligned with the broader industry landscape.

Feature Analysis

While competitors leverage push notifications to engage users, they often lack personalized alerts related to weather conditions and potential route safety hazards. Our innovation includes suggesting optimal riding times through push notifications, eliminating the need for users to manually check weather or traffic.

Employing the MoSCoW Feature Prioritization method, we strategically determined the features essential for our Minimum Viable Product. This method facilitated a precise understanding of crucial elements, guiding our team seamlessly into the design studio phase.

Design Studio

Mid-Fi Wireframes

Following multiple iterations in the design studio, we progressed to the wireframing stage, incorporating key features:

1. Record bike route 

2. Personalized notifications for weather and safety

3. Save route (History)

Usability Testing

Ensuring a user-centered design, we conducted usability tests at every stage of prototyping, a pivotal practice in refining our product. Direct engagement with users yielded valuable insights, guiding us seamlessly through each iteration.

Our focus on testing began with the mid-fidelity clickable prototype, specifically evaluating the general structure of the ToRide app. This approach enabled swift adjustments with minimal effort, streamlining our transition to hi-fidelity mockups.

Mid-Fidelity Usability Testing Results

The results from the mid-fidelity navigation and satisfaction testing indicated a moderate performance. Notably, none of the participants expressed a strong inclination to rate the navigation or overall satisfaction with the ToRide app at a solid 5/5.

Key Takeaways

Homepage Redesign

After conducting usability testing, it became evident that Alex sought greater motivation to engage with the app and embark on biking adventures. Recognizing the need for a homepage redesign, we observed that while our app excelled in providing safety notifications, it lacked the motivational spark to inspire action. Our approach involved dissecting motivation into intrinsic and extrinsic factors, recognizing the importance of both.

Drawing inspiration from successful apps like Nike Run, we implemented personalized messages and introduced a dedicated section for initiating rides and exploring new challenges. This strategic shift aimed to strike a balance between ensuring user comfort and providing extrinsic rewards, enhancing the overall user experience.

Onboarding

In addition, we incorporated onboarding pages to warmly welcome first-time users, facilitating an effortless setup of their weather preferences before they dive into the app experience.

Hi-Fidelity Usability Testing Results

Subsequent to the homepage redesign, onboarding implementation, and navigation adjustments, users exhibited increased satisfaction levels and reported enhanced ease of navigation within the app.

Prototype

We used InVision to link up key interactions and create the Hi-fidelity prototype. To view the prototype, click image.

Next Steps

In our next steps, we aim to further improve the first-time user experience by creating an interface that guides users through the app’s main functions during their initial use.

Also, we would like to conduct quantitative research to provide users with wider amount of resources to ensure their comfort and motivation for their bike rides (such as potential new features, addition of different information in their notifications, other motivators, etc.).

And to further improve upon the user experience we would like to enable the application to connect to apple health and develop a companion app for devices such as apple watch.