Product Designer, Product Developer, Project Manager
Video for the Lyra (2017) with integrated lighting and the next phase, Lyra II (2019) with integrated anti-theft GPS
Featured as NOBLEMAN Magazine's "Most Wanted" in Issue No.5
I was hired by Mission Bicycle Company to help create the "Lyra" bike with integrated front and rear lighting. The greatest design constraint was to maintain the clean and simple aesthetics that make Mission bicycles unique.
Designing to our target market, city commuters, meant making a bike that was theft resistant, simple, intuitive, beautiful, technological, and reliable, all without adding additional steps to an already busy day.
I conducted meetings and brainstorming sessions on whiteboards where all members could contribute fluidly. Working around our current product made references easy as well as remind us of the design aesthetic we needed to maintain.
Flowcharts (blurred to protect proprietary information) made it easy to see how heavily interdependent parts of our complex system effect each other. This management tool was critical in ensuring each department's role was executed effectively in reference to it's own components and the project as a whole.
Prototypes, mock-ups, models, testing rigs, and experimentation allowed me to eliminate the worst ideas and test the best ones. I constantly perform "Quick and dirty" trials since they are cost and time efficient.
Many iterations of battery prototypes before mass production ensured proper fit, form, and function. The integrated micro-USB port makes it easy to charge anywhere. Both positive and negative contacts on one end of the battery allows for a sleek clean look with no wires visible to the user.
I work closely with our manufacturers to manage quality control, budgets, and deadlines, as well as to make any modifications necessary to stay within their constraints and capabilities.
The Lyra is packed with features, all of which are highly integrated. In fact, most people cannot tell the difference between a Lyra and a standard Mission bicycle.
Available November 2017
Future Developments: Anti-Theft GPS, as featured on ABC7 News. Video and article HERE
