"A sure bet for the avid biker. This app takes advantage of the device in a smart way and is so easy to use." —juror Michael Potts
"A nice succinct, feature-rich app that's easy and fun to use. All the ride information is accessible, comprehensive and thoughtful." —juror Kim Rees
Overview: iBike has been producing low-cost, easy to use cycling computers and power meters for the avid cyclist since 2006. This iPhone app (that utilizes the device's GPS and accelerometer technology) is an accompaniment to the company's iBike Dash product line and offers a simple, swipeable interface for viewing in-ride speed, distance, time, slope, elevation, cadence, heart rate and estimated calories. Users can create, store and edit information for multiple bikes and choose the music and workout type for each ride. It's an intuitive, rich and visually-appealing app that's both easy to understand for the beginner, yet provides the advanced ride statistics—like power output—for avid cyclists.
• In-ride screens are high-contrast and legible from a non-standard viewing distance and all ride screen graphs are gradual in their visual changes so as to not be distracting to riders.
• Q&A development involved keeping stationary bikes at desks to test ANT+-to-app integration. There was also testing during bike rides into work, in cars, walking and on light rails and buses.
• Developer John Blanco worked from Denver's light rails for a few days so he could always be moving while coding and testing the GPS integration.
Comments by Mike Moran and Jay Graves:
Is the audience you were targeting a particularly difficult one to reach? "The idea is to attract the whole range of app users from novices, wanting to get exercise, up to the professional-level cyclist, looking for more complex information. Novices need to find the app simple and intuitive to get more excited about riding through the use of the app, while pro-level riders require accurate information and an informative interface before and during rides."
Was the topic/subject of the project a new one for you? "I grew up mountain biking, and have experience using simple cycling computers for tracking speed and distance, but I had never dealt with the more advanced electronics and training tools available. Making the setup and use of this app easy and transparent enough for a novice was a fun challenge and so was working on the duality of the app—maintaining a cohesive feel while optimizing functionality for both the pre-ride and in-ride experience."
What was the most challenging aspect of the project? "The in-ride screens were an exciting part to work on, with a wealth of ideas on types of information we could show. When it came down to it, though, making sure the end product was simple, informative and unobtrusive while offering something beyond the normal bike computer experience was an interesting line to walk."
