As a motorcyclist I often need a GPS to help get somewhere. I don’t want or need a dedicated unit because (a) they’re expensive and (b) Google Maps, Waze, or Here on my phone are rock solid and why would I want to pay for something that doesn’t do as good a job. Yes, I know they need phone coverage for live traffic routing, and apart from Here they don’t have a good download/off-line solution, but its rare that I have no coverage with my riding (YMMV of course).
What I don’t like though is clunky phone mounts that leave my expensive pocket computer at the mercy of the weather, stone chips, and taking a tumble if I don’t get it properly secured. And to be honest, while the mapping apps have great UX for a car driver or pedestrian, as a motorcyclist I really want a very focussed, minimalistic UI so minimize distraction.
I think my ideal solution would be a small waterproof/shockproof device, that has versatile mounting options (to cater for everything from pushbikes, to scooters, to Cruisers, Tourers, or Street Bikes), can be powered from the bike and/or contain a rechargeable battery, that supports Bluetooth (4.x/LE) to be driven from the phone and has an eInk display with a photocell and backlight for automatically providing good visibility in any lighting condition.
The display would show just the basics of what I need to navigate – the turn I’m coming up to (and how far away it is, and ideally an indication of what comes after that if it’s going to be in close proximity), what lane I need to be in (especially helpful for roundabouts or complex junctions) and not much else. Speed limit reminders, clock, time to destination, and other notifications would be handy but optional (my bike has a clock so I’d be happy to have the screen real estate optimized to not show that, but as my previous bike didn’t have one I would have liked it, so let the rider decide).
While I’m not a fan of notifications about text messages, emails, snapchats etc I can see the benefit of a non-obtrusive icon to allow filtered notifications (eg let me know my family is trying to get hold of me).
Sadly I think we’re stuck with a catch-22. Without a hardware device to display this information there’s no incentive for Google, Apple, or Here to add support for a minimal external display to their Maps apps, and without the APIs or support in the apps to pipe minimal directions and graphics then it’s hard to see anyone going to the expense of creating the device.
As we slowly get to a future where HUD displays become more of a reality for motorcyclists (I always wanted to try Google Glass in that scenario) having this minimal UX available to project in that limited space would be a great way for a mapping provider to win hearts and minds of a sizable community…
Update: Looks like there’s a possible solution in the Beeline Moto … pledged for one of these so maybe it’ll answer my need (though not sure if the single arrow display is too minimal)
Since getting these I’ve given them a fair workout … a couple of longer (1.5hr+) rides, all day wear officiating at race events (with a lot of walking and having to get over the pit lane wall – fun seeing the same logo on a couple of the cars as on my pants), and even a couple of days working in a TV studio … and they’re surprisingly comfortable and usable, especially compared to my old pair. Because they’re breathable you don’t get hot and sweaty, and the armour is flexible enough that I totally forgot about the hip padding and my concerns about the knees limiting mobility were quickly put to rest.
