Fibra – Helping Non-Professional Cyclists Start and Sustain Outdoor Rides

IDA Design Awards, Bronze 2025 International jury-reviewed recognition

ROLE
Product Designer
DURATION
10 Weeks
TEAM
Individual + Industrial Designer
SKILLS
Product Design
Info Architecture
Figma, FigJam, Photoshop
CONTEXT

Cycling has a re-entry problem

Cycling was once how people got places. The world moved digital, the habits didn't follow. Physical inactivity now costs the US $117 billion annually. For people who never cycled or stopped years ago, getting back has no obvious starting point.

PROBLEM

The first ride is where most beginners drop off

Choosing a route, understanding the challenge, and feeling ready all happen before the ride begins.

Looking across online and in-person sources

Researching outdoor activity trends
Interviewing and surveying non and beginner riders
Analyzing Strava and similar apps
OUTCOMES

>5 sec

Users identified route difficulty correctly, up from 24%

87%

Experienced reduced friction at ride entry

75%

Increased likelihood of completing the first ride
Based on two rounds of usability testing: 11 participants at midpoint, 8 at final
SOLUTION PREVIEW

Reducing drop-off at the first ride through session clarity

RESEARCH

The market pushes performance.
Beginners need approachability

Most cycling apps are built for people who already ride. Fibra is built for people who haven't started yet.

Interfaces from Strava, Nike Run Club and Adidas Running

People want to cycle.
The barrier is knowing where to start

I interviewed and surveyed beginner and non-cyclists to understand their behavior, motivations, and experience gaps.

Cyclists need clarity…

Preparation involves multiple steps


Too many small decisions before starting
Standards feel too high
Self-comparison to experienced riders

Start has to be easy…

Timing rarely aligns
Riding competes with higher priorities
Consistency feels assumed
Starting feels like committing long-term
DESIGN ITERATIONS

A pivot in direction required a pivot in design

At the mid point the industrial designer had to change the bike concept. The downhill frame design wasn't structurally viable, so the bike moved to gravel. For me it meant a new user, different behavior, and a complete shift in emotional direction.

BEFORE

Performance-driven direction

  • Narrow audience, advanced riders, extreme conditions, adrenaline-focused


  • Focused on progress tracking and precise performance data for those who already know what they want

AFTER PIVOT

Approachable premium direction

  • Target shifted from experienced niche riders to non-cyclists and beginners


  • Focused on decision to start and riding consistency, removing the surrounding effort so the only thing left is the ride itself

Difficulty that anyone can understand

With the new bike direction set, I explored multiple visual directions. During testing, one decision stood out. How do you communicate 5 preparation levels to a user who has never cycled before?


Route difficulty indicators across two versions

VERSION 1

Color-coded dots

  • Followed standard color psychology, green - easy, red - hard


  • Only 24% of 11 participants understood what the dots meant

VERSION 2

Named difficulty pills

  • Beginner, Ready, Skilled, Strong, Driven - read by any user


  • Over 80% of participants understood the levels immediately, up from 24%

SOLUTION

Users can start from zero

All routes are organized by effort level, distance, and real rider reviews. A first-time rider can browse, pick a route that matches their level, and start in under a minute. Returning riders can skip straight to riding from the home screen.

Riding with others, on your own terms

Users can join clubs organized by skill level, save routes from other riders' activity posts, and follow what people around them are experiencing. For example, a new rider can spot a beginner club nearby, see a friend already joined, and save a route someone loved before committing to anything.

A bike that fits you before you buy it

Most people don't think about bike size until the wrong one shows up. Fibra scans your body in-app and gets the sizing right before you order, then lets you design the rest to make it yours.

Progress without the pressure

Your rides, your points, your pace. No leaderboards, no badges, no one judging your 4.6 mile "interval ride" on a Tuesday afternoon. Just your record, quietly growing.

TAKEAWAYS

Align early

Shared focus has to come before any design decision
Chasing too many goals at once is a design problem too

Trust simplicity

The pill solution reminded me that the most effective answer is usually the simplest one
I had to learn to stay unbiased and let real people show me what worked

Thank you!

Shout out to Maria Hernandez for bringing Fibra to life on the industrial design side, and to Lane Kinkade and Owen Foster for the guidance throughout.

Me prototyping in the studio

Maria and I presenting Fibra at the senior showcase
Maria and I presenting Fibra at the senior showcase

Holding the Fibra model