Linus Bikes
Project: Mobile App Design
Client: Linus Bikes
Tools: Whiteboard, Post-its, Sketch, InVision, Photoshop, Lightroom, Camera, Keynote, Trello, Slack, RealTime Board, Whimsical, Quicktime
My Role: UX/UI Designer, UX Researcher
The Company
Linus Bikes is a Los Angeles based bike company that manufactures and sells bicycles for city cruising and commuter use.
The Challenge
To increase sales, Linus Bikes asked our team to design a user-friendly mobile website to allow users to add customized accessories and preview them using AR features. They also wanted to expand their brand to encompass their customer’s lifestyles and values.
The Solution
We achieved this goal by creating a mobile app that allowed users to customize their bikes using AR features to realistically view the product before completing the purchase. Additionally, we designed an events page with local community rides and encouraged users to share the hashtag #LINUSLIFESTYLE through social media.
Discover C and C Analysis Interviews Brand Research
Competitive and Comparative Analysis: E-Commerce Features
Linus Bike’s lacked many of the features that fit current mobile commerce trends, but analysis revealed the majority of their competitors had also not taken advantage of some of this emerging technology. This is a way for Linus to gain an advantage over its competitors.
Competitive and Comparative Analysis: Online Presence
We conducted a C and C analysis of several competitors to understand the current marketplace. As far as online presence, Linus has many of the conventional features its competitors have: Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. But, they are lacking brand-related events. These events could help Linus expand its branding beyond just bikes and connect to the values and desires of its customer base.
User Interviews
We conducted user interviews to find out whether introducing an AR feature on a native app for Linus Bikes would not only benefit the consumer by allowing them to add accessories to their bikes virtually but to generate more sales for Linus. We also wanted to encompass the mindset and lifestyle of the customers in order to redefine and expand their brand.
Brand Research
Linus Bike has a strong image that matches their customer’s self-perception and desires. The users aspire to a stylish, vintage aesthetic. They also want to reflect a lifestyle that is hip yet embraces a love of the outdoors and the environment.
Define Affinity Mapping User Persona Journey Map
Affinity Mapping
To synthesize the data from our user interviews and identify key trends, we constructed an Affinity Map. We grouped our findings into categories to help us deduce which features we needed to prioritize. We utilized affinity mapping to create a persona that captures the essence of the user.
User Persona
By synthesizing the data, interviews, and affinity mapping, we created a user persona to determine the needs, goals, and frustrations of the target user. Our persona helped us maintain the direction of the project with the user in mind throughout the redesign.
Journey Map
We created a map of our user’s journey through the current mobile website. We found there were frustrations about finding product information and not being able to preview the accessories on the bike she chose.
Develop Original User Flow Sketching User Testing
Original User Flow
The original user flow showed that some product links were invalid and the difficulty of adding accessories to customize the bike.
Sketches
The major problem we faced was how to seamlessly merge AR technology in the customization and order process. We also had to create simulations to show AR’s potential without the time and expense of actually building a functioning 3D model.
User Testing
We conducted several rounds of user testing as we were designing our prototype. We were especially interested in determining the usability, functionality, and the users understanding of the AR features. This proved challenging and we went through several iterations before completing the prototype. The revised checkout process was also tested and simplified.
Deliver Revised User Flow AR Simulation Hi-Fidelity Prototype Events Page and Branding
Revised User Flow
By adding the AR customization feature, we were able to greatly reduce the steps required to complete the order.
AR Simulation
Using Photoshop and QuickTime we were able to simulate one of our AR features which places the user’s customized bike into their environment. Through our research, we learned our users, especially those with limited space, would like to see how a life size mockup fit their living space.
Hi-Fidelity Prototype
Our finished prototype included the new AR features as well as a streamlined checkout process. We also created an account page to keep user information and check order status.
Events Page and Branding
To expand the Linus Bikes brand, we designed an events page with links to special events like a couples cruise requested by our users.
We also created the hashtag #LINUSLIFESTYLE for social media. Users will be awarded 10% off all accessories when posting with the hashtag.
Going Forward
Reflection
Additional testing and refinement of the hi-fidelity prototype.
Build fully operational augmented reality features.
Continue to expand branding both through social media and local events.
I really enjoyed the challenge of integrating an emerging technology like AR into our design. Most of our users were unfamiliar with AR and why it could be helpful for E-commerce. We conducted user studies to determine the usability of the different versions of our AR feature. We were also challenged with how to show our new design to the client without the time or money for 3D modeling and the software required to render true AR. We combined the video shown above with our hi-fidelity prototype to successfully explain our design.