How I doubled expected
registration and app
sign up in 3 months

Sprocket: A native, mobile first application for reporting missing bicycles.

Case Study Summary

As the consulting UX/UI designer for Sprocket, I tackled the lack of any native mobile app for reporting and recovering stolen bikes. I led the full process — competitive analysis, user research, interviews, and iterative design through a high-fidelity prototype. The launch doubled the expected 1,500 registrations and sign-ups within three months.

how it started

The Backstory

In 2017, Ryan H., the founder of Sprocket came home one day to find his garage had been broken into and his bike was stolen.

After looking for a recovery community, what he discovered was a convoluted, intricate network of social media groups devoted to stolen bikes.

Ryan reached out to me to consult on the design of Sprocket.

UX / UI Skillset leveraged

Competitive Analysis

Research

wireframes

prototypes

Surveys

Personas

Priority Mapping

mockups

Unmoderated testing

Sketching

User Interviews

User flows

Tools Used for Sprocket

73% of bikes stolen at street level were reported locked by owners.

154,009 bikes were reported stolen in the U.S. in 2019 according to the FBI.

An estimated 80% of US bike theft victims don’t report the crime to the police.

mind maps & market research

The Client Challenge

In a time when smartphones are ubiquitous, there is no native mobile report and recovery solution for missing and stolen bikes.

I spent this phase doing market research, and gap discovery of the products similar to product.

After an exhaustive market research, I found that the current competing products lack elements in four different areas: availability in the US, a native mobile app, stolen bike feed, and messaging capabilities.

competitive analysis

Mind mapping is one of my favorite techniques when it comes to UX research & ideation. It gives me an early glimpse on possible application architecture(s), without heavy cognitive load.

connecting the dots

user research

The UX Process

This was a full-scope research and design project. I conducted comprehensive discovery and research including competitive analysis, interviewing and surveying users, empathy mapping, and feature prioritization.

The key takeaway is that valuable knowledge on how to prevent bike theft is scattered online and not readily available to all cyclists. This lack of awareness leaves them vulnerable:

They don't know how to check if a used bike is registered stolen

They're unsure how to report a stolen bike

They lack documentation of purchase or serial numbers

Cyclists don't know where to register their bikes

Where research & design intersect

Iterate & Conquer

I use a "start loose, finish tight" approach when it comes to design iteration with Sprocket. I also brainstorm in, mind maps, outlines before diving into any design software, or sketching layouts on my iPad before any high-fidelity mockups.

This initial looseness lets me explore freely, change direction easily, and avoid tunnel vision. I also find that sketching is also a low consequence avenue for exploration.

After ideation, I let user testing, both un-moderated & moderated, informed my final design choices, based on user feedback.

Start loose, finish tight design principle

design evolution through iteration

real problems require real solutions

The Solution

I helped turn the client’s vision, a comprehensive, navigable mobile theft and mitigation platform, into a reality. The end result provided a simple, unique solution for the client.

We expected 1,500 registrations and signups in the first 3 months and received double that.

We predict that getting buy-in from universities, police departments, and bike retailers helped Sprocket signup and adoption rates.

High Fidelity screens

plans are great, until they change

Challenges

project challenges

Having previous familiarity with existing bike registration applications, I had to identify my own design biases to ensure I wasn’t replicating existing solutions

project changes

I didn’t take accessibility into account from the beginning. Some of my elements weren’t ADA-compliant, and I could have used a contrast checker to avoid wasted time and resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the challenge behind the Sprocket case study?

There was no native mobile solution for reporting and recovering missing or stolen bikes. My market research found that the competing products all lacked at least one of four things: availability in the US, a native mobile app, a stolen-bike feed, and messaging capabilities.

What was Emily's role on Sprocket?

I was the consulting UX/UI designer. The founder reached out to me to consult on the design, and I led the full-scope research and design process from discovery through a high-fidelity prototype.

What was Emily's design process and approach on Sprocket?

I ran comprehensive discovery and research, including competitive analysis, user interviews and surveys, empathy mapping, and feature prioritization. For design I used a 'start loose, finish tight' approach, sketching and mind mapping before high-fidelity mockups, then let moderated and unmoderated user testing inform my final choices.

What were the measurable results of the Sprocket project?

We expected 1,500 registrations and sign-ups in the first three months and received double that. We attribute the adoption to buy-in from universities, police departments, and bike retailers.

What tools and methods did Emily use on Sprocket?

I used Slack, Loom, Google Calendar, Notion, and Miro. My methods included competitive analysis, user research and interviews, surveys, personas, priority mapping, mind maps, user flows, wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and both moderated and unmoderated testing.

How I doubled expected registration and app sign up in 3 months