Brotate and Tribike: Designing Smartphone Control for Cycling
This work addresses traffic safety issues for cyclists by providing safer smartphone interaction methods, though it is incremental as it builds on existing user-centered design principles for cycling interfaces.
The researchers tackled the problem of cyclists using smartphones while biking, which compromises safety, by designing and evaluating two hands-free smartphone control devices (Tribike and Brotate). The study with 19 participants showed that Brotate significantly improved lateral bicycle control and both devices reduced cognitive load during smartphone tasks.
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.