UX/UI
AR

KIVO: Make Cycling Approachable

brief

The cycling industry faces accessibility issues in service and maintenance for cyclists due to gatekeeping practices, a lack of user-friendly resources, and complex bike part codes.

The Problem

High Learning Curve to proper cycling maintenance and practices making it challenging for new Cyclists, or becomes a barrier of entry for those interested.

Results & Takeaways

Streamlined bike maintenance by making cycling information more accessible and user-friendly. New skill: aligning AR capabilities with effective UI/UX design to enhance user experience.

My Role

Research, Ideation, UI/UX, Visual Design, Prototyping, 3D Modeling

Tools

Figma, Figjam, Powerpoint, Maya, Adobe Aero

Year

2023

Opportunity

Making cycling more approachable and welcoming for beginners, fostering a more inclusive and knowledgeable community.

Streamline processes, enhance accessibility, and improve knowledge-sharing within the cycling community.

Highlights

Research Methods

Maddy, our bike expert, provided valuable insights throughout the research phase.

We focused our data on the perspectives of casual and beginner cyclists. Primarily on four individuals identifying as female and under 5'5". These participants offering valuable representation of casual cycling experiences.

1.

Autoethnography

2.

Qualitative Data

3.

Affinity Diagrams

4.

Personas

5.

Preliminary Diagramming

6.

Storyboarding
gif showcasing research work

Research Findings

Motivations
Maintain their bikes to ensure functionality and usability for commuting through urban spaces,social interactions with others, and exploring nature on trails.
Fears
Seeking professional help, often opting to handle issues themselves or ask family. Concerned about road safety.
Habits
Often handle maintenance and troubleshooting independently and rely on family, ride for practical reasons, and prefer to solve issues independently, avoiding professional assistance.
Pain Points
Elitist mentality and poorly designed resources create high barriers to entry in cycling.

Key Problems

Gatekeeping practices:
Lack of well-designed resources and knowledge sharing due to elitist mentality creates a high barrier of entry top cycling.
Fear of engaging:
Elitism and lack of knowledge make having a quality cycling experience hard
Not User-Focused:
Complex codes make simple bike repairs difficult and deter people from seeking help or fixing issues

Process

Our Approach

Learning and Troubleshooting
  • Accessible resource allowing cyclist of all levels to learn about bike maintenance and technical issues
  • AR tool: identify issues and provide an engaging experience
Support every step of the way
  • Identify issues and assist with basic maintenance and repairs
  • Direct and assist with communication with local shops if the issue exceeds app capabilities
Parts and Compatibility
  • Database of parts showing their compatibility and purchasing options

Why Augmented Reality?

The main barrier is a lack of knowledge about bike parts and their names. Our research showed that visuals simplified the learning experience and made it more engaging for users.

Task Flow & System map

We created a system map to determine the app's organizational structure, which enabled us to identify six key task flows for our wireframes. From that point onwards, we continuously tested and iterated on our design.

Solution

AR Learning Assistant

Kivo aims to enhance the bike maintenance experience across various biking activities by simplifying key skills through augmented reality (AR) technology. This approach visually educates users about their bikes, prevents tool misuse, and identifies errors during repairs. By addressing resource gaps, complex terminology, and the lack of an organized bike parts database, Kivo provides comprehensive maintenance guidance, ultimately improving bike upkeep.

01 — Home Screen

The app uses weather and Strava APIs to display metrics and send maintenance alerts on the homepage. Page formats adjust to user experience levels. It identifies knowledge gaps and prompts educational modules.

02 — Maintenance

Kivo's maintenance feature uses Strava and weather data to prompt bike upkeep, educating beginners and assisting experienced cyclists to prevent breakdowns and costly repairs.

03 — Repairs

The repair feature in Kivo app uses AR and tutorials to fix issues. Complex problems prompt users to visit a bike shop for assistance.

04 — Learning Module

Kivo's learning module is user-friendly, using AR to identify bike parts specific to the user's bike.

05 — Modify

Kivo's modify feature lets users search for compatible bike parts and preview them in their bike's context, with a parts index and purchase directions.