Delivering reliable unlocks

B2C0 → 1Conversion

Ensured more customers could start their rides by delivering alternative unlock methods in the rider app.

3 min read

Beryl

Context

Bike share startup. Problems with contactless unlock.

Business goal: drive ridership, minimise pressure on support.

30% ↓

Unlock fails

200K+

Rides in year 1

Priorities

NFC & numeric unlock
Self-serve support
Future-proof pattern

Tradeoffs

QR code unlock
Fixing NFC hardware
iOS unlock enhancements

Product

B2C Rider App (iOS + Android)

Go to app

My role

Phase 1 Risk analysis, prototyping. 3 months.

Phase 2 Live testing, A/B testing. 2 months.

Team

2 Designers · 3 Engineers · 1 PM · 1 UX Writer · 1 Industrial Designer

Phase 1 MVP

Situation

Contactless (NFC) was the primary unlock method

Supporting our future vision of public transport integration.

But not all phones have NFC - we needed an alternative for these users.

Process

I ensured users without NFC could start their rides

I shortlisted 4 non-NFC unlocking methods. Through risk analysis, I narrowed it down to 2.

Numeric codes
QR codes
Bluetooth
Barcodes

6/8 users found it easier to unlock with numeric codes.

Increased the number of digits for more unique code variations & added a dash (–) to improve legibility.

Worked with product, engineering and industrial design to support end-to-end delivery.

User taps green unlock button and enters numeric code to unlock

Phase 2 Post-MVP

Problem

NFC unlock failures prevented some users from starting rides

They had no fallback - only those without NFC could unlock using the Bike ID numeric code.

#1support request

Process

I enabled Enter Bike ID as a backup unlocking method

Live-tested a quick fix, which had little impact on customer support demand.

Users didn't notice it, but could find it when prompted.

Gained buy-in for a larger initiative to enable users to self-serve.

Persuaded team to evolve our design language by replacing the free-floating unlock components with a card pattern.

A link that says 'Or enter Bike ID' below the call to action to scan your phone to unlock

Usability tested two unlock concepts

Prototype A:

Minimal content
Contextual help

Prototype B:

Detailed content
Use Bike ID CTA

Found that most users were looking to troubleshoot when NFC unlock failed.

iOS required a button to trigger NFC. We relied on native imaging and custom content to support unlocking.

User taps unlock help round button on the map card, selects numeric code unlocking from menu — Prototype A

User taps enter bike ID button on map card to access numeric code unlock — Prototype B

Iterated on a combination of A + B: providing an obvious troubleshooting path.

Collaborated with developers to provide richer feedback to users on why unlock failed based on error codes and support responses.

User taps unlock help button and clicks 'unlock with bike ID' from the menu

Impact

Results

More users could start their rides unassisted

This reduced pressure on support.

We monitored performance in the month post-launch.

30% ↓unlock fails

200K+rides in Year 1

Standalone contactless tap animation with 'ready for contactless unlock' message in the map view — Before

→

Unlock help menu opening, with the option to unlock with a bike ID — After

Reflections

NFC supported our future vision. Numeric codes ensured inclusivity and reliability now

Self-serve troubleshooting and error messaging turned unlock failures into successful unlocks - I worked around a hardware problem

Shipping fast unblocked users, while buying time for a more impactful solution

I persuaded the team to go with the card pattern to avoid future design debt

Given more time, I'd have explored enhancing the iOS experience