User Research

Shared Transportation (Nice Rides, Birds, Limes, etc.)

Ask (Interviews)

I asked mostly the same questions for all of my interviews. These questions were more or less intended to spur conversation between the person being interviewed and myself. I often strayed from the path that I had set in my writing of the questions that I used, so I do not have pictures of demonstrations or things they showed me. Instead, I illustrated them using pen and paper. For one of the interviews, I modified the questions as they have had no experience with shared transportation. Some of the questions I asked were…

Why do you think shared transportation is important?

What about it do you think appeals to people?

What about it do you think is unappealing to people?

Under what conditions would you or do you use shared transportation?

Walk me through how you go about your use of shared transportation.

Tell me about the last time you used shared transportation.

Tell me about your fondest experience with shared transportation. What was it that made it good?

Tell me about the worst experience you’ve had about shared transportation? What was it that made it bad?

What do you think is the best part of shared transportation?

What do you think is the worst part of shared transportation?

What would you change about shared transportation?

Where do you see shared transportation in the future?

First Interview: Sue

Introduction: Sue is my neighbor at home. She is an older woman who has not used shared transportation before. I wanted to interview her because she is an avid bicycle rider, using it for more than just traveling from point A to point B. I wanted to hear from someone who I believe could benefit from shared transportation, but chooses not to.

Summary of the conversation: My conversation with Sue was informative and even somewhat eye-opening. She was comfortable speaking with me as we have known one another for more than a decade; however, there was a lot I learned about her and her views on shared transportation. For the past few years, she has been doing volunteer work that entails transporting food on her bicycle. As I started digging deeper and prompting her with questions regarding her perspective of shared transportation, I observed her dismissing tones regarding the subject. She stated that most of these shared transportation methods are more for when you spontaneously want to take get somewhere or just want to do something. Additionally, she made it clear that she thinks they are more intended for younger people, saying that people of older generations mostly have cars and shy away from bicycle riding when they could just drive their cars. She felt as if some of the methods of shared transportation, like the Bird scooters and Lime Scooters seemed unsafe. She was even against the idea of giving shared transportation a try, even the Nice Ride bicycles that are exclusive to Minneapolis. When I asked why, she claimed that she had never needed to as she owns her own bicycle and is not a spontaneous person.

Key quotes: When asked, “Under what conditions would you use shared shared transportation?”, Sue claimed, “I would give shared transportation a try if I wasn’t almost sixty… I would’ve very much liked an impromptu bike ride with a few of my old friends after a night out. I think I still would be a little too scared to try the motorized scooters though.”

When asked, “What do you think is appealing about shared transportation?”, she quickly responded with, “I think it's beneficial for the environment, anything is better than cars. In this day and age, it's crucial for us to be cognizant of our carbon footprint. Period.”

While discussing shared transportation’s future, Sue noted that, “It needs to be more regulated. If it's going to grow or become a true alternative to commuting with automobiles, then there needs to be a set of rules for it. And I’m sure there will be other things [transportation innovators] come out with that are much crazier than what we have around here now.”

Second Interview: Nicholas

Introduction: Nicholas is the 16 year-old younger brother of a friend of mine. He is a frequent user of shared transportation. My friend had suggested I interview him, which felt fitting due to his history with shared transportation. I wanted to interview someone with a lot of experience using shared transportation and I thought it would be interesting to hear from someone of a younger age.

Summary of the conversation: It was kind of hard to get Nicholas to talk. He is sort of socially awkward and I could tell that he wasn’t taking our conversation seriously for the most part. Unfortunately, large chunks of the interview are awkward silences where we were waiting for each other to talk. Yet and still, I made sure not to rush the interview. Most of his answers to my questions were short; however, I did get a few things out of him. There were a few moments where I could sense his interest in Bird scooters. Just recently he started using them, and has since been using them as much as possible. He likened them to Ubers, but you have to seek them out and operate them independently. He thinks they are fun to ride too, and believes part of their appeal is the “enjoyment aspect”, as he called it. He said that he has also used the new Dockless Nice Rides, which are the blue bikes that can be seen around campus. He found them to be quite convenient, but he doesn’t like how they look which is not appealing to him and makes him want to ride them less.

Key quotes: When asked, “What would you change about shared transportation?”, he responded that, “It would be cool if they were easier to obtain, at least for [Bird scooters]. I usually have to track them down. Half the time I want to use one, there aren’t any nearby or I have to go out of my way to get one.”

When I asked him about what he found appealing about shared transportation, he said, “Well, I think Birds are appealing because they are fun. Theres not much more to say about it than that. It's just fun riding on an electric scooter.” I prompted him to tell me more, in which he replied, “I guess I also like how fast they are. Using a Bird or even a Nice Ride is a lot faster to get around than walking. They are especially nice if I’m having a lazy day and I really don’t want to walk.”

I followed this up by asking him what he didn’t like about shared transportation. He gave a pretty concise answer, but I think his response is important. He stated, “It costs money. It's pretty cheap to use [shared transportation], but at the end of the day, walking is free. Sometimes it doesn’t seem responsible to spend money on getting from place to place when I have two perfectly functioning legs.”

Third Interview: Simon

Introduction: Simon is a student at the University of Minnesota. Much like Nicholas, Simon is someone who often uses shared transportation. My interview with Nicholas didn’t really yield the information and conversational value that I thought it would, so I opted to interview someone who I knew I could count on for detailed information regarding shared transportation. Simon is an early adopter for shared transportation, and is considerably knowledgable about shared transportation.

Summary of the conversation: My conversation with Simon resulted in exactly what I had hoped for. He had no shortage of stories involving shared transportation. He shared first hand accounts and thoughtful answers, which I think to be valuable to user research. Whether it be shared bikes or shared scooters, Simon knew what he was talking about. The interview started with me asking him why he thinks shared transportation is important, and he immediately started spouting out his reasons. I immediately knew that he was fond of shared transportation. He claims that he uses shared transportation mostly for travels of moderate length, like getting from one end of campus to another. He likes the convenience of shared transportation as its almost always available in some form. He prefers using shared transportation as opposed to calling an Uber or a Lyft because its usually cheaper and he doesn’t have to wait around for the driver of his taxi service to arrive. After only praising shared transportation for a while, I got started asking questions that prompted criticism. He thought the apps for Bird and Lime scooters were a bit clumsy and clunky. Similarly, he proposed a redesign for the archaic Nice Ride docks. He said the programming in the terminal was terrible. He continued by saying that Bird and Lime scooters need a better structure, as he feels they are too loosely managed.

Key Quotes: I asked Simon what he thought needed to be changed about shared transportation. Among other changes he’d like, he told me, “I feel like most of the changes that should be made are more like little updates. Nice Rides need to be brought up to date. I think [shared scooters] need to better management. It’s too easy for people to destroy them and ruin the experience for other people. It would be nice to see an actual staff that maintains the bikes and scooters around here. And I think there should be more [shared transportation options] around the city! Services should be more widely dispersed, not just clustered in small areas.”

When talking about his fondest experience using shared transportation, he told me, “The best times are always spur the moment type trips. I mean, [shared transportation methods] create ways for people to get from place to place conveniently and easily, but theres nothing like being stuck in one place and wanting to get to another area and then realizing there is a bird right around the corner. Those rides are always the best.”

I asked him why he uses shared transportation. A simple question, but his answer was profound. “I use it because it is so convenient and liberating. When I say liberating, I mean there are no strings attached. For cars, you have to buy gas all the time. If you own a bike, you have to pump the tires. Little things like these are nonexistent with shared transportation. Its just liberating.”

Observe (Part 1)

I never knew that Lime scooters have a light. I thought this was either a recent addition to the scooter, or that I as well as others are misinformed about the company’s priority of safety. The light is quite bright, as seen in the photo above. There is also a red taillight, but it is not nearly as bright as the headlight.

A dockless Nice Ride bike outside of Folwell Hall. It is parked by the bike racks — a common occurrence around campus. Nearly every large bike rack area has a couple of these. It should be noted that these seem too much more contemporary than their green Nice Ride bike relatives, which require a dock. An update in design could mean an increase in demand for this service.

A Bird scooter parked right by a busy intersection on University Avenue. This is an example of someone being careless with where they decide to park their scooter. It is partially blocking the crosswalk, which gets in the way of other pedestrians. This example is quite mild compared to what I have seen in the past; however, it is not a common occurrence.

Observe (Part 2) Market Survey

The market for shared transportation is not a normal market. The stores aren’t brick and mortar. There is not a wide product landscape. The stores are the companies’ apps, and the products are specific to each company. With the exception of Nice Rides, I’ll explore the different apps that each company uses to sell their product of shared transportation.

Nice Ride Dock Station

The Nice Ride Dock Station. On a rainy day, the docks are all filled.

Each Bike is uniform and comes equipped with the same things. The bikes appear somewhat clunky, but they have gone a long time without an update. The blue dockless Nice Ride bikes are more of a separate iteration.

A horrendous unlocking device that usually encounters errors.

The terminal. Has some instructions and information on it. Houses the screen and pay module.

The archaic payment module/software. I pressed some buttons on it and felt the nostalgia of an old Nokia cell phone. In dire need of refurbishment!

Bird

A Bird scooter. It is simple — there is a brake and a throttle. It has a few other bells and whistles, like a literal bell and a light.

The app displays icons where the scooters are located.

This is the menu. It has payment options, free ride program, your ride history, a tutorial on riding the scooters, a safety explanation (which brings you to a web page), a help tab, a settings tab, and information on how to charge the scooters.

Payment options. Add a method of payment and it directly charges you after every ride.

The free ride (referral) program. You get a free ride every time you refer someone to Bird with your code. The person who uses your code gets a free ride too. Free rides are good for up to $5.

This is how you unlock a Bird scooter. You scan a QR code on the scooter, or enter in an alpha-numerical code located by the QR code on the scooter.

Lime

A Lime scooter. Comes equipped with varying features, depending on the model. Some models have speedometers and advanced lights.

The Lime app. It feels a lot more clunky than the Bird app because it searches for scooters in a different fashion. It uses a cluster like approach to display different areas, instead of just displaying everything in the area.

This is the Lime menu. It shows some of your ride stats, a free $3 credit referral program similar to Bird, wallet tab with payment options, ride history tab, settings tab, and a help tab. It also has an advertisement to recruit people to charge the scooters.

Lime’s payment method works differently than Bird’s. Lime has you prepay by purchasing a certain amount of credits. It has small incentives to buy more credits at once by offering the consumer $1 and $3 coupons when they buy $20 of credits and $50 of credits, respectively.

The referral program works the same as Bird’s, but instead of a single ride worth up to $5, it gives you $3 that can be used for multiple rides.

Unpacking

Major Insights

Wants: 1. Methods of shared transportation that are aesthetically pleasing. 2. More streamlined apps/ways of initiating shared transportation. 3. Cost-free shared transportation. 4. A larger priority on safety. 5. Easier to find/more dependable methods of shared transportation. 6. Increased social aspect incentive 7. Shared transportation that is less weather dependent

Needs: 1. Safer options for shared transportation. 2. Dedicated management. 3. Technologically contemporary interfaces. 4. Widely available shared transportation. 5. Something intended for all ages. 6. Methods of shared transportation that are not just for impromptu traversing.

Problem Statements

1. Older people need a way to decrease their use of automobiles because their continued unwavering use of automobiles hurts the environment.

2. People looking to commute to class or work need a way to cheaply commute because most cheap methods are not dependable.

3. Shared transportation companies need to update their services because in this day and age, technology is a large aspect of user experience.

Bad Design Hunt

This is a night mask. Its rigidity doesn’t allow it to properly conform to the user’s face, which essentially renders it to be worthless.

The angle that this washing machine opens up at is far too small. Due to this angle, it is a tedious task to load clothing into the washer. Additionally, I have hit my head on it far more than I should have.

The keys on my 2017 Macbook Pro have compromised key functionality for thinness. The mechanism under the key makes the key hard to get off without breaking it. This is due to the key’s paper-thin body. Dust gets trapped under here and renders the key useless which can be credited to the said faulty key mechanism.

These doors cannot both be opened. They collide at this point, which is annoying. This is an architectural blunder that should not have happened.

This outlet should not be hidden right under the towel. The towel ring or outlet should be moved.

Timeline:

10/3: Begin thinking about who I want to interview, and what I want to ask.

10/4: Write interview questions.

10/5: Start observing interactions and events pertaining to my sub-theme. Conduct interview(s) if possible.

10/6: Conduct interviews, visit storefronts. Continue observations and documentation.

10/7: Finish interviews if possible, compile information. Unpack information from interviews. Visit storefronts if still necessary. Compile observations.

10/8: Compile insights. Start blog.

10/9: Conclude problem statements. Finish blog, or at least come close.

10/10: Revise blog and put on finishing touches. Post blog when I’m done.