Brotate and Tribike: Designing Smartphone Control for Cycling

The more people commute by bicycle, the higher is the number of cyclists using their smartphones while cycling and compromising traffic safety. We have designed, implemented and evaluated two prototypes for smartphone control devices that do not require the cyclists to remove their hands from the handlebars - the three-button device Tribike and the rotation-controlled Brotate. The devices were the result of a user-centred design process where we identified the key features needed for a on-bike smartphone control device. We evaluated the devices in a biking exercise with 19 participants, where users completed a series of common smartphone tasks. The study showed that Brotate allowed for significantly more lateral control of the bicycle and both devices reduced the cognitive load required to use the smartphone. Our work contributes insights into designing interfaces for cycling.Comment: 22nd International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI '20), October 5--8, 2020, Oldenburg, German

Contested Spaces, Shared Concerns

Roadways are sociocultural spaces constructed for human travel which embody intersections of technology, transportation, and culture. In order to navigate these spaces successfully, autonomous vehicles must be able to respond to the needs and practices of those who use the road. We conducted research on how cyclists, solid waste truck drivers, and crossing guards experience the driving behaviors of other road users, to inform the development of autonomous vehicles. We found that the roadways were contested spaces, with each road user group enacting their own social constructions of the road. Furthermore, the three groups we worked with all felt marginalized by comparison with car drivers, who were ideologically and often physically dominant on the road. This article is based on research for the Nissan Research Center - Silicon Valley, which took place as part of a Design Anthropology course at the University of North Texas

Accessible Automated Automotive Workshop Series (A3WS): International Perspective on Inclusive External Human-Machine Interfaces

The fact that automated vehicles will be part of road traffic raises the question of how human road users, like bicyclists or pedestrians, would safely interact with them. Research has proposed external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs) for automated vehicles as a potential solution. Concept prototypes and evaluations so far have mainly focused on young, healthy adults and people without disabilities, such as visual impairments. For a “one-for-all” holistic, inclusive solution, however, further target groups like children, seniors, or people with (other) special needs will have to be considered. In this workshop, we bring together researchers, experts, and practitioners working on eHMIs to broaden our perspective on inclusiveness. We aim to identify aspects of inclusive eHMI design that can be universal and tailored to any culture and will focus on discussing methods, tools, and scenarios for inclusive communication

Little Village June/July 2012

https://ir.uiowa.edu/littlevillage/1114/thumbnail.jp

Precarious entitlement to public space and utility cycling in Dublin: a grounded theory study

Reports on the safety of cycling and research investigating factors thought to impinge on cycling risk and safety are often complex, insufficient and, at times, contradictory and inconclusive. Amongst this ambiguous understanding of matters of risk and safety in relation to cycling, the provisional aim of this study was to explore how cyclists themselves deal with matters of risk in the context of Dublin. Classical grounded theory methodology was employed over the course of the study. Data collection involved 28 qualitative interviews which took place simultaneously with data analysis, in which grounded theory procedures were adhered to; namely, open coding, selective coding, memoing, theoretical sampling, and theoretical saturation. Emerging from data collection and analysis, it was conceptualised that dealing with conditions of ‘precarious entitlement’ to public space is a main concern of utility cyclists in Dublin. That is, cyclists in Dublin perceive an entitlement to public space that is precarious to exercise as a cyclist in practice. In order to negotiate such conditions, cyclists in Dublin can engage in ‘privatising vulnerability’. Namely, they can make their vulnerability a matter of personal rather than shared responsibility, prioritising their perceived safety over matters of entitlement, responsibility and fairness through particular modes of action. Furthermore, cyclists in Dublin can engage in practices of ‘provoking responsibility’, in which both subtle and conspicuous actions are taken in order to provoke a sense of responsibility in other public space users to respect a cyclist’s entitlement to public space and vulnerability within conditions of precarious entitlement. This theory reveals a new form of structural vulnerability, a ‘state of nature within a state of civilisation’ and a problem of accessibility to public space. Moreover, it conceptualises modes of action in an urban context that involve social withdrawal, submission, and individualisation in public space, as well as active and ongoing negotiation between citizens of life in common and recognition, alongside efforts to appropriate and produce public space

Getting from here to there: Boosting women’s participation in bicycling through adult bicycle skills training.

Increasing bicycling in cities is a public health and sustainability goal. Although supportive infrastructure is a necessary precondition for most people to begin riding, other forms of encouragement are also needed to spur uptake across populations. Women are an important target group as they participate in bicycling at roughly one-third the rate of men. While much is known on the importance of a safe, dense, and well- connected bikeway network, there are knowledge gaps on ‘soft’ interventions related to training or education. Questions remain on the effectiveness of bicycle skills training, how trainings interact with the bikeway network, and, given the bicycling gender disparity, the role training has on supporting women’s participation. To address these gaps, this dissertation assessed the impact of a bicycle training course in encouraging participation among new and returning bicyclists, and the broader processes that enabled bicycling for women of diverse backgrounds. Weaving together behaviour change theory and gender frameworks, the longitudinal mixed methods study drew on questionnaire and interview data from Metro Vancouver, Canada—a region promoting bicycling and extending its bicycle infrastructure. The dissertation found that training facilitated only modest short-term increases in leisure bicycling. Other elements of the social and physical environment did not support a full variety of journeys to be made by bicycle, and these elements were more influential than individual attributes such as skill or knowledge. Nevertheless, training provided a safe environment to improve handling skill, learn traffic rules and safety, or reinforce pre-existing knowledge. Training enabled some participants to bicycle in more challenging conditions, thus enhancing their bicycling mobility. Policy recommendations derived from this work include: bold expansion of the bikeway network; more intensive training and practice sessions for new and returning riders; broader outreach to clarify bicycling norms and etiquette; education for drivers; and integrating a gender lens into bicycle planning. By applying a novel integration of gender and social practice theoretical frameworks to examine the impact of an intervention on an under-studied population of new and returning bicyclists, this dissertation contributes both new evidence and new conceptual insights to theory and practice of bicycling in cities

Community Pride Reporter, 03/1994

https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cpr/1008/thumbnail.jp