LABORATORY

The multiple iterations of the prototype were tested on an example bike with a 13kg weight. To fully test the prototype, the group used the co-designer’s bike.

 

The daughter of the co-designer agreed to help us test the steps by slowly climbing them with the assistance of the co-designer where necessary. The daughter was asked to climb the steps without instructions first to test the product's intuitiveness. She first attempted to climb the stairs from the side of the bike, as if they were a ladder which is found difficult to do so she then tried climbing them like normal steps. While she had some difficulty moving from step to step due to the small distance between each step, the steps held her weight well without bending until the 3rd test.

 

Since the product is supposed to always remain on the bike, a test to see if it would interrupt biking in any way was next. The prototype was set in its biking position, that being with its steps folded up and kept there through the magnets. The co-designer was then asked to bike around the block for a minute, during that time, she expressed that the prototype posed no issue to biking, but she did feel the metal wire used tapping her leg every so often.

 

With the tests done, some conclusions and possible improvements were drawn. Considering the observations from the test, the group began the process of making an improved prototype based on the original design of it.