Refine suburban micromobility
Design of storage and charging services for micro-mobility
equipment owners in strategic locations in the suburbs
equipment owners in strategic locations in the suburbs
CLIENT
·
End of studies' project
CLIENT
·
End of studies' project
Client
End of Study Project
July 2019 - January 2020
Contribution
Product Design, Exploration, R&D
Team
Project in autonomy
Tools
Figma, Hotjar, Notion, Google Meet,
Google Form, Sheets, Miro...
Residents in suburbs face issues using electric scooters daily, such as laws limiting use, a lack of alternatives in small cities, safety risks, and tension over scooters' place in public areas. How can we encourage the use of electric scooters in suburbs?
CONTEXT
The overrepresentation of car usage in suburban travel
Micro-mobility is big for cities wanting green, less-traffic ways. But in suburbs where cars rule for short trips, it's hard to get people on board with portable micro-mobility like e-scooters and multi-modality. The lack of infrastructure for these can put off folks who stick to cars. Microbilys looks to give parking and storing for micro-mobility rides used for parts of daily travel.
Design process
A user-centered Design Thinking approach.
The design method used is based on user-centered Design Thinking. It involves framing the subject, researching, analyzing data, ideation, design, and evaluation. The design method is based on an iterative model. In this project, I was the only UX Designer and it was my responsibility to contact and include the necessary people for the completion of this project.
RESEARCH
Methodology
To better understand the subject, I first did secondary and competitive research to find current studies, data, and direct or indirect solutions out there. I also interviewed to experts like engineers, officials, sociologists, ethnologists. Next I made a quantitative survey via Google Forms with over 54 people to check or dispute hypotheses and trends in the data. Last, I had 30-45 minute qualitative interviews with 6 owners who regularly use electric micro-mobility gear for daily commutes.
METRIC 1
The micro-mobility market represents $100 to $150 billion in 2023
METRIC 2
42% of French people use their cars due to a lack of alternatives.
METRIC 3
41% of French people desire micro-mobility development.
Sources: According to studies by Ifop and Odoxa from 2018.
Key Findings
In 2020, a large portion of commutes of less than 3 kilometers are done by car due to lack of alternatives. The use of the car is therefore favored by a large portion of French people.Residents in suburbs face issues using electric scooters daily, like laws limiting use, lack of alternatives in small cities, safety risks, and tension over scooters' place in public areas.
However, electric micro-mobility (trips from 0 to 20 km, done with a small dedicated electric equipment) is finding more and more of a place in daily mobility and represents a real alternative. It can cover a large portion of daily trips, but many cities in France cannot benefit from it due to a lack of services and infrastructure for its development. It is also worth noting that this eco-friendly alternative promotes clean and soft mobility, and that demand is increasing.
Survey conducted via Google Form with 54 owners and non-owners of electric micro-mobility device.
During my research, I observed that many electric scooter owners have faced numerous problems, such as some places refusing access to electric scooters even when held by hand. This is because it is considered a motorized vehicle by french law. Additionally, during their daily commutes, many electric scooter owners face the issue of the size and weight of the scooter (≈15 kg). In certain situations, such as rush hour, it is almost impossible to access a train with a scooter in hand.
Insight 1
* Survey conducted via Google Form with 54 owners and non-owners of electric micro-mobility device.
Insight 2
* Survey conducted via Google Form with 54 owners and non-owners of electric micro-mobility device.
Insight 3
* Survey conducted via Google Form with 54 owners and non-owners of electric micro-mobility device.
Insight 4
** Source: Study conducted by Insee in 2015
Empathy map
To better understand users by focusing on their emotions, needs, attitudes, and environment, the empathy map was used to organize the data collected during the research.
Empathy map created during the research phase to gain a better understanding of users.
Personas
Based on data collected through interviews, quantitative surveys, and secondary research.
Ideations
Opportunities
The lack of solutions to develop and promote soft micro-mobility as a substitute for cars in the suburbs creates a need that must be addressed through design.
Mindmap used to enhance the ideation phase in the search for solutions.
A complete solution will have to take into account: a secure system for equipment monitoring, a network of stations developed to cover the entire territory, a quick, easy, and convenient use to adapt to all daily usage contexts, and finally a cost of service acceptable for regular use.
Iterations
Iterations
To find the most suitable solutions, numerous iterations with physical prototypes were designed to envision the most practical solutions that meet real-world usage constraints. For this project, I met with engineers to validate or invalidate technical possibilities. This helped save time on feasibility and find sometimes simpler and less costly solutions.
SOLUTION
Prototyping
The final solution that was envisaged involves the implementation of container units set up near high-traffic areas to provide storage solutions for electric micro-mobility teams. Accompanying these stations is a mobile application to offer additional functionalities such as reserving a locker before arrival, checking the battery charge status, knowing the available lockers and various stations for connecting with other modes of mobility, or reaching nearby shops and facilities.
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Communication poster for the Microbilys micro-mobility service
Unsure which approach would develop more trust and lead to more conversions,
I created user flows for both a long and a short onboarding experience,
with the goal of testing the two approaches.
Conclusion
Impacts and projections for the future
The proposal for this service has sparked the interest of many organizations during its presentation, including Bouygue Immobilier, which intends to implement it in its future connected real estate complexes.
The Grand Paris 2024 project has also shown interest in offering an additional mobility solution for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This would allow for an environmentally responsible mobility solution.
Lastly, the interest of KissKissBankBank, a pioneer in crowdfunding in France, prompted me to propose this project to "Skoda," who was seeking projects to support in the field of micro-mobility.
A major topic of eco-responsibility
Expressing heartfelt thanks goes to Mr. Laurent Gago, the instructors at e-artsup Paris, Mickaël Bétremant (co-director of WestonMills communication agency), Mr. Karim Aït Abderrahim (head of the "energy" laboratory at ESME), and Lorie Payet (Proofreading and correction).
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