Designing a Bike Rental App: Rental Model, Rider Journey and Success Metrics

Design an app that people use to rent bicycles. Decide who it serves, define the core rental experience, and explain how you would know it is working. ```hint Pick the rental model first Who owns the bikes and how long people keep them shapes everything else, from pickup and return to pricing and trust. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does the company own and maintain the bikes, at stations or parked freely around the city, or should the app match renters with individuals and shops that already own bikes? - Are we targeting short trips within a city, multi-day rentals for visitors, or both? - Which city or market do we launch in, and is this a new standalone app or a feature inside an existing one? - What matters most in the first year: ride volume, revenue per bike, or user growth? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A deliberate choice of rental model and target segment, with reasons the others wait - The rental journey from finding a bike to returning it, with the pain points at each step - Prioritized features aimed at the top pain points, including bike condition and return friction - Success metrics covering both riders and fleet economics, with guardrails for safety, damage and parking - Operational and trust risks such as theft, vandalism, rebalancing and surprise charges ### Follow-up Questions - How would the design change if bikes came from individual owners rather than a company-owned fleet? - If bikes pile up in some neighborhoods and run out in others, how could the product help rebalance them? - How would you add electric bikes without making the experience worse for riders of regular bikes?