*Not affiliated with Future Motion or Onewheel.
Adding 🔒ing Features | Onewheel
Onewheel or Future Motion is a Santa Cruz-based startup creating electric skateboards that bridge the gap between adventure and commuter.
Onewheel wants this world to be an amazing place where technology brings us closer together, not farther apart. Where we help little old ladies cross the street, save the planet, and get rad.
The focus of this project was to add features to their pre-existing application. With that, I decided to focus on the security side of their operation.
Roles
UX Researcher
UI Designer
Interaction Designer
Programs Used
Google Analytics
Adobe Suite
Adobe XD
Timeline
2 Weeks
I'm proud owner, of a Onewheel Pint 🏄
A long time ago, I’d say I was eight years old, I was biking with my mom around Palo Alto, CA, and we ran into someone on a board like a contraction powered by an electric motor and a bicycle chain. We were amazed by the board because it was balancing on just one wheel. I was so interested in how that was possible?
Then 12 years go by, and I see an ad for the first version of Onewheel, and I knew it was the same guy. Ever since that ad, I always wanted my onewheel, and after I saved enough money, I eventually bought my own. I absolutely love my board, but it did come at a hefty price. As I used the board, I found that there wasn’t much internal security involving the board. That created an excellent opportunity to add many more features that could help riders like me feel safer when leaving their beloved board.
Who are onewheel riders? What are their motivations?
I chose to conduct surveys versus interviews because I wanted to understand what features the consumer would like to see. This would help me generate new ideas, while still hitting on the most requested features. My plan was to conduct more interviews during my usability tests. It resulted in saving a lot of valuable time that I spent designing.
What are their competitors doing?
When looking at competitors, I looked at direct and indirect because it could unleash new possibilities—direct being in the same sector and learning from what their users like about their platforms. Vanmoof is known for excellent security, and Boosted Board was Onewheel's closest competitor.
Key Features to Include
Ability to Lock
Be able to lock board form phone, and only way to unlock is by your phone
Tracking Ability
See where the board is at all times. Can have another user have access to location (parents)
Distance Notification
Either from a distance set from phone (Like electric dog fence), furthermore will keep board in off setting
Easier Registration of Board
This could be through a QR code or put in boards unique ID (Can only be put in once)
Ability to Alert Authorities
When board is stolen user can alert authorities and app can give location to them to aid in search
Kill Switch
This is the last resort but user can kill the board so it’s impossible to start up
Turning on the Idea Faucet
(Mind Map)
I decided to make a mind map, so I could jot down anything and everything. This was a great way to show the different avenues/possibles when looking at different features that can be added.
After compiling my thought into the map, the proceed to categorize from high priority (green) to nice to have (yellow), and then things that are put on the Backburner are in (red). I'm a visual learner, therefore, I use color-coding to make life easier. It helps me a ton with the Feature Roadmap.
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What NEEDS to be done first?
Main Priorities:
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Design Foundation Pages (Locking, Distance, Alerts/Notifications)
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Add a locking feature, then being able to set parameters for different (safety zones).
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Incorporating alerts with various buzzing notifications depends on certain situations.
How would people react?
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I decided to separate each due to making the prototype more onboarding focused
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Why I chose to do it this way was to see the entire thought processes of the user
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It allowed me to keep everything in one area
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Everything begins with an idea
My brain goes 1,000,000 mph or 1,609,344 kph, therefore, when I rapid prototype I'm constantly copying and pasting previous artboards so I can try out various paths/looks of the UI.
Once we get the overall function working then we can worry more about how it looked. Then when one thing works and looks great then it helps me frame out what the other artboards are going to look like.
Going back and forth on lock placement
How Might we make it easier to learn a new feature?
We learn by doing
Most Valuable Prototype
The Rapid Design Prototype saved us a ton of time because we only needed to tidy up the loose ends. I did find myself going down multiple rabbit holes, but I needed to step back a couple of times to make sure that I was completing the right tasks. The completed product is at the end of the page.
Usability Findings
I originally wanted to test with only onewheel owners. However, it was much harder to find them than I planned. I also learned to use different scheduling tools, such as Doodle and Calendly. Once I set up the times, I then switched my attention to anyone because I did an onboarding process, so new users could show me where I could improve.
I interviewed 5 people:
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4 new users and 1 Onewheel Rider
What did we learn?
User picked up features easier through the onboarding process
Give more options when setting a Fortress Mode Distance.
A couple of concerns on alerting systems and how it worked
Final Product
Scroll down to see features
QR Code Registration
QR Code Registration
Re-inventing the registration process. Currently, the boards do not have any sort of QR code, RFID, and GPS in them. Though, adding a QR code or RFID Tag would help users feel like their boards are more secure. The QR code would be equivalent to a car's VIN number. Helping authorities track the rider's beloved board(s).
Lock it Up
Ever wanted to lock your onewheel? Onewheel doesn't recommend leaving the board unattended, but the electronic lock feature will enable the rider to lock/unlock their boards and the information provided in the app.
Board Tracking
Dude, where's my board? Introducing live board tracking. It works like Find my Friends, but for your board. When the board is tapped, the rider will set the path in which the board is taking. The owner can also alert others who are near the board. I wanted to make extra sure that the rider feels that there are multiple security layers so they can feel more at ease.
Fortress Mode
Fortress Mode is like an electric dog fence. If the board trespasses the set boundary or walls of the zone, the owner will receive an alert telling them. The rider is set in multiple zones (Home, Work, Coffee Shop). The rider will also be able to contact the authorities and if it's truly gone the owner can kill the board, which makes it harder to sell.
