MTB Basecamp was a cooperation project with absoluteGPS and the goal to design a possible use case scenario for a mountain bike park.
MTB Basecamp Kornberg – the first interactive mountain bike park for the whole family.
The design process:
The initial open phase of a project provides the perfect space for designers to let their ideas run and try things out. To create an innovative use case scenario for the park, was our goal. To concentrate on innovative learning concepts, was the focus of our cooperations partners. In the group process, the direction was constantly directed towards learning through video recordings, which led to the following result of the interactive guides. This scenario is just one of many possibilities for me.
We made test shots with a top mountain biker and figured out some animations. I was interested in the user experience for the interactive guide stations and how they could look like in the park. I conversed with the top mountain biker and a sports physician after I observed the behavior of the top driver and did some general research on the sport, ergonomics, and screens. This knowledge helped me to analyze the constraints that determine a good user experience, which flowed into this scenario of an interactive guide.
The vision for the park:
Sports can create culture; a culture which becomes a way of life for some people. One of these is mountain bike culture. Whether it’s trails, pump track or downhill, every discipline carries risks. It is important to utilize the right techniques, to minimize the risk of injury. Additionally, to allow athletes to learn these techniques, the first family-friendly practice park is to be built in the Fichtelgebirge. MTB Basecamp – The first INTERACTIVE mountain bike park for the whole family, offers the opportunity to display important information about the upcoming route, individual interactive guides explain the skills needed for the different sections of the route. Techniques are acquired through animations and video recordings.
Use case scenario – Interactive guides
The focus user experience of the Park is learning. Learning, to improve the action sequences and reduce the risk of injury. Therefore the guiding function at the individual stations is in focus. The most important thing is that the biker can concentrate on his riding style and stay in his flow. An emergency call is with the SOS Button under the screen possible.
The colors on the control module of the station indicate, to which section the videos belong. They can be controlled with the steering wheel of the bike or by light bumping with the foot.
Generally, to save energy, I switch the screen is off, and I only turn it on when it is needed. For a comfortable ergonomics during the sun’s course, the guides are oriented north or south. Also, they lie in the shade through shields.
The video tutorials are tuned for the corresponding track section. The video runs in a loop. If the biker switches between some clips an Interface shows up. The guide function is in focus, the biker shall stay in his flow and concentrate on his learning process, instead of Interface possibilities. It must contain several videos and be clear. For analyzing the captures sequences from the last trail are shown first. With switching the Videos, also a title of the skill is faded in. The active animation should be highlighted. A voice will tell the biker advice to go on, that the biker is not spending too much time with the guide.
More UX features are possible in the main building
The features are additionally extended by an app. For example a possibility to see all videos in one overview. A selfie function with tracked data for social media posts and an emergency call option. It could be possible to connect the Phone with a station in the main building for remote user on the screen. A three-dimensional card could show all the trails. Some trails of the park may be equipped with high-speed cameras for self-analysis. With an independent app, you could connect to other bike parks. They could also install some tracking features, which could be shown in the app. Through this method could be developed a traveling vibe from geocaching.
