Spotter
A security device with user facing application that lets the user know if their bike is safe in the parking.
THE PROBLEM
Bicycles are a common source for people now for movement. It's easy to use, gives zero pollution and good for your health. But one major concern about bike users is it's frequent theft even when it is locked.
Bikes are easily stolen even from parking lots even when they are locked. This makes it it difficult for users to track their bike and the chances of recovering stolen bikes is 20%. Spotter is an IoT device that alerts user if any movement is detected in their bike and even has a GPS system which makes it possible for the owner to track the bike down.
HIGH LEVEL TIMELINE
The UX part of the project was completed in 6 weeks.
MAKE OF THE TEAM
I collaborated with 1 UI designer and 1 developer for this project.
KEY GOAL
Design a security app which connects o IoT device and send out alert.
MY ROLE
I was the UX researcher of this project.
The main concept of this security device and mobile app is that the user can attach the device to their bike and connect with the mobile app for rest of the settings. The programs used are
Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Invision
RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
In order to better understand the problem space and user needs I conducted observations and user interviews. I conducted six informal interviews and since this project was done during the coronavirus pandemic, the research was done remotely.
The findings from the interview were-
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People always lock their bike.
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People are always concerned that even if their bike is properly locked it would still get stolen.
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This proves as a hindrance in the work they are doing.
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70% users had their bike stolen at some point.
Ideation
At the beginning of the project to focus our scope, we brainstormed five or more problem areas. We came together to discuss each of our ideas and sort them into broad categories. We then utilized dot voting as a way to gauge interest in a broad category or a specific idea. The dot voting revealed primary interests in the categories of work/travel and health/exercise. It also demonstrated interests in the following ideas-
Securing your bike and smart locks
Reimagining commute
Portable bikes
Ballot boxes
With these broad categories and specific ideas in mind we all went to the sketching board to further ideate. After sharing our ideas, we narrowed our focus and utilized dot voting again to discuss the following categories-
Securing bikes
voting
an interactive whiteboard
portable locks/alarm system
When we iterated on the idea, we came up with the idea of a personified robot that would spot any unsolicited activity, motion sending, proximity sensing and be able to alert the user via an app and by flashing or making a sound to create a diversion tactic. We also thought that the device would be able to track the location of the bike if it was stolen.
Our initial analysis determined that our project would focus on security of bikes in any space. We defined our target audience as young professionals and students (19 to 40 years) who commute to work, school, college etc with bike.
Research Questions-
The main research questions that we came up with during our studies were-
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What does it mean for your bike to be "safe"?
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How do you feel about keeping your bike safe in a public space?
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What are the actions people take when concerned about the safety of their bikes?
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What would you do if you forget your bike lock?
I did a Diary Study in order to understand how individuals go around with their bikes and role of their bikes in their daily life. I asked participants for a brief daily activity over a course of three days. I then did some interviews with 6 participants. The key insights that I gathered were-
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People who commute everyday with bike don't prefer any other mode of transportation.
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A potential security device needs to be small/manageable that it doesn't catch too much attention and should blend in with the bike.
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There is some sort of security at public parking spaces or crowded spaces but bike owners still worry about the safety of their bikes.
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If theft or a loud noise was occurring other people or bystanders would feel compelled to investigate.
Personas and Journey Maps
Based on the research findings, persona and user journey map was constructed. The journey map displays the journey of installing the security device on the bike and activating it via the mobile app.
System Concept and Architecture
Our IoT device, Spotter, functions as a beacon with different sensors like motion, proximity and fingerprint. We decided on the device shape to be round as that could easily be attached to the tail light or head light or hub or even below the seat. The device can be stuck to those places with a super glue like substance which already comes attached with the device. The other components on the device include GPS, light and speaker. The device is powered through a rechargeable battery. The user interacts with the device and can switch it on or off by setting up the fingerprint sensor. All information about the device can be managed through the user facing mobile application. The device interacts with it's surrounding and shares information to and from the server. The proximity and motion sensors serve as the security sensors, while the finger print and blue tooth sensor connects with the mobile app and bike for GPS tracking.
Task Flow
The task flow shows how the user can install the device and pair it with the app. They can also personalize a few features on the app.
THESE WERE SOME MAJOR LEARNINGS OR POINTS WE WANTED TO CALL OUT
Ideation and Selection
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Safety
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Legibility
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Appropriate
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Usefulness
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Pleasure
Security Device Concept
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Should be small and portable.
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Should be able to blend in with other features of the bike.
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Waterproof and rechargeable battery.
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Should easily attach to the bike.
Technological Constraints
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Users don't want to get bothered by app notifications all the time.
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If the user doesn't physically have their phone with them the security device would be useless.
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Specific threshold that will trigger Spotter's alert and notifications.
DESIGN PHASE
I used Figma to wireframe the mobile application screens. From there I and the UI designer chose a color scheme and those wireframes were then transformed into high fidelity prototypes.
Wireframes
High fidelity screens
User Onboarding
Onboarding the user to the app helps introduce them to Spotter, understand the features and connect their Spotter device to the application so that they can start setting up their desired security settings.
Alarm and Security Settings
The user can quickly change their settings on the home screen for the on-fly adjustments. There is a Profile page as well where the user can enter their details and even sync with Google account. The map page shows the full map in case a theft occurs , real time location of the bike will be available as long as the device is still attached to the bike.
Alarm Push Settings
The user will be able to receive push notifications alerting them to current Spotter settings. If Spotter sensors detect movement of their bike the user will be notified in the manner they select- either Spotter will set off an alarm
Spotter Device
The Spotter device can be attached to any part of the bike like tail light, head light etc. The device a self adhesive patch on it's back. It can be stuck to any part like a sticker. The device is waterproof. The user can turn off the alarm through a biometric fingerprint sensor on the surface of Spotter.
Ideal System Proposal
Spotter is a personal security device that can be used to guard one's bicycles. The ideal device is driven by beacon technology and has sensors to detect potential theft. The device comes with a user facing application. The key components of the device are
Sensors
Speaker
BLE Beacon
User facing app
LESSONS LEARNED
Reflections and Limitations
Although our product solves the problem of security and guarding bikes, it still suffers from certain challenges that might surface in other rounds of usability testing.
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Identifying accurate radius is important for the device, the alarm can still go on in non theft situations.
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Currently the device is triggered manually by the user activating it. This might be a repetitive task for the user. Also, the user might forget to enable the device.
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The size of our prototype might not be able to incorporate the features that we promised. This needs to be validated in the next step when we would manufacture the product commercially.
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Users might want to limit the amount of notifications they receive from Spotter.
While we believe that our product created a sense of security and safety towards people and their bikes, we acknowledge two major areas of opportunities that came up during our research. Firstly, it is difficult to incorporate a product like this into the user's daily life with all the technology that already exists around us today. The success of this product depends not only on how well the security features are but also how the user will adapt an additional device in their lives. Secondly, our research revealed that personalization was a core feature that the users wanted in a security device.
Given that this was a course limited in time as well as one that was remote due to external factors, our MVP is also limited and shows exactly what it sates: a minimal security device. It was a challenge to create a product in the pandemic scenarios given that a lot of general user behaviors have changed. Although this definitely creates a huge opportunity for our product to create an impact in the time that lies ahead of us.
