Scooter sharing app for wearables
Being a controversial topic, increase of bike and scooter sharing services becomes a trend of recent years. I designed an experience for micro mobility ride sharing on wearables.
I set a limit for the design: no changes to scooter’s construction and the watch app is an addition to the phone. Watch should cover quick unlock, search and ride. The phone is needed for on-boarding, payment set up or issue reporting.
To make a decision about renting a scooter client needs to know:
- Where is the vehicle?
- Does it have a battery?
- Has the scooter been damaged?
- Will it last to my destination?
Watch app can provide answers to those questions in the compact, convenient and understandable form. I defined two scenarios which can benefit from using a watch:
- client already in front of a scooter(s),
- client needs to search for nearby vehicles sutable for a ride.
In front of a scooter
Scooter is in front of you. Unlock and go. Currently, services use a QR or digit code to identify and unlock vehicles. Geopositioning and mobile internet help to verify if the client really near the vehicle.
Watch is about quick interactions. One screen helps to make decision about renting based on amount of battery charge.
Find a scooter suitable for a ride
If there are no scooters in close proximity (let’s say 10 meters), watch can help to locate vehicles in walkable distance. Search gives a list of scooters with charge and distance to them. In case all near by scooters have low battery, search is always accessible afrer scooter cards.
Ideas for Scooter Sharing Experince
Micro-mobility gaining popularity because it’s faster than car-based trips. Sometimes even faster than a public transportation. In my opinion scooters and bikes will not change transportation in the cities, but will be a solid addition to current means. To have a better experince in the future I propose a set of ideas for scooters and sharing services.
LED stripe displays charge level
When it comes to finding a suitable scooter for a ride — battery charge is the most important criteria. It's a bummer to find a pool of scooters, open the app, tap on every vehicle and find out that all of them have a dead battery. There are no visual indicators on scooters to let you know they’re out of commission. I propose to use an LED stripe to show charge level.
An LED stripe can be a part of a headlights.
AR to show charge levels
LED stripe with charge level is a technical improvement. Augmented Reality (AR) can be a software improvement to solve discoverability and low battery problem. Unfortunately, GPS only solution will not be accurate. With software enchantments, mobile internet and Bluetooth — positioning of a single vehicle can be accurate up to 2 meters.
Vehicle unlock with NFC
Taking a picture of QR or type a digit code is slow. For now, Apple is reserved to open NFC chip to third-party developers. I believe this will change with time.
No screen
Considering NFC unlocking, charge level in the app or with LED stripe — the scooter of the future will not need a display. Currently, it shows speed and how much charge left. In the future, it will indicate parking zones.
All of this can be displayed in the app with the map. Less screens and technology on the scooter – cheaper and more durable it can be.
Integration with maps
Scooters or e-bikes will make a good addition to city transport. Map integration solves discoverability, charge and parking questions.
For riders with set destination map service collects charge and location data from scooters, combine it with allowed parking zones, bike lanes and terrain and build an optimal route. Based on this information map service can offer a nearby scooter, estimate the price and provide the best ride.