BACKGROUND

I recently started commuting by bike to the office and quickly realized the challenge of keeping a bike safe in a big city like San Francisco, especially when making plans after work. I love cycling—it’s an efficient, fun, and eco-friendly way to get around. But the constant worry about secure parking to avoid theft can be a real barrier. This experience inspired me to explore a solution to help cyclists like myself find safe, convenient parking options.

In the United States, a bike is stolen every 30 seconds, totaling about 2,000 thefts daily.

Despite cities’ recent efforts in improving bike infrastructure, finding safe and secure parking remains a major challenge and an under-discussed topic for cyclists across the country.

SECONDARY RESEARCH

During this research, I explored open data sources like local government websites, bike advocacy groups, and forums such as Twitter and Reddit to gather insights on bike parking locations and theft. I found that security concerns significantly influence people's decision to bike, and there is a lack of tools to help cyclists find safe parking.

SPEAKING WITH USERS

I conducted 5 user interviews to understand how cyclists protect their bikes and the challenges they face when finding parking. Currently, cyclists rely on time-consuming methods like manually scanning for bike racks, asking local businesses, or searching online for information. These approaches are often unreliable, making it hard for cyclists to feel confident leaving their bikes unattended.

prioritizing features

Based on my research insights, I brainstormed ideas and identified opportunities. To focus on the most impactful ones within time constraints, I narrowed down to 4 key features:

• Bike Parking Database: Interactive map showing both free public and paid parking options
• Theft Risk Overlay: Indicating high-risk areas for bike theft
• User Ratings & Reviews: Helping cyclists make informed parking decisions

User flows

I created user flows to show how users navigate the different app's features. The flow below illustrates how a user would find a safe and secure parking spot near their destination.

Design Evolution

Starting from scratch with Velos, I began by sketching initial ideas and creating low-fidelity wireframes to explore a wide range of options, study how features would behave with one another, and establish a clear information hierarchy. I iterated through multiple versions, using usability testing to validate concepts and identify areas for improvement. Each round of refinement added fidelity and helped streamline the overall user experience.

Design Iterations

• The search bar was relocated to the bottom of the screen for better accessibility
• The color-coding for risk levels was simplified to a single color (red), with varying intensities to indicate different levels of risk
• The hotspot button went through several color iterations, with red being chosen as the most intuitive option for users
• The bike theft reporting button was taken off the default map due to user confusion and its perceived low priority, and was moved to the hamburger menu

Visual Design

For the Velos app, I aimed for a vibrant, modern design to appeal to a younger, active audience. I used neon colors to differentiate parking options and incorporated these bold accents throughout the app to create a cohesive, energetic feel.

To ensure a consistent and intuitive user experience, I developed a set of components and a small design system, making it easier to scale as the app evolves.

Interactive Map Exploration

The interactive map helps cyclists find bike parking options, plan their routes, and get further information on bike parking facilities.

Drawing inspiration from familiar and user-friendly map designs like Google and Apple Maps, I aimed for simplicity and intuitiveness to make information clear and accessible by:

• Using color coding and icons to represent different parking types
• Implementing high-contrast colors for better readability, especially for users with visual impairments
• Adding filters to help users quickly narrow searches and find options that fit their needs
• Minimizing clutter by limiting buttons in the default map and tucking away extra features into the hamburger menu

Prototyping and animating

As I wrapped up the design, I refined the prototype and added animations to make the app more dynamic and engaging. I really enjoyed this process, and seeing everything come together was a highlight.

These details added personality to the project, and during usability testing, users often expressed excitement and positive feedback, appreciating how the interactive elements enhanced the experience.

All Coming Along Together 🚴

Finding safe and secure bike parking has never been so easy or straightforward. The Velos app helps cyclists locate nearby parking, explore safer alternatives to street parking, and assess theft risk in specific areas. Users also have access to resources for minimizing the chances of theft, requesting new bike racks from the city, and discovering bike-friendly businesses.