Concept Design to Enhance Rearward Perception for Cyclists

Sammanfattning: Although cyclists travel on many of the same roads as cars, motorcycles and mopeds, bicycles are rarely outfitted with rear view mirrors as these vehicles are. Instead, most cyclists rely on looking over their shoulder to assess their situation, which can cause discomfort and disorientation and also means taking their eyes off the road ahead. The purpose of this project was to research and evaluate existing rear view cycling products to try to understand why they are not used more frequently. Based on the findings of that research, the purpose was also to develop a concept for a new product that would increase cyclists’ awareness of what’s behind them in a way that improves upon the existing products. By applying user centered design and research methods, insights were made that served as inspiration for the concept development. These insights were also translated into a requirement specification, which was used to evaluate the concepts. Out of seven concepts, one was chosen for further development. This included iterative development of a functioning prototype based on user feedback. The resulting concept was a bicycle helmet with an integrated rear facing camera, capable of streaming its video to an app in the user’s smartphone, which in turn could be mounted on the handlebar of their bicycle.