Enhancing Seoul’s Public Bicycle System for Office Workers in Yeouido

Public Bicycle Service Redesign

This project aimed to revitalize Seoul’s public bicycle service by applying service-design methodology—integrating ethnographic research, stakeholder mapping, and user-journey analysis. The goal was to create a more accessible, efficient, and user-centered public mobility experience for Yeouido’s large community of office workers.

Timeline : April 2014 - September 2014
Type : Public Service · Mobile · IoT Integration
Team: 4 members (Collaborative project)
Role: UX / Service Designer

Context & Research Insights

Current Status: Seoul’s public bicycles were mainly concentrated in Yeouido and Sangam, but usage was uneven—dense around banks and office buildings, sparse near housing and parks.
Pain Points:
- Complicated kiosk process (multi-step authentication and payment)
- Poor station placement and unclear mapping
- Maintenance inefficiency and outdated hardware
- Low membership conversion due to rigid pricing (₩1,000 per hour)

Benchmark:
A comparative study with New York’s Citi Bike highlighted Seoul’s limitations—limited scale (284 bikes vs 6,000 in NYC), no sponsorship model, no dedicated app, and less flexible payment and membership systems.

Design Question

How might we design a self-directed, simulation-based learning experience that enables students to understand typhoon dynamics through direct manipulation and experimentation?

Target Users

Kim Tae-geun (29) – Financial Salesman

Uses subway but walks 15 min from Yeouido Station to office
Seeks quicker, low-cost commuting between meetings
Frustrated by complicated kiosk steps and station inaccessibility

Jang Geurae (32) – Designer

Uses public transport daily but struggles with irregular schedules and narrow streets
Needs short-distance mobility between partner offices
Wishes for a more flexible and affordable alternative to taxis

Key Findings

Low Accessibility: Users found kiosks confusing and time-consuming.
Maintenance Burden: Admins spent excessive time checking and repairing aging bikes.
Pricing Friction: The fixed ₩1,000 / 1 hr system discouraged casual, short-term users.
Information Gap: Real-time station/bike data was not visible through any mobile interface.

Design Goals

Simplify rental and verification procedures.
Improve station accessibility and real-time visibility.
Reduce administrative costs via digital integration.
Encourage short-term and repeat use through flexible pricing.

Ideation & Design Brief

Design Opportunity

Complex verification

Rigid pricing

Overreliance on kiosks

High maintenance cost

Lack of motivation

Limited engagement

Proposed Solution

Replace ID-number input with a simple resident-ID or phone NFC scan
Introduce 30-minute billing and post-payment for overtime
Shift core functions (rental, payment, map, support) to the mobile app cost
Convert old bikes into long-term rentals / sell second-hand
Introduce calorie-to-points reward and user ranking features
Offer in-app ads + partnership content for added revenue

Service Blueprint

Frontstage (User-Facing):

ID or phone tap for verification
View nearest station via mobile app
Choose payment (NFC / card / phone bill)
Ride & return → auto payment for extra time

Backstage (System-Facing):

Central control center monitors all stations
Fault reports synced via app
Maintenance crew receives real-time alerts
Data analytics improve bike distribution efficiency

Key Scenarios

Quick Verification: Tap ID or phone for instant access
App Navigation: Find nearest available bike with live map
Smart Payment: Use credit, phone, or NFC; charged per 30 mins
In-App Help: Report issues directly to control center
Personal Data View: Check distance, calories, and ranking

Outcome & Impact

Simplified rental flow — reduced onboarding time by 70%
Reduced maintenance costs via second-hand cycle reuse
Increased accessibility through app-based UX
Improved satisfaction with flexible pricing & transparency

Reflection

This redesign turned a bureaucratic, hardware-heavy public service into a user-centered digital ecosystem.
By integrating UX thinking with service design, we demonstrated how small interface changes can create large-scale behavioral and environmental impact.

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