ofo & mobike Research Case Study

Key Findings from 1st Field Study (Full Report)

Time: 3:30PM to 7:30PM
Location: Wu Yang Metro Exit

Insight 1

“Users seem to be preferring Mo-Bikes over ofo Bikes. This observation was made certain when riders continuously chose the few Mo-Bikes in the crowds of ofo Bikes.”

Next Steps:

To explore this further, I’d like to conduct intercept interviews right after a rider surveys, decides upon, and unlocks a bike that they would get on. This would give me the opportunity to observe a rider prior to them making a decision so I can compliment what they did with the actual interview.

Some Interview Questions:

• Why did you decide to ride this brand of bike?
• What made you choose this bike over the other bikes? E.g. what do you look for when you are selecting a bike?

What I’d like to learn from ofo:

1. What comes to mind when you hear this? Is rider behaviour research something that ofo has done? (For instance, either choosing a brand in a crowd of other brands or choosing a bike in a crowd of the same brand?)
2. Has or is ofo working on improving adoption through different efforts (marketing within the app, iterations on the physical experience of riding, etc?)

Insight 2

“The flow of bikers riding in & out of the metro station exits seem to be more natural for Mo-Bikes than ofo bikes. In a span of 4.5 hours, 4 ofo vans pulled up to manually place bikes compared to only 2 vans for Mo-Bike. Despite ofo bikes constantly outnumbering all other brands, Mo-Bikes, never more than 1/4 of ofos, appeared to be better utilized by riders.“

Next Steps:

To explore this further, I’d like to scale up my research by first diversifying the locations I visit and taking hard counts of the true +/- of bikes riding in & out while continuing to monitor the impact of vans that pull up to manually inject bikes.

What I’d like to learn from ofo:

1. Is there any insight you could share on how ofo decides to track & optimize its flow of bikes or utilizes data to maximize the flow so ofo is always trying to have the most riders possible? (for instance, how does ofo decide on how many bikes to place, when, and where to place them?
2. If ofo does make data & research informed decision(s) in the area of bike placement, what is the scale of this application? Is this individually catered to each station, exit, or location? Or is it by a city? Or an area’s traffic flow? Or something else?
3. Is there something that I am completely unaware of? For instance, ofo is currently prioritizing adoption over efficiency and care much more about getting word & presence over short term business goals & efficiency? As a result, pumping bikes out in the short term seem to be an optimal decision?

Insight 3

“There were many instances when a rider would place their items in the front basket of a Mo-Bike or ofo (ranging from a mother placing her child’s school bag, an adult’s backpack, groceries, etc).”

Next Steps:

To further explore a rider’s experience & needs, I’d like to conduct intercept interviews right after a rider surveys, decides upon, and unlocks a bike that they would get on. This would give me the opportunity to observe a rider prior to them making a decision so I can complement what they did with the actual interview

Some Interview Questions:

• Where are you coming from?
• What made you want to get on the bike as opposed to other transportation methods?
• Are there any inconveniences of riding that has occurred?

What I’d like to learn from ofo:

1. What has ofo done in terms of research of the physical usage & feel of these bikes? For instance, has the development of design been with the profiles of riders getting on bikes in traffic, with a lot of stuff, phone in one hand, etc?
2. Is ofo working on improving the “ergonomic-ness” of the riding experience?

Insight 4

“As I walked around, I saw many bikes damaged, mistreated, scratched. I thought, how can the culture of treating bikes better be improved? I also saw people wiping & inspecting the seats before choosing one.”

Next Steps:

Using the assumption that “the more people feel like something belongs to them, the better they tend to treat it,” I plan on conducting more in-depth research on the connections that can be made between ofo bikes & personal, home owned bikes.

After gathering insights on what someone values in their personal belongings (especially bikes), I would apply those findings to researching how to make ofo more personal.

What I’d like to learn from you:

1. Has ofo done research on making its brand & riding experience as personal as possible?
2. Are there other research or plans on improving riders’ habits, treatment or culture? (for instance, not just riding to a destination and tossing the bike to the side)

For more information, please contact: DL548@cornell.edu