Team Members: Sophie Weissel | Ethan Armas | Katherine Britt | Jennifer Dong | Emily Zimmerman
Duration: 12 Weeks
Advisor: Kevin Shankwiler
Prompt: Design a bicycle using a systems approach.
Role: Co-Design Engineer, Co-Designer, Renderer, Model-Builder
User Research
“When you take care of your tools, they take care of you.”
- Alex Armas, Cycling Enthusiast
Every bike rider will encounter the roadblock of bike maintenance. However, the size of the roadblock varies for different types of riders. For the average commuter, someone who uses their bike daily but knows little about how the bike actually works and how to fix it, it is huge.
When the inevitable routine maintenance or emergency fixes are required, they are compelled to take their bike to a bike shop or learn how to fix it from scratch, all of which take a significant amount of activation energy and time to plan and do, potentially causing confusion, stress, and a sub-optimal commute.
Our goal is to educate riders and instill confidence in their maintenance abilities.
Research Synthesis
Self Actualization
Moving and staying healthy
Reduce environmental impact
Self Esteem
Meet new people who share your interests
Belonging
Aggressive bike maneuvers to avoid cars
Maintaining a rideable bike
Security
Get from point A to point B
Save time on travel
Physical
Freedom to explore and experience new things
Have full control over one’s time delegations
Concept Development
Early Development
DIY assembly, features intended for ease of maintenance, assembly, and user education
Character and Branding
Flagship Model—The Hound Dog! Classic and dependable, a hardworking companion
Go-Color = any place the user touches or uses often
Secondary Color = regional emphasis of Go-Color and visual cohesiveness
Base Color = to make the other colors more visually energetic
Visual Illusion = removes bottom heaviness and mimics the hound dog’s white belly
Physical Prototyping & Construction
Final Iteration & Details
Rendering courtesy of Sophie Weissel
Photographs by Emily Zimmerman Edited by Sophie Weissel
Sketches by Jennifer Dong | Renderings by Sophie Weissel
Expanding the System
Online Storefront
Every bike rider will encounter the roadblock of bike maintenance. However, the size of the roadblock varies for different types of riders. For the average commuter, someone who uses their bike daily but knows little about how the bike actually works and how to fix it, it is huge.
When the inevitable routine maintenance or emergency fixes are required, they are compelled to take their bike to a bike shop or learn how to fix it from scratch, all of which take a significant amount of activation energy and time to plan and do, potentially causing confusion, stress, and a sub-optimal commute.
Our goal is to educate riders and instill confidence in their maintenance abilities.
Packaging and Assistive Packaging
Inspired by the practical packaging of Canyon bicycles and the beautifully satisfying simplicity of Apple packaging, we began the early development of FiDO packaging that directly assists the user in assembly, making the process more streamlined and easy to organize.
Fusion360 Model
Mini Cardboard Mockup
