Analyzing user experience of e-scooter usage: A human-computer interaction perspective on personal vs shared e-scooters

Abstract

In response to urgent environmental sustainability and carbon reduction issues, the global transportation sector is actively promoting the use of electric vehicles to replace high-carbon emitting fuel vehicles. In the Taiwan two-wheeler market, for example, electric-scooter (e-scooter) products are increasingly meeting the needs of consumers due to their continuous lightweight and aesthetically designed improvements, as well as the provision of convenient battery swapping services. By the end of 2022, 2% of consumers in the overall scooter market had opted for e-scooters instead of fuel scooters, indicating that their needs were being satisfied. To further meet the consumer demand for e-scooters, Taiwan launched shared e-scooter services in 2018, enabling consumers to ride e-scooters by paying reasonable vehicle usage fees in a "rent-to-own" model to meet their transportation needs. As of the end of 2022, more than 8,000 e-scooters were made available for the public to share, satisfying the needs of consumers requiring short-distance transportation using e-scooters. From another perspective, the usage rate of private e-scooters is not high in Taiwan, with an average usage time of 54 minutes per private e-scooter. Since shared e-scooters are available for all users to consume, they can effectively reduce the idle rate of e-scooters and increase their usage rate, further meeting consumer needs. The primary goal of launching these products and services is to focus on sustainable transportation, as the simultaneous provision of these two service models can meet the needs of consumers with different transportation and usage habits, ultimately aiming to replace fuel vehicles.This research aims to gather subjective feedback from consumers through a rating scale to understand the extent to which e-scooters and shared e-scooters are meeting consumer needs, as well as the issues encountered during their usage, while prioritizing user experience and satisfaction by exploring the perceived feelings of users in their interaction with e-scooter products or shared e-scooter services. Participants with prior experience of using e-scooters or shared e-scooters will be recruited to complete the questionnaire. The final results of this study aim to provide recommendations for enhancing the services based on consumer feedback and gain insights into the demand for e-scooters and shared e-scooters, including analyzing the differences in demand for these products and proposing suggestions to better meet consumer needs. By addressing the challenges faced by consumers in using e-scooters and shared e-scooters, the results of this research will contribute to the development of more user-friendly and efficient transportation solutions, ultimately promoting the adoption of sustainable transportation options in Taiwan and globally, and supporting the reduction of carbon emissions while improving the quality of life for the public.