SPIN • Micro-Mobility
Expanding the range of an EV micro-mobility system by creating a swappable battery ecosystem.
Project Objective
Design a system that enables swappable batteries for SPIN’s micro-mobility ecosystem.
role
Interaction Designer
timeline
4 months
core team
2 Industrial Designers
1 Interaction Designer
1 Design Researcher
Key Skills
UX/UI design
Storyboarding
Service design
tools & methods
Sketch
User interview
central question
How might we create a best-in-class experience for shared e-bikes and scooters while also supporting a system for securely swapping batteries out in the field?
Our first task was to get familiar with the existing context of SPIN’s products, to identify both pain points and opportunity areas.
10
Rider Interviews
Minneapolis
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Oakland
Indianapolis
New York
7
Looking-In Conversations
Government Partnerships
Operations
Product
5
Ops Team Interviews
Sacramento
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
Portland
3
Expert Interviews
Former Citibike Bike Angel
Participant in Bird’s Monthly Rental Program
Former Project Manager, User Incentives, Citbike
Small Vehicles Create Big Value
What we heard from our research was that, whether it’s saving money, avoiding traffic, staying active, or just having the convenience of not having to buy and own a vehicle themselves— people love the benefits of having publicly shared micro-mobility options like bikes and scooters.
Chris, doordasher
"I could have chosen to use my car, but I knew I was going to make the most profit going on the scooter."
Maggie, rider
"Yeah, I mean there's really no scenario where I can think of a bad time to use a scooter."
problem #1
Riders don’t want to be responsible for swapping out the batteries themselves.
Even if there were A rewards incentive, most riders told us they wouldn’t want to the responsibility of doing “maintenance work” (swapping batteries) while they’re using a shared scooter/bike.
Jake, rider
"If you were being asked to swap out the battery on a bike, you would avoid that bike at all costs"
problem #2
EV batteries are susceptible to theft and tampering, especially for publicly shared scooters and e-bikes.
Shared vehicles are built to be durable, but are often left strewn on sidewalks or vandalized—treated as a transaction rather than a community resource.
It needs to be super easy for people to do the right thing— whether parking neatly or returning a bike to a hub.
design solution
BATTERY SWAPPING SYSTEM
Leave the responsibility of battery swapping to SPIN’s trained professionals
Deters theft
and vandalism
Minimizes the need for infrastructure
Reduces the risk of improper swapping
Eliminates work that’s not worth the reward
Optimize Field Operations
Increase the efficiency of field ops teams by allowing them to easily find vehicles that need a new battery or other servicing.
Make Battery Access Easy But Secure
Enclosed Battery Compartment
Protects against water, dirt, and theft— can only be unlocked by ops team.
Vertical Battery Swapping Access
Battery holder rotates up allowing Ops member to easily lift battery up and out.
Concept rendering from project (2020)
SPIN’s S-3000 e-bike (released in 2023)
SPIN’s Spin 6 scooter (released in 2023)
design solution
RIDER EXPERIENCE
Find the vehicles with lots of charge left
Increases rider confidence by allowing them to search for only bikes and scooters with battery levels within a certain range.
Show drop-off locations for vehicles needing a new battery
Makes it easy for riders to know exactly what to do and where to go when their scooter or bike is going to need a battery swap.
