Probe attached to bike repair station
Fix Your Fiets!
Many bicycles on the TU Eindhoven campus sit unused because of flat tires, worn chains, or small mechanical issues. This is surprising, because the campus provides Bicycle Repair Stations equipped with basic tools for simple fixes. These stations are intended to help students and staff repair their bikes themselves, yet they remain underused while broken bicycles continue to pile up.
This project explored why the Bicycle Repair Stations see so little activity and how their use could be encouraged. We began with an ethnographic study, mapping all stations on campus, documenting the condition of the tools, and observing how people interacted with the stations throughout the day. Interviews provided additional insight into how students perceive the stations, what stops them from using them, and which repairs they feel confident performing.
Based on these findings, we moved into an ideation phase to develop ways to make the stations more approachable. To support rapid testing of ideas, we designed a tracking probe that monitors tool movement. This probe can automate parts of the observational research, making it easier for TU Eindhoven Facilities to evaluate new concepts or improvements over time.
This case study presents the key insights from the research, the concepts developed to increase engagement with the repair stations, and the tracking probe created during the process. It concludes with recommendations for improving bicycle repair accessibility on campus and extending the lifespan of everyday products.
Exploded view of the probe tool
Fix Your Fiets is a collaboration project for TU/e Industrial Design Project 3 by:
Klaas Muller
Euwe de Wilde
Diem Edixhoven
