Didi Share Bike Hub
DiDi Bike is a shared bike rental company operates over 5,800 bikes and 600 docking stations in Beijing. In a competitive market, user engagement is crucial for success. This case study examines how enhancing city exploration can drive DiDi Bike’s growth.
I tackled DiDi's 8-week user growth challenge completely solo. With no brief or requirements—just an open prompt to drive user growth—I had total creative freedom to define the problem and solution. I dove into research, identified key opportunities, and designed solutions from scratch. Ended up winning 2nd place out of 32 teams and the Excellent Project Award. 🏆
8 Weeks
Solo Product Designer
Solo Project
Innovation Challenge
Mobile Design
Designed the new feature
to an existing product
The Problem & Goals
Biking in historical city areas like Beijing offers freedom from parking hassles and traffic congestion, easy access to distant landmarks, and exploration at your own pace.
However, city explorers like me struggle with planning, finding hidden gems, and personalizing routes. I came to wonder:
How can we enhance the biking experience to make city exploration more flexible, personalized and unforgettable?
Design Goals:
To drive user growth through enhanced city exploration, I defined three core principles:
Discovery
Starting with my own city exploration frustrations, I identified potential unmet needs. But were these real problems worth solving? To validate my assumptions, I conducted discovery research across multiple sources—industry reports, competitive analysis, and 64 user surveys.
The validation was clear: strong market demand for city exploration, but low brand loyalty among existing services.
This confirmed my hypothesis—city exploration represented untapped growth potential for DiDi Bike. By addressing explorer-specific pain points, DiDi could differentiate itself and capture market share in this underserved segment.
User Painpoints
To understand city explorers' challenges, I conducted 9 user interviews and mapped their journey. This revealed key pain points and design opportunities to enhance the biking experience.
🔍 Wasted Research and Planing Time
Ineffective planning tools lead to wasted time and missed authentic experiences.
"I spent hours researching but still hit tourist traps. The cool local spots? Only heard about them after I left.
⚠️ Safety Risk While Riding
Multitasking while cycling creates serious safety risks and anxiety.
"I'm constantly juggling my phone—switching between maps, taking photos, checking reviews—all while trying not to crash into traffic. It's honestly terrifying."
🔒 Exploration Anxiety
Fear of bike unavailability prevents spontaneous exploration and discovery.
"I want to explore that street art, but what if there's no bike nearby? So I just keep pedaling past interesting places."
💭 Lost Discoveries
Inability to capture and share discoveries means great experiences get lost forever
"I found this amazing rooftop café but couldn't remember the location to tell my friends about it."
Story Map
I envisioned a new DiDi Bike experience where users adapt routes spontaneously, discover places matching their interests, and create shareable moments. This transforms basic transportation into memorable exploration that drives user growth, especially among Gen Z adventurers.
Site Map
The sitemap is based on the new story map and organizes the three key task flows that the high-fidelity prototype will focus on:
1. Finding exploration route recommendations
2. Navigation and temporary parking during riding
3. Sharing.
The sitemap framework and the user insights collected so far will guide future design decisions.
Iterations Highlights
Working solo meant no team feedback, so I involved users at every stage to make confident decisions. I quickly experimented with UI layouts and flows using rough sketches. Initial testing with 5 users showed immediate understanding and excitement for using DiDi Bikes for exploration, validating my direction and giving me confidence to iterate further.
Critical Design Decision: Route Intercept Feature
However, users disagreed on route editing flows, creating a key decision point:
Design A: No Route Intercept Feature
Pros:
Quick and easy process for publishing routes.
Cons:
- Limits personalization—can't customize route segments
- Reduces flexibility—long routes lock users into rigid itineraries
✅ Design B: Include Route Intercept Feature
Pros:
- Enhances flexibility—users can jump in/out at preferred points
- Increases personalization—highlights individual interests while protecting privacy
Cons:
Additional steps may reduce publishing
Design Rationale
I chose Design B with optional intercept because it supported my core goal—removing barriers that prevent users from exploring. The optional feature eliminates publishing friction while maintaining customization, encouraging both new and experienced users to engage.
Solving Usability Friction
Testing revealed users skipped manual route input, creating a publishing barrier that hurt growth. I introduced pin-based drag-and-drop editing to eliminate friction while preserving flexibility. This streamlined interaction increased route publishing completion, directly supporting our user growth objectives.
Before: Typing
After: Drag Pins
Solution 01
The bike community feature simplifies route planning by letting users share and discover routes. Prominently displayed city view pictures and route graphs attract attention. Users can view route type, duration, and cost, then save or start the route immediately by clicking on the map. This intuitive flow matches users' mental models, making route planning quick and easy.
Solution 02
An all-in-one bike app seamlessly combines turn-by-turn navigation with photo capture, eliminating the need for app-switching while riding to enhance safety. Considering that users will look at the interface while riding, I used large typography and visuals for the map.
With temporary parking, users can stop and go at their own pace or explore nearby attractions, enhancing their flexibility in exploring time and route.
Solution 03
Users may start by consuming content and recommendations from the community and then become content providers if they find it useful. Inspired by their discoveries, they share their adventures and contribute custom routes, highlighting favorite stops and hidden gems. Fellow explorers appreciate their creativity and enthusiasm, eager to follow their paths.
My biggest learning: Working solo taught me the importance of constant user validation when you don't have team feedback. By testing concepts early and often, I could make confident design decisions that balanced user needs with business growth objectives.
What I'd do differently: For a real project, I would refine success metrics with the PM at the start to measure whether my solution helps DiDi Bike increase user growth in the new market.
1. Number of trip requests
2. 7-day retention rate
3. Weekly active users
These metrics capture engagement, revenue, and long-term value creation, solidifying a balanced approach that benefits both users and the business.
If I had more time on this project, I would also ensure that all my color contrasts meet the WCAG accessibility standards, promoting an inclusive and user-friendly experience.