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SafeRide Hub: Community-Driven Urban Cycling
mobile app for cyclists

SafeRide Hub: Community-Driven Urban Cycling

Be safe and enjoy rides in the city

My role

End-to-End Product Designer

Project type

Self-initiated project

Tools

Figma
Xmind
Goodnotes

After a serious bike accident caused by an unmarked pothole in Warsaw, I realized that urban cyclists lack real-time safety information and meaningful ways to contribute to safer city travel. Through user research and competitor analysis, I discovered that riders want to report hazards but no existing solution combines safety, navigation, and community engagement.

I designed a mobile app that transforms cyclists and e-scooter riders from passive users into active contributors to urban mobility safety while fostering community connections.

Approach & Insights

My early strategic decisions:

  • Mobile-first approach: I decided the solution must be mobile to allow riders to access and report issues while on the move

  • Expanding the audience: Initially focused on cyclists, I realized e-scooter riders share the same lanes and face identical hazards, broadening the app's relevance

What I discovered:

  • 70% of cyclists encounter hazards they want to report but have no easy way to do so

  • Cyclists are frustrated with misleading navigation and sudden path quality changes

  • 85% are potentially open to social features

The market reality:

  • Strava and Komoot excel at planning but lack real-time safety interaction

  • Miejski.Bike has strong local data but weak engagement systems

  • Waze succeeds at fast reporting and feedback loops but isn't designed for cyclists.

My decision:

I chose to fill the gap between individual cycling apps and civic reporting tools. Because no app builds trust through community validation, I decided to create a system where users help verify each other's reports - making safety reporting both reliable and engaging.

My early strategic decisions:

  • Mobile-first approach: I decided the solution must be mobile to allow riders to access and report issues while on the move

  • Expanding the audience: Initially focused on cyclists, I realized e-scooter riders share the same lanes and face identical hazards, broadening the app's relevance

What I discovered:

  • 70% of cyclists encounter hazards they want to report but have no easy way to do so

  • Cyclists are frustrated with misleading navigation and sudden path quality changes

  • 85% are potentially open to social features

The market reality:

  • Strava and Komoot excel at planning but lack real-time safety interaction

  • Miejski.Bike has strong local data but weak engagement systems

  • Waze succeeds at fast reporting and feedback loops but isn't designed for cyclists.

My decision:

I chose to fill the gap between individual cycling apps and civic reporting tools. Because no app builds trust through community validation, I decided to create a system where users help verify each other's reports - making safety reporting both reliable and engaging.

My early strategic decisions:

  • Mobile-first approach: I decided the solution must be mobile to allow riders to access and report issues while on the move

  • Expanding the audience: Initially focused on cyclists, I realized e-scooter riders share the same lanes and face identical hazards, broadening the app's relevance

What I discovered:

  • 70% of cyclists encounter hazards they want to report but have no easy way to do so

  • Cyclists are frustrated with misleading navigation and sudden path quality changes

  • 85% are potentially open to social features

The market reality:

  • Strava and Komoot excel at planning but lack real-time safety interaction

  • Miejski.Bike has strong local data but weak engagement systems

  • Waze succeeds at fast reporting and feedback loops but isn't designed for cyclists.

My decision:

I chose to fill the gap between individual cycling apps and civic reporting tools. Because no app builds trust through community validation, I decided to create a system where users help verify each other's reports - making safety reporting both reliable and engaging.

mobile app for cyclist, sketches

Solution

I designed a mobile app that transforms cyclists and e-scooter riders from passive users into active contributors to urban mobility safety while fostering community connections.

Core concept: a safety-community Hub. Instead of cramming everything into one interface, I designed a hub with four clear entry points, because users have different needs at different times. Key Features:

  • Map: route planning and real-time reporting

  • Issues: managing and validating safety reports

  • Profile: personal stats and community achievements

  • Community: route sharing and social features (future development)

Design highlights:

  1. Status label system for community validation
    I created a progression of status labels (New → Confirmed → Sent to authorities) that show both community validation and official escalation, making the reporting system feel transparent and effective. Users need to see that their reports matter and are being acted upon, not disappearing into a void.

  2. Persistent floating report button
    I placed the blue exclamation report button consistently across all sections of the app, not just the map, so users can report issues no matter where they are in the experience. Safety issues happen unexpectedly - users shouldn't have to navigate back to a specific screen to report something urgent.

  3. Instagram-inspired profile design
    I gave the profile section a visual, social media-inspired design with community features to make safety reporting feel rewarding rather than like civic duty.

I designed a mobile app that transforms cyclists and e-scooter riders from passive users into active contributors to urban mobility safety while fostering community connections.

Core concept: a safety-community Hub. Instead of cramming everything into one interface, I designed a hub with four clear entry points, because users have different needs at different times. Key Features:

  • Map: route planning and real-time reporting

  • Issues: managing and validating safety reports

  • Profile: personal stats and community achievements

  • Community: route sharing and social features (future development)

Design highlights:

  1. Status label system for community validation
    I created a progression of status labels (New → Confirmed → Sent to authorities) that show both community validation and official escalation, making the reporting system feel transparent and effective. Users need to see that their reports matter and are being acted upon, not disappearing into a void.

  2. Persistent floating report button
    I placed the blue exclamation report button consistently across all sections of the app, not just the map, so users can report issues no matter where they are in the experience. Safety issues happen unexpectedly - users shouldn't have to navigate back to a specific screen to report something urgent.

  3. Instagram-inspired profile design
    I gave the profile section a visual, social media-inspired design with community features to make safety reporting feel rewarding rather than like civic duty.

I designed a mobile app that transforms cyclists and e-scooter riders from passive users into active contributors to urban mobility safety while fostering community connections.

Core concept: a safety-community Hub. Instead of cramming everything into one interface, I designed a hub with four clear entry points, because users have different needs at different times. Key Features:

  • Map: route planning and real-time reporting

  • Issues: managing and validating safety reports

  • Profile: personal stats and community achievements

  • Community: route sharing and social features (future development)

Design highlights:

  1. Status label system for community validation
    I created a progression of status labels (New → Confirmed → Sent to authorities) that show both community validation and official escalation, making the reporting system feel transparent and effective. Users need to see that their reports matter and are being acted upon, not disappearing into a void.

  2. Persistent floating report button
    I placed the blue exclamation report button consistently across all sections of the app, not just the map, so users can report issues no matter where they are in the experience. Safety issues happen unexpectedly - users shouldn't have to navigate back to a specific screen to report something urgent.

  3. Instagram-inspired profile design
    I gave the profile section a visual, social media-inspired design with community features to make safety reporting feel rewarding rather than like civic duty.

mobile app for cyclists
mobile app for cyclists

Impact & Reflection

What I learnt:

  • Designing status labels like "New" or "Confirmed" seemed simple until I realized the complex backend logic they represented. It taught me to think more systematically about the relationship between UI language and system behavior.

  • The Community/Feed section needs deeper exploration. I didn't want to design them without proper foundation.

  • The detailed report validation flow is still evolving. I initially placed review buttons in a tab, but realized they needed their own contextual screen to work effectively.

Future considerations:

Deep user research
I'd conduct face-to-face interviews with cyclists to understand their real needs and current app usage patterns. This qualitative research could completely change my approach - surveys only scratch the surface of user behavior and motivations.

City authority collaboration
A future priority is connecting with Warsaw's city authorities to integrate with their data systems. The app's full potential depends on real collaboration with municipal infrastructure - making it a true bridge between citizens and city services.

Rethinking the reporting flow
The entire issue reporting system needs deeper examination - not just the labels, but the complete journey: what data users provide, where reports go, how they're processed, and what feedback users receive. The current status progression is just the beginning.

Community features beyond gamification
The challenges and badges in the profile are starting points, but I need to explore what genuinely motivates cyclists beyond typical gamification. What type of community features would fit a "bike app" without feeling forced or superficial?

Let’s work together

Always excited to team up with amazing individuals for interesting projects. Let's bring our ideas to life!

Say hi! via email

Let’s work together

Always excited to team up with amazing individuals for interesting projects. Let's bring our ideas to life!

Say hi! via email

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