The Bicycle Compass was a project based off of the Sustainable Transportation Initiative ran by the traffic planning department in Eskilstuna Municipality. The initiative targets a transformative shift in local travel habits, aiming for 61% of trips to be via sustainable means by 2030. The task at hand was to ideate, collect relevant data and produce a artifact to stimulate public dialogue on sustainable transport options. The project, completed in March 2023 provided a platform for Eskilstuna residents to voice their opinions on sustainable practices through the municipality’s website, addressing the challenges of increased car usage and emissions reduction goals set for a 16% annual decrease from 2020.
Overview: The project enabled for a platform where local residents can speak about their experiences with sustainable travel and raise any concerns or ideas that can help improve the bicycle life in Eskilstuna.
Role: Graphic Designer, UX Researcher
Toolkit: Miro, Adobe Illustrator, Google forms
Introduction
Target Group
To identify the target group for the project, we conducted a survey with 36 responses. The majority of respondents were between 18 and 30 years old, live in urban areas, and are within 10 kilometers of their work, school, shops, and recreational activities. This provides them with conditions to choose cycling over driving. However, despite this most still choose driving. This based the primary target group for the project: the “convenience drivers”—a conscious audience with high awareness but low engagement, who could become active if their involvement increases.
Market analysis
Bicycle Norm in Amsterdam
Amsterdam’s bicycle policy is built on four pillars: road safety, infrastructure, parking, and education/marketing. The policy has resulted in over 500 kilometers of dedicated bike lanes. Amsterdam’s cycling culture is a result of urban planning, political support, and public influence.
Bicycle Norms in Örebro
Örebro municipality has set a goal to promote cycling as a viable mode of transportation, driven by health, economic, environmental, and social considerations. A 2020 survey showed an increase in the use of sustainable transport modes, but challenges remain, to address these issues, the city implemented communication strategies and campaigns, particularly targeting children and families, to encourage cycling.
Personalities and Car Brand Associations
A 2017 SIFO survey examined how people associate different personalities with car brands. For example, a person driving a Porsche might be seen as adventurous, while someone with a Tesla might be considered environmentally conscious. The products we choose reflect and signal our identities to others.
Public Attitudes
An analysis of letters to the editor (“insändare”) in the local newspaper Eskilstuna-Kuriren revealed contrasting public attitudes toward car and bicycle norms. One letter criticizes the municipality for reducing car parking spaces in favor of student housing, reflecting their dissatisfaction with changes that prioritize cyclists over car drivers. Another letter supports a car-free lifestyle, suggesting that healthy individuals should easily be able to cycle for short trips and that there are too many cars in the city that endager cyclists.
Our product proposal
The Bicycle Compass quiz helps users find the ideal bicycle for their lifestyle by answering a series of simple questions. Similar to BuzzFeed’s car quizzes or Swedish newspapers’ voting guides, The Bicycle Compass provides personalized recommendations.
Interactive Questions
The quiz presents questions tailored to identify the best bike type, such as mountain bikes for nature enthusiasts or cargo bikes for families. Results are displayed as a bar graph, ranking bicycles by suitability percentage based on user responses.
Engagement Features
Users can “like,” “comment,” and “share” the quiz, which motivates for social media sharing and engagement. The quiz uses a informal and humourous tone and is available in both Swedish and English. It also includes features for colorblind users and audio descriptions for the visually impaired for accessibility and usability purposes.
Engagement Strategies
The quiz is hosted on local online newspapers to make use of their trust, accessibility and reach. Gamification elements like scoring and social sharing enhance visibility and user interaction. The design not only guides users in choosing the right bike but also promotes sustainable transportation in the community.
