In June 2009, K+A participated in the Data Design for Decisions (DD4D) conference co-sponsored by the International Institute for Information Design (IIID) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). As a local host for international visitors to Paris, we chose to sponsor an evening bike ride using the public Velib' bicycle system.
The project
The Velib’ system offered by the City of Paris was begun in the summer of 2007 and provides over 20,000 bikes available through automated kiosks. It is relatively easy to use for Parisians who have an annual subscription to access the bikes with the swipe of a card. But visitors must use the automated kiosk at each station to purchase a subscription card and then choose a bike.
We know from experience that this system is difficult to understand and use. We set for ourselves the challenge of creating a printed explanation, small enough to fit into a pocket, which would simplify the process for our guests.
Our approach
We began by recording all fifteen screens a user must navigate to rent a bike. The process also requires the user to shift focus between the large graphic screen displaying instructions and the two-line text LCD controlling the credit card transaction, the subscription code and PIN number, as well as the number of the bike stand for the chosen bike. Then there was the process of choosing a bike. While the city does what it can to maintain the bikes in good condition, heavy use of the system results in bikes that should not be taken off the stand. Just about everything that can be broken will be broken. It is necessary to examine a bike to make sure it is in good condition before choosing it. There is the question of where to leave the bike when you are done, and how to be sure the return process has been successfully recorded by the Velib’ system. And finally the question of how much it will cost. The pricing system is optimized for short-term use. The charge can be surprisingly small — 1€ for repeated 30-minute rides over an entire 24 hours — or surprisingly large — 47€ for a 7-hour ride.
A first draft of the information filled three pages of text. Various attempts to include each screen and the correct response on the kiosk keypad — press 1 for subscription, press V to continue, etc. — resulted in too much material to fit in the small format we wanted to produce.
The final design was built around the user’s perception of the process. We described this as four steps:
1. Four steps for using a Velib'
Step 2 varied depending on whether the user had already purchased the Velib’ subscription ticket. With this structure, we highlighted only the most critical parts of each step with a combination of sketches, symbols and text.
2. Cost of Velib' rental over time
The cost of the rental was presented in a simplified graph using green and red to highlight where the cost begins to rise (a suggestion from our friend information designer Joel Katz after a recent visit to Paris — thank you, Joel!).
3. Bike route from OECD to Eiffel Tower
A simplified sketch of the route from OECD to the Eiffel Tower was added to assure our guests that we knew where we were going.
The result
The final two-sided print is designed to be cut and folded to pocket size, including a pocket to hold the Velib’subscription ticket.
4. Final printed explanation of how to rent a Velib'
This was given to all the DD4D participants. Please download a copy for your own use, the next time you are coming to Paris
The Velib’ system is a real-time experience, with availability determined by chaos theory. Those of us who found bikes had a good ride with a good view of the city. Many of our guests continued on from the Champs de Mars towards Notre Dame for a good summer evening in Paris.
5. DD4D participants renting their Velib'
NOTE: This project was not sponsored by Ville de Paris or JC Decaux, operator of the Velib' bike system.