Overview
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition wanted to increase its member engagement with the coalition to more effectively pursue policy and political advocacies that matter to cyclists.
Team
My role was as UX Researcher and Lead UX Designer with additional focus on service design.
Tools & Methods
- Design strategy
- Service design
- Interaction design for mobile
- User research
- Usability testing
The Problem
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC)'s goal is to be an effective policy and political advocacy group by pursuing the issues that matter the most to cyclists. The coalition's understanding of these issues come from engaging with its members but has been hampered by their lack of contribution and involvement. In creating a digital solution, the SFBC aims to achieve its goal while also giving members a sense of active contribution and involvement.
The Solution
The solution we developed is a mobile app that allows SFBC members to engage with their cycling community and the coalition. Users of the app are able to share important biking information such as bike thefts, accidents and road hazards that are valuable to other members. This information also provides the SFBC with issues that matter the most to cyclists, therefore helping them with the policy and political advocacy decisions. The SFBC is also able to better engage with its members by providing them with recommended bike routes, upcoming biking events, current cycling laws and member discounts at local retailers.
Process
We sent out an initial survey targeting cyclist within the San Francisco Bay Area to understand their general behaviors and issues that were important to them.
Our next step was to conduct in person interviews with cyclists in the city. The interviews focused on what the cyclists enjoyed and disliked about their biking experience. We interviewed a total of 10 cyclists and found that in general, the cyclists really loved the freedom of cycling, the spontaneity of being able to meet others with the same interest as well as the general environmental and health benefits of cycling.
Designing for real people
Observations from our interviews were mapped out using affinity diagrams. We derived a few big themes from this process and noticed how each interviewee fit within these themes. From there, we came up with 2 personas that matched the scope of our design.
Detailed Solution
We designed a mobile app for San Francisco cyclists that made it easy to share and consume information related to their biking experience. Cyclists using the app can quickly see what others have shared around their location. Adding information to the app is as easy as tapping on the plus button.
User Flows
The following user flows were developed based on the two primary personas.
Next Steps
10000 foot above view
In thinking about future steps for the app, it is vital to understand that the SFBC is inherently an entity that provides services to its members. For continuous engagement, the app would have to integrate well within the SFBC’s existing framework of services but also expand on them. By creating a service blueprint and understanding the various touchpoints members have with the SFBC, we propose the following design addtions to the app:
- A sign in screen that allows existing members to quickly sign in with their SFBC membership card
- A way for signed in users to use the app as proof of their active SFBC membership when shopping at retailers that offer discount to members
- A way for members to access information regarding the various other SFBC services being offered to them such as workshops, meet and greet events and maps
