A survey was created to assess cyclists' current needs and their usage of biking apps, aiming to identify pain points and explore opportunities to improve BikeMaps' user engagement and increase the number of reports submitted.
How we did it ↓
BikeMaps.org
Interviews
Usability Testing
Survey
Prototyping
Current platform, before redesign
Project Overview
BikeMaps.org is a is a global tool that allows people to map cycling collisions, near misses, hazards, and thefts, creating an interactive database of cycling experiences to improve cycling safety. I partnered with them to enhance the usability and overall user experience of the platform to increase accident reporting and strengthen local advocacy.
My Role
As a UX Design Consultant
Methods
Surveys, Interviews, Usability Testing, Wireframing, High-Fidelity Prototyping
Tools
Figma, Qualtrics, Zoom
How might we encourage accident reporting on BikeMaps.org?
250
survey responses
Explore how cyclists use biking apps, revealing where they support and fall short
5
interviews
Gain deeper insights on routines, challenges, and needs
5
usability tests
Rapid iterative testing and evaluation with new designs
What we learned ↓
Key Insight #1
Current navigation apps do not meet cyclists' needs, prioritizing time over safety and lacking detailed infrastructure information
Key Insight #2
49% of respondents prioritize detailed path info, including protected lanes and merges
Key Insight #3
Cyclists want hazard reporting to lead to tangible infrastructure changes, with updates and tools to engage local decision-makers
“Most people would necessarily change routes to avoid hotspots. It feels like if the focus were on using the data that’s collected to change hotspots to make them safer, people might buy in more and input their ride data.”
— Participant
⭐Key Takeaway
The platform should go beyond navigation; it should empower the community to drive real-world improvements
How my idea evolved ↓
Initial Concept
Accurate route planning that adapts to user behavior, experience, and preferences
New Concept
A community hub that provides safe cycling coalitions with data-driven insights
User interviews revealed that cyclists were more interested in advocacy and collective action than just safer navigation. This led to a shift in focus from a “Google Maps for cyclists” approach to building a local cycling hub where users can find safe routes and actively participate in improving infrastructure.
Where this fits into the user journey ↓
Figuring out the flows ↓
What I came up with ↓
Solution
🗣️Amplify voices
Venue to capture voices currently missing from the planning process
🤝Local engagement
Interact with relevant activity near you by voting and offering support
⚡Easy reporting
Simplify the reporting process to encourage reporting
Submit & Interact with Reports
Share your experience, offer support, or escalate issues to the city to drive change
Community Pages
The Community Pages serve as a central hub for local cycling advocacy, offering newsletters, local resources, meeting updates, events, and tools for municipal action
Given the short duration of the project, I documented our work in a process book so the team could access it later during implementation
Reflection
Interviews were much more impactful than a survey in this case
In this case, semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders were more impactful because I was able to ask follow-up questions and dive deeper into their routines and pain points. I definitely want to incorporate more interviews in the future and early on in my process.
Balance vision with reality and know when to sunset ideas
While my initial goal based on user research was to design a mobile app with navigation features, I realized the approach wasn’t practical due to limited timeline, budget, and development resources. I pivoted to enhancing the existing website, enabling the organization to implement meaningful changes more quickly and cost-effectively.
