Group  N   0  

 Group  Coursework  Submission  Form  

 

Specialist  Masters  Programme    Please  list  all  names  of  group  members:    (Surname,  first  name)  1.  CHAN,  IO  WENG  2.  EWERT,  CHRISTOFER  3.  HIRANTIARANAKUL,  SUKANAT  

4.  HU,  CHENG-­‐I  5.  LIN,  SHIH-­‐YING  6.  TLHASELO,  SETSHEGO              GROUP  NUMBER:  

MSc  in:  Marketing  Strategy  and  Innovation    Module  Code:  SMM487      Module  Title:  Creativity  Innovation  Design      Lecturer:  Dr.  Chris  Storey    

Submission  Date:  06/11/2014  

Declaration:    By  submitting  this  work,  we  declare  that  this  work  is  entirely  our  own  except  those  parts  duly  identified  and  referenced  in  my  submission.  It  complies  with  any  specified  word  limits  and  the  requirements  and  regulations  detailed  in  the  coursework  instructions  and  any  other  relevant  programme  and  module  documentation.  In  submitting  this  work  we  acknowledge  that  we  have  read  and  understood  the  regulations  and  code  regarding  academic  misconduct,  including  that  relating  to  plagiarism,  as  specified  in  the  Programme  Handbook.  We  also  acknowledge  that  this  work  will  be  subject  to  a  variety  of  checks  for  academic  misconduct.      We  acknowledge  that  work  submitted  late  without  a  granted  extension  will  be  subject  to  penalties,  as  outlined  in  the  Programme  Handbook.  Penalties  will  be  applied  for  a  maximum  of  five  days  lateness,  after  which  a  mark  of  zero  will  be  awarded.  Marker’s  Comments  (if  not  being  marked  on-­‐line):                                                  Deduction  for  Late  Submission:         Final  Mark:  

 %  

   

N

Group  N   1  

Service design project

Barclays Cycle Hire

Group N

Marketing Strategy and Innovation SMM487: Creativity. Innovation. Design

Sukanat Hirantiaranakul Setshego Tlhaselo

Christofer Ewert Io Weng Chan Shih-Ying Lin

Cheng-I Hu

Group  N   2  

Table of Contents

Introduction

Ethnographic Research 3 Discrete observation 3

Empathy tool 3

Participant observation: Market research 5

Problem Identification and Objective 8

Idea Generation 8 Personas 9

Internal Ideation Tools 11

Stakeholder Map 13

Role playing 13

A.E.I.O.U 14

SCAMPER 15

External Ideation Tools 15

Ubike from Taipei, Taiwan 16

Idea Selection 17

Concept Development 17 Oyster card payment 17

Contactless payment 18

Mobile payment 21

Proposed Solution 24 Wireless payment through mobile phone application 24

Journey Mapping: Storyboard 27

Prototype : Mock-up application 28

Role Play 32

Evaluation 35

Limitations 36 References 38

Appendices 40

Group  N   3  

Introduction

Barclays Cycle Hire is a public cycle hire system inspired by the bicycle hire scheme in

Paris. The system was launched in 2010 and is currently operating with 10,000 bikes over

720 docking stations across London. The system has 185,602 members to date and has

become known as ‘Boris Bikes’ due to its introduction to London by the city’s mayor, Boris

Johnson. However, the system is subject to improvement in some areas where users have

expressed dissatisfaction. As a public form of transportation, it is in the interests of

Transport for London to take action and make changes where possible in order to enhance

the consumer experience. This report uses ethnographic research to identify the key

problems with the system, idea generation for potential solutions, and concept development

of a prototype before implementation and evaluation.

Ethnographic Research

Research Objectives: - Explore current and potential users

- Identify problems with current users

- Discover concerns stopping potential users from becoming active users

• Discrete observation

From the observation, the users of Boris bikes can be categorized into three groups:

Figure 1: Categories of users

Group  N   4  

Potential users, casual users and members yield different frequencies of usage. We can

further sub-categorise them into students as the potentials, tourist as the casuals and

professionals as members.

• Empathy tool

A group member, Jessica, went to try the system herself. She registered at the Barbican dock

station. The dock station provided service in 12 languages, including her native language,

Chinese. She first found it quite easy, but became was confusing when she first received a

docket without the code, only to realise it was a receipt and the code was printed on the

following paper. As a foreign student, she wasn’t so sure about putting her credit card into

the system at first. She entered the code and successfully released the bike. Just as she was

going to start her journey to school, she found it hard to have full control of the bike as it

was too heavy. She rode alongside the traffic and felt concerned about her safety on the

Figure 2: Primary research

Group  N   5  

road. After docking back at Moorgate station, there was no clear indication that she had

stopped being charged for the ride, however, she was in a rush and didn’t have time to go

and re-scan her credit card in order to print a receipt and confirm the amount charged.

• Participant observation: Market research

A street interview (Appendix 1) informed us more of the behaviours and needs of these three

groups. These were some of their comments:

“I like the Boris bikes. When I’m getting home late with no tube, I can ride them and get

home quicker than waiting ages for night buses.” - Tom, a City University fresher

“I’m from New Zealand and I love cycling. But the process of registering almost puts me off

riding one (Boris bike), it took so long and my card wouldn’t work.” - Ella, a tourist in

London

“The only problem I would say I had is registering for the bike for first use. It was confusing

and took ages to get the code.” - Nik, a professional working in Central London

From this, we decided to expand the survey size to 100 people (Appendix 2). This interview-

based survey aimed to find out more about the problems users have and concerns that

stopped potential users from trying the bike. This survey was carried out across stations

considered to be popular according to Transport for London (TfL) cycle hire statistics

(Appendix 3). These were our main findings.

Figure 3: Form of transport

Of the hundred people asked in the

survey, more than half use the tube as

their main form of transport.

Group  N   6  

Figure 4: Usage of Boris bike

However, among them only a small 33% have used the

Boris bike. The other 67% said they have never used it

before.

Figure 5: Purpose of usage

Of the 33% who have been on the bikes, a

large majority (74%) of them used it for

leisure and only a small portion (26%) used it

as an alternative transport.

Figure 6: Zones that participants live in. This was

done to ensure the data collected was effective; we

made sure most of the participants lived in the zones

that provide Barclays Cycle Hire (*demographic of

Boris bike service).

An interview-based survey allowed us more time to talk to the participants and get to the

heart of the issues. We noted down some critical comments.

“Sometimes the system charges me for not parking the bike into the dock properly though I

did.” - Justine, professional working in London

“I heard they don’t accept international credit cards.”- Fahim, a tourist

Group  N   7  

“The bikes are too heavy. Otherwise I think it’s fine.” - Emily, a professional

“The registering process at first was very difficult. I would love to have them simplified and

improved.” - Kale, a tourist

“I don’t feel safe about putting my credit card into the system. I’m a tourist.” - Kelly, a

tourist

“I think paying with an oyster card is a great idea! Saves a lot of hassle.” - Georgiana,

university student

“There isn’t much grip to the bikes. When it rains it gets very slippery and the breaks don’t

work well.”- Dylan, a university student

“I just don’t think cycling in London is safe.” - Barbra, a university student

“The people using the Boris bikes aren’t aware of the cycle routes which makes it very

dangerous for them and for us regular cyclists too” - Pina, university student

The conclusion from all the surveys, which have an estimated size of 168 participants,

revealed three major problems for current users and potential users: Safety, Payment Method

and Bike Design.

• Safety: The safety concerns are about the government-planned city cycling routes that do

not always provide dedicated bike lanes nor are there regulations relating to safety. For

example, the usage of helmets is not mandatory.

• Payment Method: There were many problems in this area; people were charged for

faulty transactions, tourists didn’t trust the system enough to use their cards, and some

fancied the option of paying using their oyster cards.

• Bike Design: Many mentioned the bike was too heavy thus not easy to use for female

users and not ideal for longer rides.

Group  N   8  

Problem Identification and Objective

Due to a limited budget and feasibility, we decided to tackle issues concerning the payment

method and leave the design and safety concerns to the government to be corrected using

laws or to be planned for with larger budgets and longer term planning. Therefore, our

proposed solution towards payment method would be:

• Enhance the customer experience.

• Make the current payment method easier.

• Reduce the possibility of the payment method being the reason to put potential users

off accessing the bike.

Idea Generation

Following empathetic analysis derived from ethnographic research, we commenced ideation,

sorting and refining of the information gathered. We used Tassoul’s Creative Problem

Solving Process to guide the entire creative journey. Following divergence after compilation

of questions, conducting surveys, performing observations on different days, and

interviewing a wide range of users and non-users we converged the feedback onto one

document. From this, we derived three fundamental stages in the use of Boris Bikes where

consumers expressed concern to varying degrees: hire, ride and return.

Figure 7: Summary of user and non-user concerns regarding Boris bikes

Group  N   9  

Following problem analysis, we converged the customer complaints using Kipling’s

Questions to form a more focused problem statement:

“The problem is that the Barclays Cycle Hire is not intuitive, thus many people find it

inconvenient. This is because, since the launch of the product in 2010, payments are to be

done at the docks via credit/debit cards, which is time consuming, not an easy process to

follow, and not always trusted due to faulty transactions.”

We entered the ideation phase and used various techniques to generate new service ideas

that could enhance the consumer experience. We divided our creative process into two major

parts; internal and external ideation. This was done to account for ideas coming from within

the group during primary research and those inspired by secondary research. Before

deciding how to solve the problem, we developed personas that reflect for whom we are

solving the problem:

• Personas

Figure 8: Professional personas

Group  N   10  

Figure 10: Tourist personas

Figure 9: Student personas

Group  N   11  

• Internal Ideation Tools

We began conducting primary research by utilising the product ourselves and then role-

playing the experience from the perspective of our 3 personas, noting down how we felt they

would experience the bikes. We then crosschecked our beliefs against the feedback obtained

during ethnographic research. This was done to test how different our perspectives were as

service providers to that of users with very little detailed knowledge about the system. The

results heightened our level of awareness about the limitations associated with our methods

due to extrapolation issues and personal biases. Essentially, our opinions and struggles with

the bikes may not be representative of the population nor are the people we interview fully

representative of the population. As such, the creative process became evolutionary in

nature, requiring more techniques to help us decipher the fundamental issue for which we

could provide a new and improved solution.

Initially, we generated a divergent range of options in a brain writing exercise, deferring

judgement in order for ideas to flow freely but also enabling us to build on the ideas of

others. The benefits of this include that it reduced initial anxiety among the group and

inspired fresh thinking, which brought out individuals’ unique ideas and stimulated the

group towards action orientation. The ideas generated were then clustered into the categories

of hire, ride and return and ordered in terms of feasibility. Cost, time and implementation

challenges were some of the key considerations made in measuring feasibility and deciding

how to prioritise our ideas.

Group  N   12  

Figure 11: Brainstorming session results

Group  N   13  

• Stakeholder Map

• Role Playing

Drawing up a stakeholder map and engaging in role-playing revealed the different

viewpoints of stakeholders. We considered the stances of direct and indirect parties affected

by the existence of the Boris bikes by wearing different ‘hats’:

• Users: Use bikes for varying reasons and to different degrees depending on the

consumer type (e.g. members, professionals, tourists, students, other casual

users). However, they generally seek low price, convenience, efficiency, a level

of comfort and safety. Dedicated bike lanes in more parts of the city could help

this. Their levels of usage fall in winter months, but only for casual users.

(Appendix 4)

Figure 12: Core, Direct and Indirect Stakeholders

Group  N   14  

• Maintenance staff: The more faulty and damaged the bikes are, the more work

they are burdened with and the higher the operating costs.

• Drivers: Sharing the roads with cyclists increases traffic congestion, requires

more vigilance and increases the risk of road accidents.

• Pedestrians: Need to co-ordinate with not only drivers, but also cyclists who fail

to comply with road regulations and ride close to or on the pavement.

• Transport for London: Interested in whether the system works effectively, if a

sufficient number of customers use the service, and whether the service covers

operating costs.

• Boris Johnson: To what extent the service improves the quality of life for

Londoners, contributes to the reduction in emissions and improves the city’s

transport links.

• A.E.I.O.U: Activities, Environments, Interactions, Objects, Users

Figure 13: A.E.I.O.U

Group  N   15  

• SCAMPER

We used the SCAMPER model to expand our concept and test the degree of flexibility

within the system. This enabled the development of an idea that was not only feasible, but

strategically fits into the existing system.

Figure 14: SCAMPER Model

• External Ideation Tools: UBike Taipei

The UBike is a cycle hire system that was launched in 2009 in Taipei, Taiwan. It, too, was

inspired by the Parisian cycle hire system. Initially, the bikes were considered inconvenient

as the service was only provided in the Eastern part of Taipei and it was generally

considered unsafe to ride in Taipei city, therefore, not enough people were using them. The

government faced 3 significant issues. Firstly, there were no dedicated bike links on the

roads. Secondly, the bikes were often damaged, and thirdly, there was no city map for

cyclists to follow. To overcome these issues and become the successful, revenue generating

system it is today, the government planned cycle routes for the bikes on the roads and

clearly marked bicycle lanes on pavements where necessary. Furthermore, they signed a

contract with world-renowned bicycle manufacturer, Giant, for the manufacture of better

quality bikes. They also planned a complementary service with the underground (MRT) so

Group  N   16  

as to facilitate journeys to parts of Taipei not reached by trains. Lastly, they integrated the

payment system for bike usage with the existing Easy Card payment method, similar to the

Oyster card, but is used across multiple services including supermarkets, convenient stores

and car parks. Despite being a public service, the dramatic increase in users as a result of

these improvements enabled both the Taiwanese government and Giant to turn a profit.

While the British Government might not be prepared to make a huge investment in changing

the entire system, this external reference demonstrates that public service cycle hires can be

profitable and generate income for government.

Figure 14: U bike Cycle Hire of Taipei, Taiwan

Group  N   17  

Idea Selection

The focus then became on improving the hiring process as our solution can make the most

difference in this area because it can be implemented in a short period of time and at a lower

cost than attempting to address the safety issue. By default, it also overcomes the issue

expressed about returning the bikes. Moving on to concept development and

implementation of the new and improved service marked the end of the idea generation

phase and the beginning of developing a prototype, mapping the journey and obtaining

consumer feedback. We followed the same sequence as that of Attribute Listing and sought

to demonstrate how our feature permits a function, which provides a benefit.

Concept Development

Our concept development looked in detail into various aspects of different solutions in order

to find out the most plausible solution for which to develop a prototype and implement.

There are three main solutions perform research on before selecting the one to be

implemented: 1) oyster payment system, 2) contactless payment and 3) mobile payment.

1) Oyster payment system Benefits

Limitations

The Oyster payment system is a complex technology, so it would be difficult and costly to

integrate with the cycle hire scheme (London.gov.uk, 2011). TfL also claim that the

operation cost of Oyster software is still too expensive (Tfl.gov.uk, 2014). These

viewpoints reflect that if TfL cannot reduce the expense, it would discourage them from

Group  N   18  

combining the oyster cards with the current cycle scheme. Furthermore, although all

transport data of each customer could be stored on the card, it is still difficult to accurately

record people’s transport information online or via mobile transactions (Tfl.gov.uk,

2014). Consequently, this technologic issue could cause incorrect amounts to be charged

if people use oyster cards to hire bikes. For these reasons, it is important for TfL to do

further research on how to improve cost-efficiency and overcome these potential

technological problems.

Cost analysis

In 2014, TfL signed a ten years contract with Cubic to improve and maintain the ticketing

and fare collection service (Transport for London, 2014). This contract is worth

approximately £660 million, and there are around 14,050 Oyster readers all over London

(ibid). Based on this information, the cost of every card reader is estimated at £4,698 per

year. For 19,000 docking points (Transport for London, 2014), TfL would need to spend

approximately £89 million on installing and maintaining Oyster readers in all docking

stations. Additionally, TfL need to pay commission to Cubic and Oyster Ticket Network at

least £6 million per year (London Assembly, 2011). As a result, the total budget of this

solution would be £95 million.

2) Contactless payment

The contactless payment experience for customers is the same as making oyster card

payments, but it is a little bit more convenient as payment can be made without inputting a

4-digit code to release the bikes, making it easier for tourists to use also.

Benefits

Group  N   19  

Limitations

There are two main limitations for this solution. Firstly, although TfL allow contactless

cardholders to use their cards to replace oyster cards, this service is still not available for

some people whose cards are issued outside the UK (Transport for London, 2014).

Secondly, the maximum transaction amount via contactless payment is £20 in the UK (UK

Cards Association, n.d.). Consequently, TfL would still need to decide whether to accept all

international contactless cards. Moreover, they have to consider situations where the total

amount charged for hiring a bike is over £20; how then people would pay using contactless

payment.

Brief detail of the next steps and timescale

In terms of the next steps of the contactless payment solution, using the Future Ticketing

Project as a reference, this solution would take approximately two to three years to

implement. Firstly, TfL would need to spend roughly two years integrating contactless

payment software into the current system. After that, TfL would need six months to install

card readers across all docking station.

Cost analysis

It is difficult to access information about the cost of the contactless payment system. One

possible method is using the financial cost of TfL’s Future Ticketing Project (FTP) to

estimate the budget of this solution. The main task of FTP is integrating contactless

payment with the oyster platform, so TfL divided this project into 5 stages and planed to

invest £109 million in FTP (Tfl.gov.uk, 2014) see Appendix 1 and 2. If TfL just adds

contactless payment into the cycle hire scheme without combining it with the oyster

platform, they can avoid the spending from phase 3 to 5, which is £40 million.

Consequently, the total budget of contactless payment would be less than £69 million.

Group  N   20  

Initial Storyboard

After research and analysis of these two methods of payment, we created a storyboard that

maps the customer journey using the oyster card payment instead of paying at the dock

terminal. From the storyboard we can predict that this method will save customer time

spent paying via credit/debit card at the terminal. The customer experience becomes much

like catching a bus or underground.

Figure 16: Imitation of installation of the card reader for oyster cards and contact less payment

Figure 15: Initial storyboard for oyster payment

Group  N   21  

3) Mobile payment via application

Mobile payment is another way to make a payment, where every process happens in the

customer’s device without contact with the terminal at the dock. This method differs from

oyster and contactless in terms of its independence. This method is complementary to the

existing system, therefore, does not incur the same level of integration cost but can be

alternative payment method for customers.

Benefits

Limitations

Mobile apps strongly rely on data roaming services; therefore, whether a payment can be

successfully done often depends on the speed, stability and safety of the network. As such,

TfL cannot directly control it. Moreover, the majority of overseas tourists are unable to

access data thus this app may not significantly encourage them to use it more.

Cost analysis

The price of developing a mobile application is dependent upon the complexity of the app.

Basically, It will need to spend approximately £20,000 on developing a simple app, whereas

it is likely to cost over £100,000 to create a complex app (Millar, 2011). However, the

existing application for the cycle hire scheme, Barclays Bike is user-friendly and people are

already familiar with it, so we decided to focus on adding payment feature into the app to

improve its function, instead of developing a brand new app.

Group  N   22  

In order to further analyse the detailed cost of mobile payment solutions, we chose two US-

based app developers – Otreva and Kinvey and one Ireland-based company - Tus Nua

Design to determine the price range of each app’s feature. In terms of the new functions to

be added to the Barclays Bike app, we would introduce two main features. Firstly, a login

system will be included in the platform, such as logging in via e-mail address to ensure their

information is secure and kept private. This feature may cost approximately £1,800 to

£3,320. Another new feature is an in-app payment system, so the users can directly pay for

their bikes before reaching the docking station. This function would be an expense of around

£3,320 to £7,500. In terms of the back-office activities of the app, the security, payment and

user administration would cost approximately £8,150 to £26,200. However, the data

management, such as data storage or data integration, would need roughly £6,800 to £25,800

to develop.

However, it is difficult to measure the budget accurately for this solution because different

app developers will charge different prices. For this reason, the cost range of this mobile

payment solution would be estimated at £20,000 to £100,000. This budget is includes

making the payment service available for both iOS and Andriod platform.

• Summary for possible solution

After examining all possible solutions, we are decided to select only one method to continue

with in the development process. We compared the main benefits and drawbacks of each

method before choosing the best one.

Solution Usefulness Customer benefit Average Time scale

Approx Cost

Oyster combined with Contactless

High High 2-3 years 100 million

Mobile App Medium High 2-6 months 20-100 thousands

Option 1: Integrating cycle hire to Oyster and contactless payment system

This method delivers convenience for customers in making payments. Customers can easily

access the bike by tapping their card and getting the code to release the bike. Moreover,

Group  N   23  

most people in London are familiar with this method because they have used it for other

modes of transport. As a result, customer perceptions of the service would change for the

better. Barclays cycle hire would become as easy to access as buses and the tube.

On the other hand, this scheme is requires a significant investment in order to make it

available because it demands reconstructing the existing oyster payment system and requires

installation of card readers at every existing dock in London. There financial commitment is

simply too steep and the timescale too long for TfL to realistically implement this scheme.

Option 2: Creating mobile payment through the existing application.

This method provides an alternative way of payment for customers by saving them the time

it takes registering on the terminal at the dock. The application requires less investment in

comparison with the reconstructing the Oyster payment system and can be developed and

implemented over a shorter period of time.

However, this method does have some limitations. Smartphones and Internet access or 3G

are required in order to process the payments. This would lead to some access limitation for

tourist who might not have Internet access in their phone or individuals who do not own

smartphones.

A comparison of the two schemes is shown in the sorting matrix below.

Feasibility

Cus

tom

er b

enef

it Hig

h Lo

w

Easy Difficult

Oyster and contactless

Mobile payment

Figure 17: Idea Evaluation Diagram

Group  N   24  

Our team decided that option 1 has very low feasibility and limitations in development

whereas option 2 is more feasible and there are some areas that can be more easily

developed to enhance the customer experience.

Proposed Solution Wireless payment through mobile phone application

After analysing all of the possible solutions, the mobile phone payment system via an

application is the most feasible solution for increasing convenience in the hiring process,

which is our targeted problem. With the payment system installation into the Barclays Bike

app, along with other new features, the consumer will have an enhanced and simpler user

experience, limiting the number of steps and processes. We started designing the app by

considering customer behavior in each step of using this service, created a storyboard and a

prototype of the mobile payment app.

Figure 18: Sketch for application development

Group  N   25  

• Detailed description of key touch points

1) The usefulness of the feature The functional benefit of the wireless mobile phone payment is mainly to make customers

access the system more efficiently through their devices, eliminating the use of the terminal.

This new easy-to-access hire process will ultimately enhance the user experience of the

service for casual users and attract new customers.

The investment required to develop and improve the existing application is a feasible way

for TfL to improve the service, as there is no new technology needed and the process from

prototype to final product is relatively quick. There is no need to change anything about the

existing TfL system, as payment through an Oyster card, credit card and mobile phone is

apparent today. The only difference between this system and, for example using the tube or

the bus, is that there is no need for the customer to tap their Oyster card/credit card on the

Oyster card reader as payment will have already been performed through the app. Customers

can also have, for example, various credit cards registered in the app, giving them an easy

way to choose and manage their account.

2) The novelty of the feature

The developed application lets the consumer pay through the app’s integrated payment

system using a registered Oyster card or credit card; deductions can be made on either

depending on the customer’s selection. This system eliminates the time-consuming payment

method apparent today. Instead you can easily click on ‘hire in the app’, pay via

credit/debit/registered oyster, receive the release code and be ready to ride within 10

seconds. Due to the sophistication of smartphones, they can automatically reserve a bike for

a maximum of 10 minutes at the nearest docking station to you at the time of payment.

Therefore, you have your bike ready to ride in fewer steps, increasing the efficiency of the

Barclays Bike service.

3) The customer experience

Customers will experience a new, innovative and efficient way to travel with smoother

transition between different modes of transport in London. Whether its for leisure or

commuting, the system easily lets the customer choose the most suitable payment method

Group  N   26  

with the choice of registering an Oyster card, credit card or both. The app is also interactive,

displaying how long a person has used the bike and available docking spaces nearby.

1) Hire Customers will find the app useful as it eliminates the steps that people find annoying, time-

consuming, and inefficient as well as unreliable. When approaching a docking station, the

customer will no longer need to interact with the payment terminal on the dock. To use the

service, a user only needs to register a payment method in the application the first time they

use it. Once an account is created, the can simply log on to the application, select payment

method, click ‘request a release code’, release the bike at the dock and they go. The hiring

process is thus no longer a problem.

2) Ride

The app offers interactive software, informing the rider of how many minutes have been

used within the 30 minutes slot. If the 30 minutes slot pass, customers can know the current

amount charged in real-time. In this way, users can easily see exactly for how long they

have been riding as well as the cost and can, therefore, better plan and budget for their

journey. There is a further function letting people see available docking spaces nearby. In

addition, their riding and purchasing history can easily be checked and monitored at anytime

through the app.

3) Return When a bike is returned, users will receive confirmation through the app that the docking

has been successful as well as the amount charged for the journey. Customers can further

check their payment in the application and also be able to verify payments against their

riding history at anytime. The app also features a loyalty scheme, which rewards users for

extended use. For example, as the confirmation notice of a successful docking appears on

the screen via the app, there will also be a message stating the loyalty level of the user as

well as how many rides there are left until a free ride reward.

The storyboard below shows the process by which the application easily lets you hire, ride

and return your Barclays Bike.

Group  N   27  

Figure 19: The final storyboard

Group  N   28  

Creating the Prototype : Mock-up Application We have created a prototype of the wireless mobile phone payment system, which will be

integrated into the existing application, Barclays Bike. The illustrations below show the

prototypes initial phase, including the registration process to start using the payment feature

in the application.

Figure 20: Application for mobile payment

Group  N   29  

• First time user

Step 1: The Welcome Page

a) User logs onto the system with their email address/username and password for the

Barclays Bike application. They register if this is their first encounter with the

system.

Step 2: The Register Page

a) Input personal information: such as name, gender, age, address, and mobile number

to gain registration approval.

b) User then inserts their credit/debit card details into the app in order to allow wireless

payment for future hires of the bike.

c) If a customer prefers registering with their Oyster card, the Oyster card can also be

registered, filling in the Oyster card number detailed their Oyster card of the card.

Figure 21: Application screen step 1-3 for first time user

Group  N   30  

Step 3: The Account Page

a) Customers can hire a bike or log out to let a friend log on to his or her account to hire

one.

b) By clicking on your name, as in this example, T Smith, the user can easily access

their account details and payment details.

• Registered Users

Step 1 & 2: The Welcome Page and Log In Page

a) Log-in page lets a user log on using email/username or has automatic log on turned on.

Step 3: The Bike Access Payment

a) User pays for accessing a bike as well as the payment method suitable.

b) User has the choice of using whatever payment method they want, i.e. credit, debit or

oyster card.

Figure 22: Application screen step 1-3 for registered users

Group  N   31  

c) If you have signed up for monthly access, the remaining days of access will be

shown on the page instead.

After completing registration and payment, the customer can hire a bike through

their mobile phone.

Step 4: The Release Page

a) Release page appears after the payment has been authorized and cleared

b) Customer chooses a dock and releases a bike to start riding. The release code will

appear for 10 minutes before being automatically deleted.

Step 5: The Riding Page

a) Displays the accumulated time spent riding and the cost. For example in the time slot

of 30 minutes, the app shows two pounds. However if you have ridden for 35

minutes, the app will show three pounds.

Figure 23: Application screen step 4-7

Group  N   32  

b) Interactive: the app also has a built in system where a user can see available docking

spaces nearby. This eliminates any extra time spent riding and its easier for the user

to stay within a timeslot in terms of cost.

Step 6: The Return Page

a) Return page shows a brief summary of the journey e.g. time spent and the page

confirms successful docking, so no further charge.

Step 7: The Summary Page

a) Shows all the details of your journey; amount charged, time spent and docks used.

Also lets user access the loyalty scheme discussed earlier.

• Role playing

The role-play illustrates how this application works in real situations. One of our group

members, Bikk, acted as a user and timed every step starting from the customer thinking

about using cycle hire until they complete their journey. Our role-play also compares with

the existing situation in order to point out the differences in the customer journey map.

Figure 24: Application screen for loyalty program

Group  N   33  

• Customer using mobile payment in cycle hire service

Bikk is thinking about using Cycle hire to school after getting off the Tube. One station before the destination, he clicks on Barclays Bike and click hire a bike, pays online and gets the release code.

He inputs the release code from his phone to release the bike at the dock.

While he is riding, he can check time and price estimate for his journey.

After he returns the bike, he can check how much he was charged

for his journey.

15 Sec.

He can check his balance and top up the bike access at anytime and also redeem rewards from loyalty

program through the app.

Figure 25: The role play of hiring a bike via mobile payment

Group  N   34  

• Role play Evaluation

It can be seen that when customers have a need to use the service, they are served in a

shorter time with the mobile app compared to the existing payment method. This decreased

time increases efficiency, convenience and enhances customer experience. This results in

positive perceptions overall about the service. Greater satisfaction with the service will tend

to cause customers to use the service more frequently. We think that this application will be

have a big impact on the BCH service in terms of increasing the number of users by

encourage non-user to become a user. As for existing users, this application will enhance

their willingness to use the service more often.

Figure 26: Comparison diagram between existing payment method and new mobile payment

Group  N   35  

Evaluation: Over and above evaluations within the report

After creating the storyboard, the prototype of mobile payment app and performing tests

through role-play, we found that the solution of the app was feasible and would generate

positive results. However, to further measure the effectiveness and benefits associated with

the app, we sought feedback from consumers through street interviews. These interviews

revealed that users would indeed welcome our proposed system.

• Customer interviews

This street interview was carried out between the 1st-2nd November near popular stations as

shown in TfL statistics (Appendix 3). We asked about their thoughts regarding the app using

a mock application, making record of their feedback and opinions. Below are some of the

critical statements:

“I like the idea of the app, will it be combined with my (membership) key?”- Harry, Professional

“So the app will allow me to get a code for the bike few minutes before I get there? That sounds good! ” - Bronte, Professional

“I would prefer giving my card details through the website than putting it into the machine.” - Eunice, Tourist

“It would be so convenient if I can access the payment record through my phone.” - Ella, professional

Figure 27: Customer interview

Group  N   36  

“Getting coeds without printing paper is such a green idea.”- Lore, University student

“When I’m rushing to work I really don’t have time to check if I have properly returned the bikes or not. So, yeah, the idea of receiving a message (confirming the return) would work great for me.”- Kale, Professional

Overall, the results of this interview confirmed most of our assumptions. Since Internet

service is required for the app to work, we expected professionals and students to find

improving the payment method most beneficial in terms of less time and effort. However,

the decision not to target tourists, as they would not have Internet access, actually turned out

to be inconsistent with our primary assumption. In the street interviews many of the tourists

favoured the idea of a mobile app and said Internet access was quite broadly available

through short-term mobile contracts.

Another surprising discovery revealed in this interview was regarding the membership key.

Members own a special key to access the bike at the dock without the need of the access

code. In this sense, they would not necessarily need the app to provide them with codes, but

would still welcome it in order to reserve a bike (for a maximum of 10 minutes), check their

records, and receive an update confirming the successful docking of the bikes upon return.

While this would require further integration of the app with membership keys, it would not

be difficult to implement, creates value, and thus enhances the consumer experience.

From this interview, it can be seen that the increasing convenience of payment using the

mobile application would have a positive impact on users and would be well-received.

Those interviewed showed a greater willingness to start using the bikes or use the bikes

more frequently with the increased convenience brought by the app.

Limitations

After working through the overall process of our project, we found some limitations in each

step, which would need to be considered for the further development.

o Ethnographic Research

- Age determination: people were not always willing to share their age and the

Group  N   37  

question tended to put them off.

- Number of participants: Survey numbers were not significantly high (126 in street

interviews).

- Time frame: It was difficult to determine the best time frame for interviews at

different locations.

- Insufficient empathy tools: no customer diaries, focus groups, or sending text

messages out to get customers talking about the service.

o Idea generation

- Extrapolation issues: location, time, people’s willingness to give feedback

- Personal biases: our opinions and struggles with the bikes may not be

representative of the population

o Final solution (the application)

- The Internet connection on the mobile phone.

There are some limitations associated with Internet connection on mobile phones

especially tourists who do not have a sim cards provided by UK networks. This

might discourage tourists from using this feature.

Enabling use of the mobile when offline

- Further information of payment through the application.

The application needs to collect more information about how to verify the most

effective way to integrate the payment system via the mobile application and also the

security online payment.

- The loyalty scheme on the app.

TfL need to do further study in the below areas:

- How best to structure the loyalty program?

-Who will provide sponsorship for the scheme etc?

Group  N   38  

References

Changingminds.org (n.d.), Kipling Questions, available at:

http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/kipling_questions.htm (accessed 17

October 2014).

London.gov.uk (2011), Mayor Answer to London, available at:

http://mqt.london.gov.uk/mqt/public/question.do?id=36878 (accessed 20 October 2014).

London Assembly (2011), The Future of Ticketing, available at:

http://www.london.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/s7401/The%20Future%20of%20Ticketin

g%20-%20Appendix%201.pdf (accessed 19 October 2014).

Kinvey (n.d.), App Cost Estimator, available at: http://www.kinvey.com/app-cost-estimator  

(accessed  16  October  2014).  

 

Millar, M (2011), Does Your Firm Need Its Own Mobile App?, available at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13000883 (accessed 20 October 2014).

Otreva  (n.d.),  How  Much  Does  It  Cost  to  Build  an  App?,  

https://www.otreva.com/calculator/#  (accessed  26  October  2014).  

 

Sorensen, C. and Sweeney, J. (2014), a-e-I-o-u: An Inclusive Framework for Evaluation,

available at: http://www.cedu.niu.edu/~sorensen/634/handout_D.html (accessed 16 October

2014).

Souza, K. H. (2011), Stakeholders Map, available at:

https://wiki.library.ucsf.edu/display/EdTechStrategic/1.+Stakeholders+Map (accessed 10

October 2014).

Storey, C. (2014), Creativity Problem Solving Ideation, Sorting and Refining, Creativity

Innovation Design at Cass Business School on 10 October 2014.

Group  N   39  

Tfl.gov.uk (2014), Project Monitoring – Project Approvals, available at:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/ppp-20140109-item05-project-

monitoring.pdf (accessed 28 October 2014).

Transport for London (2014), What is a Contactless Payment Card?, available at:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless/what-is-contactless?intcmp=8610#on-

this-page-1 (accessed 21 October 2014).

Transport for London (2014), Three New Barclays Cycle Hire Docking Stations for SW

London, available at: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2014/july/three-

new-barclays-cycle-hire-docking-stations-for-sw-london (accessed 26 October 2014).

Transport for London (2014), TfL and Cubic Continue Partnership, available at:

https://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2014/july/tfl-and-cubic-continue-

partnership (accessed 26 October 2014).

Tus Nua Design (n.d.), How Much to Make an App?, available at:

http://appestimator.tusnuadesigns.net/# (accessed 26 October 2014).

UK Cards Association (n.d), Contactless Limit, available at:

http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/contactless_merchant/contactless_limit.asp

(accessed 20 October 2014).

Wikipedia (n.d.), Barclays Cycle Hire, available at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barclays_Cycle_Hire (accessed 23 October 2014).

Wansink, B. (2000), “New Techniques to Generate Key Marketing Insights,” Marketing

Research, vol. 12, issue 2, pp. 28-36.

Group  N   40  

APPENDICES

Appendix 1

Street interview: This was carried out for 2 days, 14th-15th October, near Waterloo, Angel

and Barbican tube station. This interview ended in a size of 26 people asked.

Appendix 2

Details of interview-based survey: This was carried out over a four days period between

20th-23rd October across popular stations with focus on Waterloo.

Question 1: Which form of transport do you normally take?

Question 2: Have you ever used the Barclays bike?

Group  N   41  

Question 3: The purpose of usage?

Question 4: What were the problems you had with the bike?

Question 5: What is your main concern with the bike?

Group  N   42  

Question 6: What is the possible reason for not trying the bikes before?

Question 7: Which feature can encourage you to use the Barclays bike?

Question 8: If you did ride the bike, for what purpose would that be?

Group  N   43  

Question 9: Would you welcome royalty programmes?

Question 10: What rewards from the loyalty programme would you most favour?

Question 11: Gender?

Question 12: In which zone do you live in?

Group  N   44  

*Demographic of Boris bike service from TFL:

Appendix 3

TFL cycle hire statistic graph 5:

5. Most popular journeys by origin/destination for most recent 6 weeks

Waterloo is our busiest station with 41,084 hires and docks made over this 6 week period,

with an average of 1200 hires and docks every weekday.

Group  N   45  

Appendix 4

Group  N   46  

Appendix 5: Proposed Five Phases of the Future Ticketing Project (London Assembly, 2011)

Appendix 6: Forward Schedule of Project Approvals (Tfl.gov.uk, 2014)

Group  N   47  

Appendix 7: Price Comparison (Otreva, Tus Nua Design and Kinvey, n.d.)