Working in a group of 5, we were tasked with redesigning a form of public transportation, with a focus being put on human factors and ergonomics. With Savannah being a city of tourists, my group decided on pedicabs- a simple design with a lot of room for improvement.

We began by doing good, old-fashioned contextual research: We took rides on pedicabs and noted our experience, while others went out and conducted interviews with riders and the owners of the Savannah Pedicab Company. 

Armed with this information, we then set out to identify touch points. We narrowed it down to these 7 categories: Back, sides, seat cushioning, step, footrest, (a sense of) safety, and a handle. 

Then, using measurements from an actual pedicab that we had gotten on one of our rides, we constructed a simple mock up using wood and cardboard and told our fellow students to interact with it. We gave them a survey so they could write notes on the different touchpoints, but we also kept a careful record of the comments they would say out loud.

We then took that information and split up to ideate. We came up with different concepts for each touchpoint, then reconviened and compared them. We took the best ideas of each and compiled them into a singular design before moving forward.

After we had the general idea of what we were going to do, we had to follow up with some secondary research. Using our fellow students again, we found the best measurements and angles for each touchpoint. These measurements were then factored into the life size mock up construction and the final 3D model.

Thanks to our redesign, we optimized the amount of arm space, storage space, and leg room for the passenger. 

Now our pedicab may look a lot larger than a normal one, however our redesign doesn't use much more material than a normal pedicab, and weighs about the same. It does, however, maximize the amount of space for the passenger, which leads to a more comfortable ride.