Conservancy
yosemite
Yosemite Conservancy funded the Yosemite Valley Bike Share pilot program in 2018. Their goal was to cut down on car traffic throughout the park by providing overnight visitors a free mode of transportation for short trips such as going to the grocery store or getting from their campsite to a trailhead. This program was an instant success and the convenient fleet of bicycles has continued to grow in numbers with each passing year.
As the Bike Share Program increased in popularity, the Conservancy was able to compile enough user feedback to conclude it was time to iterate their signage. Yosemite Conservancy contracted me to redesign the signs, shown here, placed at each Bike Share kiosk. Their goal in redesign was to:
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simplify the rental process to encourage more visitors to participate
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make the steps and restrictions easy to understand
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and, to highlight important information to ensure a positive riding experience
And so I got to work. My goal was to approach this from a first-time visitor's perspective. I found a Bike Share kiosk and proceeded to rent a bike by following the current signage and directions provided. This experience brought up some key questions like:
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Where are all the Bike Share kiosks in the park?
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What are the key aspects of the rental process that need to be included in the new signs?
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Where are the restricted areas?
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Is there a better way to encourage visitors to download the Bike Share app?
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What is the vital information a potential renter needs to know?
In pairing my rental experience with the user feedback shared, I focused on:
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providing a QR code that takes the visitor directly to their native app store in order to streamline the rental process and increase downloads
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breaking down the rental process into three steps and pairing the information with custom infographics to simplify the instructions and ease friction
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Compiling answers to the most frequently asked questions and ordering them by importance to decrease the need for assistance and the number of issues filed
For the second sign, I decided to:
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focus mostly on visual cues in order to encourage renters to thoroughly read the first sign and not overwhelm with written information
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recreate a full-image version of the app's interactive map with a key, so potential renters can visualize bike paths, restricted areas, and kiosk locations
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include a large directional icon to ensure used bikes are not mixed with sanitized ones since hygiene is of the utmost importance during Covid times
The Bike Share program used my signs for this year's visitor season and found:
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an increase in app downloads and bike rentals
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fewer calls being made to the assistance line with a decrease in issue reports submitted
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there was a decrease in the number of bikes being abandoned in dead zones
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and, overall there was a positive increase in user engagement and feedback.
