Allowing multiple vehicles was the most common request in app store reviews and, for those of us lucky enough to own more than one bike, is a deal breaker in terms of usability.
Any significant change in functionality has the potential to fundamentally change the design requirements of the app and requires careful consideration. Fortunately, the underlying data design of bikeminder lends itself to multiple bikes so the design changes centered on user experience.
Feedback on the existing user interface has been positive and of course existing users are used to this layout. Since most users only own one bike it would also be unwise to harm their experience in order to accommodate the minority.
Solution
We kept the existing tabbed layout for a single bike but have enabled users to ‘switch’ bikes, either by swiping left right on the ‘Bike’ tab or in settings. We also added a ‘My Vehicles’ section in settings to allow users to add and delete bikes.
Version 2.3.1 is available in the app store now and for the first time supports multiple vehicles.