CyclePod is an IoT device that encourages busy cyclists to make time in their schedules for riding.

Process

RESEARCH

I started off this project knowing I wanted to design something for bicycling. Not knowing what their wants or needs were, I made sure to go out and talk to some local bicyclists and hear about their own experiences.

How often do you ride your bike?

What do you dislike about riding?

Do you ride just for fun or as transporation?

How do you navigate before/while you ride?

Won't ride his bike anywhere new unless he has someone ahead of him he can follow

Often ends up with low tires from riding on roads that are in bad condition

"I enjoy riding, but I'm so busy with school I forget to make time for it—even if I do have an hour or two in between classes."

Hates riding in the rain because he’s never prepared and always ends up getting wet

Loves to go mountain biking and trail riding but has to keep two bikes to keep it up

SYNTHESIS

From listening to people's stories and identifying patterns across all their experiences, I uncovered insights into some of their wants and needs around cycling, both for commuting and enjoyment purposes.

Finding time to ride is a bigger painpaint for recreational cyclists than on-road navigation.

IDEATION

Starting out broad and generative I worked through brainstorming ideas, sketching out product forms, and exploring visual styles, and then narrowed down to more refined concepts by wireframing UI screens, defining product branding, and storyboarding the FTUE. 

Cheatstorming

Using a variant of brainstorming called Cheatstorming, I generated dozens of unique ideas for products and services formatted into IDEO-inspired concept sheets. Then, through peer review, I narrowed down concepts based on alignment with the project insights.

Ride-minder

A self-driving miniature bike

A personal desktop assistant which notifies you when you have some spare time to go out and ride, and reminds you when your bike has been idle for too long.

Bike Moods

Ride your bike to keep it happy

A device which encourages you to have a more personal relationship with your bike and make a more selfless committment to riding on a regular basis.

Product Design Sketches

I landed on the idea of a reminder-based device that the user could keep at home. Inspired by the Nest Thermostat, I took on the challenge of designing a sleek form factor with intuitive controls as well as UI screens that could be formatted for the round interface.

Sleek, Modern, Intuitive

Branding Design

Expanding out from the physical design of the product itself, I took some time to really think about what kind of feeling I wanted CyclePod to evoke as a brand. As a cyclist myself, I was inspired by the serenity and blue/green tones of nature.

The main controls of the device TURN and PUSH are reflected in the final design of the logo

Storyboarding

Before filming the promo video, I made sure to create a series of storyboards illustrating how CyclePod would be used in a person's life and tested them with multiple people to make sure the concept and narrative were being communicated clearly and effectively.

PROTOTYPING

The timeline for this project afforded a smoke-and-mirrors prototype which I achieved through the use of recycled objects and projection mapping.

Process