Bicycle Space Case Study | Tristanmachado

About the Client

BicycleSPACE is a community-centered bike shop in DC that values people as much more than customers. In their shop, they sell a finely curated selection of quality bicycles for people who live in the city: those who use their bikes to get around town, commuters, recreational trail riders, those looking to get into a great physical shape, and those looking for a sense of adventure. If you're looking for your first bicycle and have no idea where to start, their door is wide open to you.

BicycleSPACE leads numerous social and educational events that bring Washingtonians together while celebrating the freedom of bicycling. They are actively involved in creating a better DC, and occasions to socialize, learn, see new parts of town, open minds to new ideas, revel in the delights of the city, be responsible stewards of the environment and pave the way to a more just, sustainable, kind and respectful society. Drawing hundreds of participants, BicycleSPACE's larger social rides are one of many reasons why the shop was voted Best Bike Shop in the first-annual Washington Area Bicyclists Choice awards in 2015, and regularly receives national and local accolades.

BicycleSPACE wants to encourage a greater sense of community for their customers. Currently, most of their community-oriented communication and activities are hosted on a Facebook Page. The site is outdated and needs some love.

Duration

2 weeks

My Role

UX Designer, Researcher, UI Designer

My Team

Jeff Shin
Diana Troung
Blake Harrigan

Tools

Figma
Otter AI
Zoom
Google Docs/ Sheets
Smart Sheets

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Process

To begin our design process we applied several research methods to identify pain points associated amongst cyclists and their community. These methods included user surveys, competitive & comparative analysis, feature/ element analysis and 6 user interviews. We then began to synthesize this data through collaborative affinity mapping sessions, user flows and task analysis to generate personas and problem statements. During this process we uncovered several root problems associated with the site along with possible solutions. Once these solutions were converted into functioning prototypes, we sought to validate our design decisions by means of usability testing. We then took into consideration the feedback from these tests and began iterating.

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User Insights

Cyclers prefer to be part of a community where they can foster connections.
Users prefer leisurely, self-paced riding events over high speed competitive ones.
Users seem to know exactly what they want in a bike
Most users seem to prefer paved trails over hilly terrain
Majority of riders seem to face safety concerns with this activity
Cyclers view riding as a cheap efficient way of transport
Cyclist also view riding as a healthy activity to get outdoors
Users feel cycling is an expensive sport/hobby and would like discounts and reward programs to be offered to their community
Cyclists like to use digital tools to track their riding data
Cyclers would like to be aware of their route prior to and post ride
Users find cycling to be a freeing activity
Cyclers would like to test bikes before investing in one of their own
Users need their bike purchases to be dependable
Users are interested in learning about bikes and how to fix them.
Cyclers want to be able to trade tips and tricks and buy and sell parts within their community

From this data we were able to identify two clear personas. Budget friendly riders who commute to work and novice bikers looking to be apart of a community. Thus we present to you, Cam the Commuter and Nate the Novice.

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Problem

Cam the Commuter needs easy access to information about bikes and bike parts so that she can learn how to save money by maintaining a bike herself. She also needs a way to purchase cheaper bike parts so that she can manage her tight budget.

Nate the Novice needs a way to easily find and join local cycling communities because he enjoys fostering new connections through his hobbies and interests. As a novice, Nate also needs a way to learn more about cycling so that he may feel more confident making connections within the community.

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Solution

Cam the Commuter

By offering multiple access points to the “Guides” page, a dedicated “On Sale” page, and a newsletter subscription with a clear sign up call-to-action to stay up to date on latest store deals and discounts, we believe our site can serve as an informational hub for users and thus enhance our community-friendly brand image. These changes are likely to raise brand loyalty and increase site retention times by 15%.

Nate the Novice

By offering multiple access points to reach the “Community” and “Group Rides” pages and including filter options for group rides, we can streamline the user flow to search for and join an event, thus decreasing sign up abandonment rates. These changes will likely increase the event sign up conversion rates by 20%.