Story time. Recently we were visiting Copenhagen, the city known for the Little Mermaid and its vibrant biking culture. Eager to explore more of the city, we decided to rent bikes. The streets were lined with sleek, inviting rental bikes, and I picked the best-looking electric one. A QR code on the bike invited me to “Start here!”
Simple as 1-2-3
And that’s when the trouble began. The QR code led me to the company’s website, which advertised rental services to cities and communities. Not exactly user-friendly for someone just wanting a bike ride.
Well, I headed to the App Store to find the company’s app. Two apps appeared. Neither clearly indicated which one was for me. After some digging, I figured out which one to install. The other app was for cities to manage their bike fleets.
Upon launching the app, I was hit with a standard registration form: name, email, phone. This is where I hit a complete showstopper. The continue button was hidden underneath the virtual keyboard. Knowing many tricks iPhone didn’t help. Focusing on any of the fields popped up the keyboard and covered the continue button. We went for another bike rental.
What about KPIs?
I noticed plenty of unrented bikes from this company. In contrast, other bike rentals had almost all their bikes in use. I could imagine the frustration of their leadership team — high season, bikes sitting idle, new users almost nonexistent.
Maybe Android users just are more likely to rent a bike? Maybe the competitors have better bikes? Do we have the bikes in the right spots?
However, the lesson to learn here is clear: This isn’t a demographic issue or a need for expensive competitor research/analysis. It just a obvious UX problem. If the first touchpoint with your service is frustrating, users will abandon you quickly — they might not have a choice.
Prioritizing real-life field testing is the only way to spot and validate issues like this. Make the user experience your top priority, and the other KPIs will follow.
The saddest thing was that the next night they reorganized 10+ bikes, moved them to a better spot. And they all were there, unrented.
PS. I don’t want to mention any names or brands here, but if you happen to recognize yourself, I’m happy to provide further details and help. The bikes look awesome.
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