I love the idea of Hubway. In a city like Boston where 99 percent of the time public transit is questionable every time, few modes of transportation are more efficient, and healthy, than riding a bike. And for people like, me who can barely afford the stamp to mail out rent, bike-shares are a more than viable option. But they’re also something of a turn off.
Confession: I’ve never ridden a Hubway before. Don’t get me wrong; the idea of Hubway is ingenious and biking around Boston not only gets you from A to B faster than a car or public transportation, but it affords the rider a new perspective of a city riddled with hidden historical goodies around almost every corner. But do you agree with me that they’re a bit confusing?
I almost got myself a Hubway recently. The only problem was that the instructions for rental were a bit confusing. Day passes, hourly fees, additional usage charges, for whatever reason I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. Maybe it was because I was in a rush and didn’t have time to decipher every last instruction. Maybe it’s because I told myself I was in a rush but was too lazy to wade through all of the words. Maybe I’m just not as smart as you. Stop ridiculing me, I’m sensitive.
Whatever the reason, New York City’s Citi Bike has an answer for simpletons like myself: Pictures, of course!
According to Citi Bike, a couple of first-year MFA Interaction Design students observed how first-time bike-share users interact with the kiosks at which they’re kept. “The two soon learned that new customers, especially non-English speakers, were having a hard time understanding the logistics of renting a Citi Bike, and found the pricing structure especially confusing.”
It’s almost as if they were looking into my brain, although I do speak English. Sometimes I even speak it goodly.
To counteract this issue, Citi Bike outfitted their kiosks with image instructions, “more of a storyboard,” that basically holds the hand of a prospective bike-share user through the entire purchasing process.
Seeing as how both Citi Bike and Hubway are part of the same Alta Bicycle Share family, here’s hoping the latter adopts a similar strategy to help turn people on more to their two-wheelers.
Image via Citi Bike
