NYU Bike Share: Main photo
NYU Bike Share: NYU Sustainability logo and Biria bicycle

NYU Bike Share

A bike share reservation system for the NYU bicycling community.

Details

  • Role: Concepting and consulting
  • Languages: LAMP
  • Features: Architecting a checkout type site
  • Client: NYU
  • Site: NYU Bike Share

Beginning

  • Homepage design

The NYU Bike Share started as an ITP Interaction Design class group project. We were a team of four and one of my group partners was Tim McNerney. Our team conducted user surveys around campus to gather data on the community's interest on bike shares as well as bicycling in general. The data collected was posted on the team wiki. Since final projects were solo, I took over and designed an idealized conceptual demo based on using a touch screen kiosk, similar to the MTA Metro Card buying stations, where a user could purchase a bike share ticket.

Original Concept

  • Swipe NYU ID to Start
  • What do you want to reserve?
  • Select a Date
  • Reserving a bicycle
  • Reserve from time
  • Receipt

Evolution

  • Biria Bike

Since it was obvious that there was plenty of interest in the NYU community for a bike share, Tim and I submitted a grant proposal and were accepted to the NYU Sustainability's Green Grants program in 2008 and were awarded an NYU Green Grant. Since another team had proposed a similar idea, our two teams paired up to work on this project.

Our team of four created a lot of media attention for the NYU Bike Share. We planned and purchased a starting fleet of 30 bicycles with their own laser etched key chains, locks and seat protection. We received help from other bicyclists on campus and it quickly grew into a group effort to make the bike share a reality. Since our budget was not sufficient to provide digital kiosks for each bike station, we modified the checkout/checkin system to a website that would be monitored by appointed bike share administrators. The Bike Share had a solid first year of rides around the city. Since Tim and I had graduated, we consulted on the website's future regarding design, user interaction, and the technology. Since our departure, the bike share has evolved into a more robust system with custom purple NYU branded bicycles and a more structured system. It was a blast being part of this effort and seeing it turn into the great program it is today!

Press

Bikeshare in NYC from Franz Strasser on Vimeo.