In 2019, at the height of the eScooter VC hype-cycle, companies like Spin, Lime, and Bird were deploying scooters in cities across the U.S. without permission, leading to backlash from both city governments and the public. Municipalities responded by implementing formal Request for Proposal (RFP) processes, requiring scooter firms to address equitable access as part of their services. Spin Scooter, seeking to create the best access/equity program, hired a joint team from IDEO and Gehl to help design their response.

I was brought on as a consultant, leveraging my graduate thesis work on human-centered design and transportation, to assist with the human factors research phase of the project.

Key Contributions:

• Designed, planned, and executed interactive community engagement events in low-income areas.
• Conducted interviews with dozens of low-income and homeless scooter users to gather insights.
• Created mock marketing campaigns to raise awareness about access and equity programs.
• Analyzed socioeconomic data to create heat maps illustrating the potential impact of Spin's initiatives.
• Joined Spin’s field operations staff on ride-alongs to better understand operational challenges and perspectives.
• Designed and illustrated alternative scooter pickup scheduling models to improve access.
• Facilitated workshops with Spin's leadership to gather expertise and share research findings.

Despite the promising research, the onset of COVID-19 and the restructuring of the eScooter industry led to the project's discontinuation before implementation.