A suggestive qualitative research plan
Disclaimer: Editing is being made
For an e-scooter company operating in Stockholm
The following is a preliminary research plan which aims using qualitative methods.
Some of the major challenges the business of e-scooter mobility is facing today in smart cities, including Stockholm, are:
- vandalism (Security & Protection)
- the need for a significantly better user experience from the competition (User Experience)
- developing and maintaining good relationships with their customers, both the cities and the end-users (Partnership, Relationships & Trust)
- safety on the street, infrastructure (Safety & Expansion)
These can all be used as the theme for our research study, as they represent a significant aspect for the company to build strong foundations on. Any of these themes should have proper user research which includes both, quantitative and qualitative methods. However, I would prioritize Safety — safety on the street. Why? Because any failure in securing Safety for our customers can bring about fatal consequences for them, but also a bad reputation for the company, up to a probable ban of operation from authorities.
Recommendation from the industry (EY, 2020):
“Support safety efforts and invest in alternative mobility infrastructure.
Safe mobility is a shared responsibility between governments, cities, and service providers. A report published in February 2020 by ITF concludes that e-scooter riders do not face a significantly higher risk of road traffic death or injury than cyclists. In fact, the real danger on the road remains cars, with heavy motor vehicles at higher speed involved in 80% of fatal crashes with cyclists and e-scooter riders. The report’s recommendations for policymakers and city planners include creating protected and connected infrastructure for micromobility. This dramatically increases adoption and safety of the mode, by ensuring car and other modes are separated. Furthermore, traffic calming measures (e.g., speed reduction) has a positive effect on micromobility safety.”
This is not sufficient to solve the problem. There should be more to this issue than giving and following recommendations on safety. We should come up with new ways to make our customers feel safe while using our service. To do that, it is important to do qualitative research for the matter.
Preliminary plan
- Find information on the total number of users; users categorized by gender, age.
- Find information for all the accidents and other safety-related events.
- Find information on the witness of accidents with e-scooters.
Qualitative Methods to use:
Semi-Structured Interviews:
Recruitment:
- People who have had a relatively good experience with these services
- People who have had accidents or injuries while using these services
- People who witnessed a bad experience/accident with e-scooter services
- Questions (should try to follow up in every question)
Sections:
1. The preparation and the theory behind safety
- Do you know the regulations on how and when to use this service?
- Do you understand the implications of them? (Discuss it.)
- How do you prepare yourself safety-wise to use e-scooters? (Mentally and physically)
- Do you think there are things that can be done to improve the safety of the users, by the company?
- Do you avoid crowded roads? If yes, ask for the strategy.
2. The actual experience
- Do you wear a helmet?
- For what kind of distances do you use the service?
- How do you follow the recommendations for a safe driving experience?
- How do you react/act in a risky situation?
- What is the maximum speed you have driven? Why?
Focus Groups:
Groups with people from different age range to discuss:
- Safety on the road
- Priority on the road
- Do they follow the rules?
- What do they think about other people following the rules?
Observations:
- Observe at least one person from different age ranges during the ride*
- Observe people from different genders during the ride*
- Observe people who use the e-scooter in couple during the ride*
Details about observation:
- How are they feeling(looking)?
- Are they focused and concentrated on the task?
- What paths do they follow (main or secondary)?
- How do they park the device?
during the ride — the starting, during and the end of the ride
References
EY. (2020). Micromobility: Moving cities into a sustainable future. https://www.voiscooters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/20200316_EY_Micromobility_Moving_Cities_into_a_Sustainable_Future.pdf
