Works

Scope:

UX Design & Testing

Year:

2025

OVERVIEW

Designing and testing an experimental e-bike app prototype with real riders in Germany to define Yamaha’s digital product strategy.

The mission: Build a digital companion app concept to differentiate Yamaha from market leader Bosch by focusing on user experience rather than just hardware specs.

The core philosophy: Implement Kando: the Japanese concept of creating an emotional connection where the rider feels at one with the machine.

The Feature Hypothesis: Introduce an automated "Detour" system designed to suggest scenic path variations that take users by the hand to explore new areas during daily commutes or weekend tours.

The Target Market: Germany, evaluating how the concept resonates across two distinct user archetypes: daily utility riders (Hannah, name of the persona) and fitness-seeking cyclists (Ultimate Hannah).

PROBLEMS

Business Deficit: Yamaha's customer relationship traditionally ended immediately after the bike purchase, missing out on long-term digital brand engagement.

User Obstacle: Competitor apps were lonely and purely functional; they failed to capture the sense of discovery and emotional connection that cyclists value.

The Spatial Constraint: A smartphone screen cannot compete with the active ride; demanding a user's attention while moving at 25km/h creates severe safety risks.

MY ROLE

I co-led the design ideation alongside a Japanese colleague while driving the user research strategy. Because Yamaha wanted to test the app in Germany first, they relied heavily on my cultural input to shape the concept for Western European riders. To navigate a highly risk-averse Japanese corporate environment, we used detailed concept maps to align stakeholders before drawing screens, using AI tools for rapid visual iterations on animations. Following this design phase, I coordinated across continents with a developer in Sweden to build our prototype before flying to Munich to lead the live field testing.

DIRECTION

We built an assumption-driven prototype centered on the abstract philosophy of Kando, explicitly designed to test whether emotional, non-numerical interface concepts could successfully engage European riders.

SOLUTIONS

Prototype Hypothesis

Archetype-Targeted design setup: Structured the interactive prototype flows to explicitly evaluate distinct features across a strict split of 12 live test users in Munich, Germany. We separated between utility-driven daily commuters (a persona named: Hannah) from fitness riders (Ultimate Hannah) who wanted to progress without competitive pressure and track their cycling data.

Quick and simple cycling data tracking: Built a clean landing screen on the pure assumption that automated background tracking would entirely remove the friction of manually logging a ride.

Engagement through abstract visuals (Kando): Designed abstract, fluid dancing circles meant to mirror the rhythm of the ride, replacing traditional text metrics with soft, non-numerical feedback.

Dual-mode detours: Programmed a proactive routing feature that switches between functional hazard alerts (like road blockages) and scenic exploration prompts that encourage riders to break their habitual routes.

Information architecture of the app prototype

OUTCOMES

The Archetype Spectrum Validated: Our matrix mapped out a clear user spectrum. It proved that while casual commuters focus purely on time-saving utility, the Ultimate Hannah segment wants to raise their fitness bar but hates competitive pressure, meaning the UI must celebrate personal milestones rather than social leaderboards. This insight unlocked commercial opportunities for Yamaha to capture long-term revenue through premium digital subscription features, personal health metrics, and the potential use of smart accessories tailored directly to this high-spending, non-competitive fitness audience.

The Detour Reality Check: Testing revealed that standard automotive traffic alerts carry low value for cyclists, who easily squeeze past typical city congestion. True value lies in alerting them exclusively to total road closures or offering enriching, scenic detour variations.

The Kando Feedback: The abstract dancing circles caused "maximum confusion" during live testing on home trainers. German riders viewed them as a short-lived gimmick, proving they need concrete utility before they can appreciate emotional design.

Iterations

Quantifying Exercise Intensity (Daily Summary): We introduced a granular post-ride summary interface. Instead of basic mileage tracking, the UI maps out precise cardio zones, caloric breakdown, and physical output, allowing fitness-focused riders to gauge the true physical return of an e-bike ride.

Macro-Progress Mapping (Calendar View): To encourage users with a stronger interest in exercising (Ultimate Hannah users), we designed a visual history view. This calendar view enables users to track streaks, filter by ride intensity types, and seamlessly spot training trends across weeks and months.

LEARNINGS

Context dictates routing value: A rider's tolerance for digital intervention changes completely by context; a user commuting to work rejects distractions, whereas a leisure cyclist actively welcomes scenic detour prompts.

Bike logic isn't car logic: Designing navigation for micro-mobility requires moving away from automotive paradigms because cyclists manage everyday obstacles fluidly and only want automated rerouting for major, impassable blockages or possible suggested scenic detours.

Validate big hypotheses early: Putting a highly assumption-heavy prototype (Kando visuals and Scenic Detours) in front of real users on home trainers successfully de-risked Yamaha's software roadmap before entering expensive production phases.