User-Centered Design

How Denmark and the Netherlands are built for people on bikes and their varied needs

Living in a dense city can be overwhelming to most people. The ease of getting from one place to another can make or break that decision of continuing to live there. Public transportation is a luxury in most American cities. Owning a car can be expensive and add stress and anxiety to a cost-burdened household. Most often people don’t have a choice – they are either waiting half their day for a bus to come and take them to places or pay exorbitant prices for fuel and the maintenance of a car. Not to mention, insurance and other additional charges. Being a student, it makes a lot more sense for me to bike to places. Sometimes when the bike routes disappear abruptly or start back up in the middle of nowhere, I wonder how these routes were designed. Did someone run out of white paint to draw the demarcating line? Did someone decide that that stretch of road did not deserve a bike lane?

Many such questions bothered me until I had a chance to bike around in Denmark and the Netherlands. The difference was glaringly obvious. I could easily bike around in these countries without worrying about the lane abruptly ending, traffic lights or signage suddenly stopping for the bike lanes, or speed limits increasing. I did not have to worry about how to get through a roundabout or how to take a left turn. It was already built into the design of the space. Things were clearly laid for all traffic users at all times. What made these experiences differently? Why was the urban design different on this side of the world? 

These are the questions I tried to answer and explain through my final project. 

The most critical aspect that set these countries apart was that they focused on the ‘who’ rather than the ‘what’. They are designed for the users (people) on the street and their needs rather than designed for a machine. I want to shine a light on the everyday person’s experience riding a bike on a route. The ease with which someone can get their daily task done without compromising their time, energy, money, or will or even fight with their natural instinct in an urban setting adds to the quality of life. My final report looks at how the streets and the urban fabric are designed for the user and their natural intuition. I elaborate on User-Centered Design, its importance, and the framework behind how it is implemented and measured. I also look at a few examples from both Denmark and the Netherlands to compare, draw similarities and talk about my experience as a fellow user. I conclude with discussions and other takeaways that can help shift our thinking to making the urban fabric fit the users using it and meet their short- and long-term needs.

Why should people in the U.S. care about this topic?

Many people are unable to get to places of their choices and most of them cannot drive due to numerous reasons. Public transportation is seen as a government aid program to help poor people who lack cars rather than a vital aspect of a city's growth. But because of that notion, the transit agency doesn't charge high enough fares to provide efficient service. It works on works on reduced service - limited operating hours and frequency. 

The availability of public transit with input from the public opens up the possibility and freedom to go anywhere. Mixing different modes of public transit gives them the choice and the power to choose what they want and how. This is a huge power shift in the culture and the entire transportation sector. 

The next best option to get around is by bikes. Biking is very much seen as a recreational activity rather than a transport option in most American cities. There is a lack of simple and safe bike routes due to automobile-centric planning. Bikers don't feel welcomed on the road as the design and infrastructure is meant for cars and automobiles only. Designing and building a better bike network means biking is safer for those who already do it and more accessible to those who have yet to try. And this starts with a shift in thinking - who are we designing and building city infrastructure for? For automobiles or for people? Do we want more people to get to places on bikes and by foot easily and quickly or do we want to promote more parking garages in the city?

Simply put, designing for the people enhances and improves the quality of life. Living in a city designed and built for the people matters a lot when it comes to the smallest of details. Not having to think at every step and trying to be safe at all times can take a toll on mental health and pressure. We all have a part in promoting user-centered design in our urban setting. It is not a cultural or political thing. It is a humanity issue, an everyday life issue. It is time to shift our thinking and think of sustainable long-term solutions. The sooner people in power realize that the sooner our lives will change for the better. Because if not for the people, who are we designing and planning it all for?

What recommendations do you have for policymakers in the U.S to address your topic?

This project is meant for people to start the conversation about user-centered design. Every problem is different and unique and will need a collaborative unit of people to come together and tackle the current issues most American cities face.

The goal is to build a common language for citizens, planners and policy-makers around cycling experience. Emphasizing people's feelings, experiences and stories, especially those marginally and historically removed from these conversations.

User-centered design is a medium to get to that goal. It facilitates iterative work in response to growing understanding of what works for the user. It creates a unique chance to work and design together with communities. It is rooted in actual needs that people have and deeply understand the people they are trying to serve.

US policy-makers have more power than they realize in bringing about a change for the better. 

- First they need to experience what a street for everyday biking looks like. Drawing comparisons between driving a car where the design and infrastructure supports it and riding a bike where there are missing links in design and infrastructure is a good starting point. 

- We need an evaluation of usable a street is for everyday people riding a bike and learn about their difficulties and what they think are the strong and weak points of a street's function.

- Getting to know the people who are using these bike lanes and their stories. This adds value to the traditional quantitative methods of collecting data, while also having a deep understanding of real priorities and needs.

- Employ a team to get on the ground and interview people who use the bike lanes. These questions can include asking these people to journal or map their biking journey to understand the high and low points. Why do people give up biking? Where are these fall-off points when people give up? 

- Protyping a service is a great way to engage with people who actually care about biking. This also helps in collecting data on what people like, want and need in their daily lives and get their first-hand experience and feedback on changing policies. This will prompt people to participate and engage much more knowing that their actions, participation and voice can make a difference.   

- Technology without the human context might solve some problems, leave others untouched and often end up creating new ones. Technology should work hand in hand with the real human experience to create innovative solutions that will last a long time.

- The 'WHO' is more important than 'WHAT'. Measuring success from the human perspective and aiming for improving the quality of life will yield better results than crunching the numbers. This aids policy-makers in evaluating if policy is having the desired impact.

Policy is implemented on a large scale and it can impact the lives of millions of people. Creating value for people requires striking a balance between desirability, feasibility and viability. Through user-centered design, these forces can be tackled through the user perspective.