Challenge
Realize a cycle swarm (a swarm of cyclists) scenario that dynamically grows and lessens as it moves through the city of Berlin.
Outcome
Cycle Swarm, an app and wearable product system concept.
Method(s):
Primary/Secondary Research
Prototyping
Human-centred Design
My Role
I worked under one supervisor but I did all my work primarily alone. All illustrations, designs, and research was created, and conducted by me. I presented my work to a cohort of my supervisors peers at the end of my contract and illustrated a diagram for a research proposal for my supervisor.
Project Team
Ruslan Hétu
During a two month internship at DKFI, (German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence), I realizing a cyclist swarm concept that my supervisor had dreamt of. The concept was to create a system where cyclists could travel around the city as swarms. Cycle Swarm builds the cycling community, creates a safer cycling environment and promotes cycling as a means of travel.
This is how it works…
The cycle swarm
“How might we enable people not knowing each other to find other cyclists who can share parts of their current route? ”
Maria sets out in the morning to join the swarm. Her device connects to her phone and as she approaches the swarm communicates with the other cyclists devices using IoT technologies. As Maria approaches the swarm, cyclists within the swarm are then prompted by their wearable device to greet Maria with a wave. When Maria approaches her destination, the app then continues to guides her on her journey and the swarm goes on…
Below I present the design process of this product…
my process…
Coming from Alberta where there are 8 months of winter, I hadn’t had much experience with the cycling culture. While in Berlin, I immersed myself in the culture through observation, conversation and experiences.
While I immersed myself in the cycling culture, I also looked into what swarm behavior is and what it looks like in nature. Based on my research and a suggestion from one of my university professors, I focused my research on a form of swarm behavior called Stigmergy.
“The principle [of stigmergy] is that work performed by an agent leaves a trace in the environment that stimulates the performance of subsequent work—by the same or other agents.”
After developing an initial framework of a system based on Stigmergy and the data I had collected from my experiences, my supervisor and I decided to focus my efforts onto designing the process of discovering and entering a cycle swarm.
Ideation
While ideating, I had written down my assumptions as a designer, then created the needs, wants and limitations based on the primary and secondary research I had conducted.
Assumptions:
Auditory signal would be drowned out by the cycling environment
Having a device that is attached to a helmet would limit the user base
Other devices that light up on the bicycle would limit space on the bicycle for an additional light.
Needs:
Communicate to the user where, and how to get to the swarm
Wants:
To communicate this in a way that doesn’t distract or endanger the user.
Limitations:
By the cycling environment, noises, lots of visual information
By the bicycle itself
By the user
Prototyping
The chosen concept was a wearable device located around the arm. The arm is a good place for the device because a friendly wave is a very human way to signal other riders when entering the swarm and the action of a wave highly transferable into signals for device inputs. For the prototype, I decided to test out one key concept of the swarm system, where a wearable device should be located on the user to effectively communicate with people in the swarm as well as those outside the swarm.
When developing the prototype, I had two design objectives:
Primary:
Enable users to find and take part of cycling swarms. The prototype used remote controlled tea light LEDs to simulate where a potential device could be located.
Secondary:
Help cycling communities grow through more social interaction.
User Testing
To test the prototype, I then developed a user test that would use the prototype. In this user test, I had participant one standing with their back to the course, and participant two cycling a course behind them. Once I gave P1 the signal, they would turn around to look at the course. Meanwhile P2 would be given a signal on their prototype device to wave their hand, mimicking the proposed signal system. I then had P1 and P2 fill out surveys to gather data on their experience.
I ran this user test with each of the prototypes to find which location was best suited for P1 to receive the signal to join the swarm. After running the test multiple times, I then compiled and analyzed the data and translated my findings into the final product, the cycle swarm.
Reflection
This was a very important experience for me as this was my first time truly working as a designer. I remember worrying I wouldn’t know what to do once I started my internship. I had to remind myself many times to just trust the process I had been practicing and I would be able to figure it out. I learned a lot about myself as a designer, and especially the importance of project management and keeping detailed research notes. Moving to Germany for the summer and working in a foreign environment also showed me the importance of visuals like sketching or icons in communication with my supervisor and colleagues. While mostly everyone in the office spoke English, it wasn’t the main language and so visuals really became key to conveying complex topics. Germany was truly a special place to work especially for a designer and I’d love to work there again someday.