Citi Bike Vision
A feature using augmented reality glasses that helps Citi Bike users navigate more safely.
PRODUCT DESIGN
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AUGMENTED REALITY
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Overview
PROJECT TYPE
UX/UI Case Study
Independent Project
TIMELINE
Sep - Dec 2024
ROLE
UX Researcher
UI Designer
SKILLS
Product Design
Interaction Design
Brand Design
TOOLS
Figma
Miro
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Citi Bike Vision integrates augmented reality glasses to enhance urban cycling with real-time navigation, safety alerts, and route efficiency. Designed for convenience and safety, it transforms city biking into a seamless and tech-driven experience.
Real-Time Navigation
Users can go from finding a destination to unlocking a bike to even being supported by real-time navigation using this AR feature. The real-time navigation provides users with audio and visual cues that shows your path with turn-by-turn directions, estimated arrival times, and any shortcuts you can take.
Crowdsourced Dock Info
Real-Time Support
Users can see information about each dock, including the location of the dock, how many bikes or ebikes are avaliable. Users can also report if the dock has any issues and other users will be able to see.
Users can receive immediate and in depth customer support through calling support or through an AR diagnostic that aids in finding issues with either a bike or dock.
How did this whole project begin anyways?
Well ...
As you can see I'm an avid Citi biker.
Altogether I’ve citi biked for 1 day, 16 hours, and 11 minutes.
Though I do love Citi biking, I've noticed two main issues in the current experience.
🗺️
Navigation Challenges
Citi Bike’s navigation is app-based, requiring riders to stop or check their phones while biking, increasing safety risks. Additionally, without turn-by-turn guidance or real-time updates on road conditions and dock availability, riders can face unnecessary delays.
🦺
Safety Concerns
With 3,500–4,500 cyclist injuries annually, safety is critical in a bustling city like NYC. Cyclists face hazards from unpredictable pedestrians, reckless riders, poor road conditions, limited bike lane infrastructure and so much more.
With these issues in mind, I began to ask:
How might we help Citi Bike users navigate better, so they can ride more confidently and avoid accidents?
VALUE PROPOSITION IDEATION
Citi Bike Vision is the feature that allows Citi Bike users to navigate safely and stay aware of their surroundings through AR glasses that provide real-time navigation, hazard alerts, and safety notifications.
KEY FEATURE IDEATION
🧭
Real-Time Navigation
The audio and visual navigation system shows your path with turn-by-turn directions, estimated arrival times, and shortcuts you can take.
🚸
Safety Alerts
The audio and visual alerts warn you if you're too close to pedestrians or cars, if you're going too fast, or if there's an accident or obstacle in your lane.
🚴
Dock Info
Interface shows you information on available docks, the closest dock, and other dock related details.
Let's now take a look at who Citi Bike Vision is competing against ...
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS LEARNINGS
Through my research, I’ve identified an opportunity for Citi Bike AR to enhance biking experiences by focusing on navigation, safety, and docking system integration. Unlike traditional navigation or biking apps, Citi Bike AR offers real-time audio and visual navigation, safety alerts , and provides information on available docks, ensuring a seamless and secure biking journey.
Now that we've explored the landscape of competitors, let's shift our focus to the heart of our design: The Users!
USER PERSONAS
To understand the user better, I developed user personas to represent the ideal users. Specifically, Citi Bike’s customer base is mostly made up of long term subscribers who are 35-44 years old. These cyclists often use Citi Bike to commute to work, run errands and for leisure.
After identifying the ideal users of Citi Bike Vision, I created user journeys to help answer this question:
What are the patterns, key problems and areas of opportunity within Jimmy and Ella’s current Citi Bike experience?
Now let's start designing the content of Citi Bike Vision!
Let's translate all this information into visuals!
This was my first time designing an AR interface, and I definitely learned how different the UI was compared to mobile designs.
From here, I took my designs on to the bike lane and asked Citi bikers what they thought of the concept and designs created so far.
I conducted 30 minute in-depth interviews with 5 Citi Bike users in New York City. During the interviews, the 5 interviewees carefully listened to my proposed solution, analyzed wireframes, and gave me helpful feedback on both my designs and their user needs.
USER INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
100% of participants liked the dock finding feature and safety alerts
100%
80% of participants disliked the stopped biking alert feature and the proximity warning feature
80%
Overall, the participants' liked features revolve around convenience, safety and flexibility. The disliked features mostly involved things that could be too redundant, overly sensitive or disruptive in their biking experience.
100% of participants understood the overall concept of this product.
100%
100% of participants use Citi Bikes mainly for commuting (getting to work, home, etc…)
100%
80% of participants expressed hesitancy or discomfort in the idea of using AR glasses.
80%
Using the user interview insights, I came up with three design refinements that would help improve Citi Bike Vision's overall experience.
REFINEMENT 1
Less distracting interface
Focusing on more intuitive navigation and the relationship between visibility of information and the visibility of the real world.
REFINEMENT 2
Crowdsourced docking information
Self-reported information can improve the awareness of bike and dock details, allowing individuals to share real-time updates for others to see and ultimately have a smoother and reliable commute.
REFINEMENT 3
Visual customer support
AR diagnostic and visual assistance. Video call with customer support through glasses, to directly show the users’ issue.
Now with these revised solutions, I began designing Citi Bike Vision’s visual aspects and brand identity.
I created three different stylescapes, from strategically analyzing Citi Bike Vision’s competition. This ranged from Citi Bike Vision’s competitor’s logo, typography, color and imagery. After creating all three, I decided to continue with the third stylescape as it best matched Citi Bike’s existing brand identity.
Reflections
User feedback is essential.
Direct user input was crucial in shaping the Citi Bike AR feature. Each round of testing revealed unexpected insights, proving that real user feedback drives meaningful improvements and ensures the design aligns with user needs.
AR/VR design requires a unique approach.
Designing for AR/VR isn’t like designing for traditional screens. Spatial context, user focus, and safety are critical considerations. Every interface element must be clear, purposeful, and minimally intrusive to avoid overwhelming the user.
Seamless integration is key.
AR technology should enhance, not disrupt. In the Citi Bike AR feature, intuitive cues and easy-to-understand notifications ensured the experience felt natural and unobtrusive, blending smoothly into the user’s journey.
