SPIN STREETS
Empowering Communities Through Micro-mobility Solutions
Project Description
Through partnership with Spin, an e-scooter operator, we developed SPIN Streets, a group riding platform concept that acts as a communal way for people to experience scooters where individual community members or organizations within those communities are able to plan ride experiences.
We conducted secondary research as well as a limited amount of primary research which informed the development of the SPIN Streets concept.
Client
Spin, a Ford Mobility company, describes itself as a micro-mobility company. The company specializes in the large scale operation of dockless electric scooters. Spin currently provides e-scooters in multiple universities and major cities across the North America and Europe.
Project Role
Design Researcher and Strategist
Project Team
Justin Bartkus
Jessica Granger Demeester
Julian Walker
Project Advisor
Mark Jones
Location
Chicago IL
* Our research for this project was largely performed through secondary research methods rather than primary research for a number of reasons. The project was performed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic which made it difficult to interact with and recruit participants for primary research. Additionally, because the project was positioned by Spin as one that was centered around equity and focused on black and brown communities, as a class we decided not to engage in some traditional primary research methods that often feel extractive to these communities. As a class we were able to conduct interviews and co-creation sessions, however participation was very limited.
Design Challenge
Spin partnered with the Institute of Design's service design workshop to explore equitable solutions that might improve engagement with Spin scooters as a "last mile" solution in what the city of Chicago described as "Equity Zones" which primarily consist of black and brown neighborhoods.
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Exploratory Research
Understanding The Spin Ride Experience
Before beginning our exploration of the community we were asked to design for, we rode Spin's e-scooter fin order to get a first hand account of the overall ride experience. Although there were a couple non-enjoyable moments during my ride experience, overall it was exhilarating. I created a journey map to documented the experience.
Understanding Historical Inequities in the Community
In order to understand the context surrounding the black and brown communities highlighted for the project we gathered secondary research to better understand the structural inequities that exist around their transit journeys. Through this research we noted that the transit inequities facing this community largely fell into two categories, health and safety concerns and financial concerns. We noted that these inequities were symptoms of the racist disinvestment experienced by these communities for generations. Understanding these foundational issues, there was no surprise that micro-mobility solutions like Spin did not resonate with many members of the community as a last mile solution.
My team and I explored the systems surrounding the transit experience in these black and brown communities from the lens of the individual and the community. Surrounding their human needs and desires we placed the infrastructures that currently act as barriers to achieving their desired outcomes and reaching their desired transit access points.
What we noticed was that number and types of barriers experienced by individuals in these communities significantly impact their transit experience. From the inequitable distribution of CTA transit lines in their neighborhoods, to over policing, and food desserts, their transit journeys present them with sizable problems on a daily basis. You'll see a more synthesized version of our systems level exploration below.
Why the"Last Mile" Transit Problem Didn't Fit These Communities
Our research along with our system level analysis led us to the conclusion that solving for a "Last Mile" transit solution in these neighborhoods was not the way to go for a number of reasons which we categorized into four main areas:
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Individual needs
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Communal needs,
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Infrastructure and mobility system deficiencies
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Macro Policies, historical factors, and social determinants of quality of life
Reframing the Challenge
Collectively as a class, we identified four major opportunity areas to explore.
Ideation and Concept Development
Exploring Safe and Reliable Transport
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What if community members could plan travel experiences with those around them in order to complete trips to and from their desired destinations?
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Exploring Community Empowerment
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What if scooters could provide agency and act as a mechanism for community empowerment?
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Exploring Affordability and Need Fulfillment
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What if scooters could act as an affordable conduit to connect community members to critical community resources creating an ecosystem of care?
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SPIN Streets
A group ride event platform solution that empowers community members to create emergent futures, moments of joy, and provides space for communities to create new sources of exchange and meaning.
SPIN Streets is a group riding event platform that provides a communal way for people to experience scooters. Individual community members or organizations within those communities are able to plan ride experiences. Those experiences might be centered around learning the history of and expressing appreciation for community destinations, or they might be centered around building community and enjoying the ride itself.
While SPIN Streets is a group riding concept, we envision it as being much more than that. We see SPIN Streets as a metaphorical and literal vehicle of connection. Connection to people, connection to place, and connection to new futures as imagined by members of the community.
Equity Principles, Design Rationale, and Future Considerations
In thinking about outcomes as we were creating this concept, we sought to keep equity at the forefront. We wanted to ensure that those intended outcomes weren't lost if the concept were to be developed further.
As mentioned earlier, our ability to engage the community for primary research and concept testing for this project was limited. As a result, there are many concept considerations related to its desirability, viability, and feasibility that remain in need of exploration. We've detailed what we believe are the primary remaining considerations.
Project Reflections
Engaging the Community for Primary Research - Although it's been mentioned multiple times throughout the work, it would have been great if we would have been able to engage with community members and include in them both in the research, design, and testing of the concept we developed.
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Incorporating Community Led Design Practices - Taking that a bit further, if we had another pass at this project I would want to approach this work as a community led design project where we co-design WITH community members every step of the way, from problem identification all the way through to designing the concept. I think it imperative to include communities in design projects because they know way better than we do, what problems should be solved and how they should be solved. A community led design approach also provides an opportunity to democratize design and place the tools of design in the hands of the community so that they might take those skills and tackle other challenges.