Learn More !

USER-FRIENDLY

Making Bike Rentals Easier

Experience seamless bike rentals with our step-by-step registration, a clearer, more interactive interface, and an intuitive user flow. Plus, enjoy our new feature that lets you reserve a bike for a future ride.

TRAVEL

Explore City with YouBike

Unlock new adventures! Follow friends’ journeys, explore curated local spots, and dive into the city’s culture—all on your YouBike ride. Start exploring today!

HEALTH

Ride for Health and Sustainability

Make every ride count—for you and the planet. Track your miles, earn rewards, and ride toward a healthier, greener future with YouBike.

NEW FEATURE

Safety Ride at Night

Switch to dark mode for a comfortable, glare-free experience during evening rides. Navigate safely and seamlessly with YouBike, day or night.

ACCESSIBILITY

Language Support

Choose your language for a seamless YouBike experience. Navigate, explore, and enjoy with ease, no matter your language preference.

Project Context

YouBike, established by Giant in Taiwan and operational since 2013, has become a key transportation option, with over 700 million rides by 2023. However, the introduction of the YouBike 2.0 system in 2020 created challenges due to its incompatibility with the previous 1.0 version, leading to confusion between the bikes and app services.

YouBike 2.0E - Electric bicycle (Photo from Chiayi City Government, 2021)

The app itself faces design limitations, offering only basic functions like checking station and bike availability. It lacks interactive features, resulting in low user awareness and download rates, which in turn hampers efforts to promote bicycle-related policies.

To address these issues, we redesigned the YouBike app, focusing on enhancing the user experience and optimizing its core features. We incorporated elements of bicycle tourism by collaborating with local businesses and promoting local culture to enrich the biking experience. Additionally, we added a green initiative that converts riding miles into carbon credits, establishing a carbon trading system. This initiative encourages public participation while promoting both health and sustainability, aligned with SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

YUNGWEI's Role

UX Researcher, UX & UI Designer

(Designed the registration process, Ride and Travel sections in the 1st version, and iterated the overall app content based on usability tests.)

Teammate

Lu-Han Huang
UX Researcher, UX & UI Designer

(Designed the Health, Service, and Notification sections in the 1st version.)

Lu-Han Huang
UX Researcher, UX & UI Designer

(Designed the Health, Service, and Notification sections in the 1st version.)

Duration

1st version: Feb. - Jun. 2022
Iteration: Nov. - Dec. 2023

Methods & Tool

User Interview, Persona, User Journey Map, Competitive Analysis, Usability Studies, Figma

Advisor

Prof. Kuei-Chia Liang

Associated with

Special Topics on Service Design
Master of Design Program at
National Taiwan Normal University

Design Process

Following the Human-Centered Design (HCD) process, we adopted a user-focused approach to understand YouBike users' preferences and reimagine their experience with the service. Guided by user research, we brainstormed and developed a range of solutions. Usability tests were then conducted to evaluate these concepts, resulting in the creation of a high-fidelity interactive prototype shaped by our research insights.

Design Scope

The YouBike system goes beyond its mobile app, covering bicycle rentals, data processing for payments, and the physical design of bikes and stations.

Image sourced from: Micro Program. (Nov 20, 2023). Service Architecture.

To ensure our problem-solving efforts are focused, we concentrated on the digital service elements accessible through the app. This approach aims to enhance the user experience and create new opportunities for engagement by collaborating with stakeholders.

Current State

User Flow of the Original YouBike App

The YouBike app consolidates all features within a left-side hamburger menu, while bike station details appear from the bottom when map markers are selected. The main feature, the map, is overloaded with excessive and distracting information, making it difficult to locate stations easily.

The user flows for the YouBike 1.0 and 2.0 apps are similar, and with the launch of YouBike 2.0, the 1.0 version is being phased out in 2023. Future services will focus on YouBike 2.0, so our user flow analysis primarily uses the 2.0 app for examples and illustrations.

The app’s functionality feels cluttered, with too many options crammed into one menu and a lack of user-centered organization. Moreover, the inconsistent interface design, often redirecting users to external websites, creates a confusing and user-unfriendly experience.

Case Study

Competitive Analysis: Learning from others

We analyzed seven competitors in the vehicle-sharing industry, including one that offers a two-sided delivery service (Lalamove), while the remaining six focus on shared transportation. These competitors include ride-sharing (Uber, 55688 Taiwan Taxi), car-sharing (iRent), scooter-sharing (WeMo, Goshare, iRent), and bike-sharing (MOOVO).

Key insights from our analysis include:

Limited Hamburger Menu Categories

Even the side menus are limited to 7 or fewer categories.

Turn Back

Bottom Navigation Dominance

Most interfaces use
Bottom Navigation, grouping functions into 3-5 categories.

See Next

Search-Focused Ride Services

Ride-sharing & delivery apps feature a destination search bar and recommended services.

Turn Back

Map-Centric Homepages

Vehicle-sharing apps prioritize maps on the homepage for vehicle location.

See Next

Prominent Announcements

Important announcements and ads are displayed at the top or bottom of homepage.

Turn Back

Custom Map Designs

They simplify and customize map information instead of directly using Google Maps.

See Next

Glowing Choice

They use their brand’s primary color to guide users through the app.

Turn Back

Simplify Registration Process

Guiding users step by step to reduce cognitive load.

See Next

By examining how other apps structure their navigation, display important information, and customize maps, we identified strategies that could improve the YouBike app’s usability and enhance the overall user experience.

User Research

User Interviews: Wants ≠ Needs

We conducted interviews with a diverse group of YouBike users: five international students to gather insights from foreign users, three elderly individuals less familiar with digital services, and three regular users who rely on YouBike for commuting and daily travel. We asked about the challenges they encountered with the current YouBike app and areas for improvement. Their feedback was crucial in identifying the unique needs and challenges of each user group.

Key insights from users include:

YouBike in Taiwan is very affordable, and the abundance of bike stations makes it convenient. However, many notices are only in Traditional Chinese, which I struggle to understand. (Note: YouBike App 1.0 only supports Chinese). Additionally, when planning leisure outings, I have to search for attractions on Google, and it’s unclear whether YouBikes are available at those locations.

Language Support & Expanded Experiences Beyond Bike Rentals

— An international student who has been in Taiwan for six months, actively learning Mandarin and exploring Taiwanese culture.

Quotation

Using YouBike for grocery shopping, taking kids to school, and even for holiday trips has made it an indispensable tool in my daily life. However, it’s really frustrating to frequently arrive at a station only to find that all the bikes have already been borrowed.

Improving Support to Avoid Arriving at a YouBike Station with No Bikes Available for Rent

— A young mother who has lived in Taipei City for over 30 years and enjoys outdoor activities.

Quotation

I’m not very confident in learning new things, especially now that everything requires an app. My granddaughter tried to teach me how to rent a YouBike, but I found it too complicated. The registration process alone requires filling out a lot of information on the same page, and the interface is quite disorganized. Eventually, I gave up.

Need a More
User-Friendly App Structure to Accomplish Goals with Fewer Steps

— An elderly retired citizen who walks his dog every day and is interested in trying YouBike.

Quotation

Ideation

Brainstorming the User Experience for a New YouBike Feature

To design a new feature for YouBike, we conducted comprehensive brainstorming sessions that focused on both design elements and methods for introducing a new user flow. Our process included exploring various solutions, sketching potential developments, and engaging in discussions to identify the most practical and effective approach for implementing this feature.

Solution

Connecting You to the Last Mile of a Beautiful Life

The YouBike app’s disorganized structure limits usability and brand support. To address this, we are overhauling the app to optimize functions, improve navigation, promote bicycle tourism, and feature health tracking—enhancing user experience and value.

Redesign (1st Version)

Sitemap for the YouBike Redesign (1st version)

Using a sitemap tool, we organized the new YouBike app’s content and structure, illustrating how pages connect and relate. This approach ensures a cohesive design, identifies gaps, prioritizes content, and enables users to navigate with an easy, logical flow.

Usability Test

Reviewing Mid-Fidelity Prototypes

We developed mid-fidelity prototypes for usability testing. To share our design journey, we held a week-long mini exhibition, displaying explanatory posters and setting up smartphones for users to try the YouBike redesign prototype.

Usability Test

Our test goals -

Usability — Ensuring a User-Friendly, Intuitive Experience
Feature Feedback — Gathering Opinions on Travel and Health Integration
User Insights — Observing Behaviors and Identifying Enhancements

Usability — Ensuring a User-Friendly, Intuitive Experience
Feature Feedback — Gathering Opinions on Travel and Health Integration
User Insights — Observing Behaviors and Identifying Enhancements

We collected feedback from 20 users, including 4 elderly users, 6 foreigners, and 10 local residents. Each user compared the original and redesigned versions in 20 minute sessions, followed by individual discussions.

Iterations

Design Improvement is an Ongoing Process

As the semester ended, our YouBike app improvement project was put on hold. In winter 2023, however, Yung-Wei resumed the project after discussions with Astrid, initiating new iterations.

Based on user feedback, Yung-Wei re-evaluated key issues, iterated on the design, and upgraded the prototype from mid-fidelity to high-fidelity, enhancing the overall design completeness.

As the semester ended, our YouBike app improvement project was put on hold. In winter 2023, however, Yung-Wei resumed the project after discussions with Astrid, initiating new iterations.

Based on user feedback, Yung-Wei re-evaluated key issues, iterated on the design, and upgraded the prototype from mid-fidelity to high-fidelity, enhancing the overall design completeness.

First Version and Iteration Screenshots on Figma Workspace

Iterations

Key Insight #1: Users Don’t Always Use the App Solely for Bike Rentals

Some users wanted to explore the YouBike app content without immediately renting a bike, so registration wasn’t always necessary.

Solution: Optional Registration

Allow users to skip registration initially, offering them the flexibility to register later if needed.

Key Insight #2: Don't let users lose their patience before starting their journey.

Despite simplifying the registration process by focusing on one task at a time and adding identity verification for public bicycle injury insurance enrollment, the length of the process left users feeling impatient, as they were unsure how many steps remained.

Solution: Progress Bar and Flexible Registration

Add a progress bar at the top of the page to show users their progress and allow them to exit registration at any stage, with the option to complete it later.

Key Insight #3: Make Station Information More Accessible and Clear

For the feature to check YouBike stations and bike availability, users can now filter map information to display YouBike 1.0, 2.0, or both. However, when both station types are close together, selecting them accurately on a small screen is challenging. Additionally, if 1.0 and 2.0 bikes share a station, it’s unclear how many bikes of each type are available for borrowing or returning. Since the docking poles for 1.0 and 2.0 bikes aren’t interchangeable, users may arrive only to find they can’t return their bike.

Solution: Color-Coded and Icon-Based Station Indicators

Color and icons can categorize station statuses and display bike availability by type, making it easier for users to find the right station for their needs.

Key Insight #4: Leverage the power of community.

Users appreciate tourist attraction recommendations but would like the option to view others' itineraries, read reviews, and replicate popular routes.

Solution: Enable Community-Based Suggestions

Incorporate user-generated content, allowing users to search for popular routes, see reviews, and follow shared itineraries.

Key Insight #5: Balance Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

Users appreciate direct access to their riding records, fostering a sense of achievement. However, rewards aren’t the primary incentive for riding.

Solution: Incorporate Carbon Reduction Goals

Introduce a carbon reduction tracker to motivate users intrinsically for environmental responsibility, with optional cash rewards for carbon credits.

Key Insight #6: Adhere to the principle of gradual change.

The new layout is intuitive and user-friendly, but the use of blue and green for travel and health features feels inconsistent with YouBike’s orange brand. Users also noted that a bright interface can be glaring at night.

Solution: Refine Colors and Add Dark Mode

Align colors with the original YouBike palette for consistency, fine-tune the layout, and add a dark mode to improve usability in low-light conditions.

Prototype

The prototype was built in Figma, starting from the loading page and featuring five core functions in the bottom navigation. Try the prototype below or check the link to view it on an external webpage.

(Due to the file size, loading may take a moment. If it doesn’t load here, please try the external page on Figma.)

Lessons Learned

Guiding User and Balancing Goals: Lessons from YouBike Redesign

Redesigning the YouBike app in Taiwan has been a meaningful milestone in our UX journey. Through this project, we developed skills to guide users in expressing their opinions and needs, recognizing that non-designers may find it challenging to articulate their experiences with the app.

Balancing commercial goals with design expectations has also been a valuable lesson. We learned that maintaining a strong connection to Taiwanese culture and commercial relevance is essential for the app's real-world success.

Regarding iterations, we realized that design improvements can feel endless; knowing when to stop and move forward is equally important.

This project has been an enriching experience, filled with lessons learned from users, teammates, and self-driven exploration.

Regarding iterations, we realized that design improvements can feel endless; knowing when to stop and move forward is equally important.

This project has been an enriching experience, filled with lessons learned from users, teammates, and self-driven exploration.

Regarding iterations, we realized that design improvements can feel endless; knowing when to stop and move forward is equally important.

This project has been an enriching experience, filled with lessons learned from users, teammates, and self-driven exploration.