Ride Focus AR

Farmingdale State College, 2026

By Bartlomiej Kopec

Introduction

RideFocus was developed from my experience within the Long Island cycling community and from observing how deeply riders depend on technology during real rides. Devices such as Garmin computers, smartphones, and cycling apps are useful for navigation, tracking, and communication, but they can also create distractions at critical moments.

This project explores how interaction design can respond to those issues through a safer and more focused riding experience. Using a human-centered research process, I studied how cyclists navigate, communicate, and make decisions in real riding environments.

The Problem

Modern cycling technology helps riders navigate, track performance, and stay connected, but it also introduces friction. Riders often need to glance down at a bike computer or phone to check directions, speed, route changes, or alerts.

This project asks a central question: How might cycling technology support riders more effectively without demanding too much of their visual attention?

The Solution

RideFocus AR responds to this problem by moving key ride information from the handlebars into the rider’s line of sight. The concept combines AR cycling glasses, Garmin integration, built-in microphone and headphones, voice control, and a customizable heads-up display.

Instead of overwhelming riders with constant data, RideFocus focuses on only the most important cues: upcoming turns, hazard warnings, regroup signals, and essential ride updates.

UX Research & Design Process

The project was grounded in a human-centered design process shaped by real cyclists, real environments, and real riding behaviors.

25

Week Ethnographic Study

35

Riders & Staff Interviewed

20+

Hours of Field Observations

A list of four items related to recurring patterns in group biking or riding, including attention overload, communication gaps, hazard awareness, and confidence issues.

Synthesis

Findings were synthesized through empathy maps, journey maps, personas, storyboard development, wireflows, prototyping, and iterative testing. This ensured the final concept was based on actual rider needs rather than assumptions.

User Archetypes

An infographic titled 'Comprehensive Cycling User Personas' with three profiles: Alex Rivera, Luis Mendoza, and Jamie Chen, each featuring a photo, demographics, motivations, goals, frustrations, channels, quotes, and background information.

Agile UX Process

The Agile UX process allowed the project to develop through small, testable steps. Instead of designing a final product immediately, I moved through repeated cycles of building, testing, learning, and refining.

Stage 1: Structure & Flow

Defining the overall user flow: onboarding, Garmin pairing, permissions, route selection, and Focus Mode setup. The goal was clarity over visual polish.

Stage 2: Interactive Prototyping

Building a companion app prototype in Figma to test how users move through the system in a realistic way, identifying where they hesitated or became confused.

Stage 3: Immersive Refining

Expanding beyond the app into the physical mockup and HUD refinement, ensuring the system stays quiet until needed.

Storyboard

A man sitting on a black couch in a living room, looking at his phone with text messages in speech bubbles. A bicycle is parked next to him, and a television is mounted on the wall.

PANEL 1 — The Problem Moment (Trigger)

Scene: Interior, early evening. Mike sits on his couch scrolling his phone. A bike leans against the wall.

Garmin head unit on the table.

A man setting up a medical device on a kitchen table, with a cardboard box, a GPS device, a smartphone, and a pink case nearby.

PANEL 4 — Unboxing at Home

Scene: Kitchen table. Box open. Glasses charging.

Two men with glasses sitting at a table, using smartphones, with notifications about group ride and group invite, connected by a visual graphic representing a ride-sharing app.

PANEL 7 — Friend Connection (Both Have Glasses)

Scene: Split screen: Mike at home / Jay at his place.

Person wearing a bicycle helmet and sunglasses, outdoors with trees in the background, thinking 'I don't need numbers floating in my face.'

PANEL 9 — Meet-Up Point (Pre-Ride Check)

Scene: Parking lot near the trailhead. Two bikes side by side.

Bicyclist with purple hair and sunglasses riding through an urban city with other cyclists and cars, with digital interface elements indicating grouping and signals.

PANEL 11 — Conversation While Riding

Scene: Side-by-side riding.

A motorcycle with a cracked road appears behind tinted visor glasses displaying a warning sign and a person's eyes, with a speech bubble saying, "That's exactly when I'd normally look down."

PANEL 14 — Hazard Warning

Scene: Narrow shoulder, broken pavement.

A cyclist kneeling next to a bicycle on a forest trail, wearing a helmet and sunglasses, with a speech bubble saying "Nice — no future search needed."

PANEL 16 — Mid-Ride Stop (Optional Support)

Scene: Jay checks his chain.

A man with glasses sitting on a chair in a garage, looking at workout shoes and a bicycle, with a speech bubble saying, 'I rode better because I wasn't distracted.'

PANEL 19 — Reflection (Why It Matters)

Scene: Mike later that evening.

A man in a blue shirt shopping for helmets and sunglasses at a store with a display screen showing a cycling video. The store has various helmets on shelves and sunglasses on a rotating stand.

PANEL 2 — In the Bike Shop (Discovery)

Scene: Local bike shop. Helmet wall, sunglasses rack.

A young man wearing virtual reality glasses sitting at a kitchen table, adjusting his glasses with a box of VR equipment beside him, with speech bubbles saying "RideFocus powered on" and "These feel like normal glasses -- not tech googles."

PANEL 5 — Pairing with Garmin

Scene: Phone + Garmin device on the table.

A hand points to a pair of red sports goggles connected to a smart watch and a phone, indicating connection to Garmin.

PANEL 8 — Route Loading

Scene: Mike selects a saved coastal route.

A cyclist on the road wearing a helmet, with a speech bubble saying, 'I didn't even think about my Garmin.' A pink device with an arrow and a label points to it, indicating a 'Soft tone + arrow.'

PANEL 10 — Rolling Out (Quiet Start)

Scene: They start riding.

Two men in cycling gear talking and riding bicycles on a rural road with green hills and a blue sky in the background.

PANEL 12 — Drop Alert (Real Group Problem)

Scene: Traffic light splits them.

A person riding a bicycle on a rural road surrounded by green hills, wearing a helmet and sunglasses, with a speech bubble that says, 'Nice... it's not shouting at me.'

PANEL 14 — Hazard Warning

Scene: Narrow shoulder, broken pavement.

A cyclist riding on an empty road at sunset, wearing a helmet, sunglasses, and a blue cycling outfit, with a quote bubble saying, 'This feels like riding — not managing tech.'

PANEL 17 — Final Stretch

Scene: Open road, sunset.

A person holding a device or box related to Garmin with a screen showing various icons and a small digital display. The person has a speech bubble saying, 'I don’t want more data... I want less, but smarter.'

PANEL 3 — Decision Point (Why He Buys)

Scene: Close-up of the box in Mike’s hands.

A young man sitting at a table in an indoor setting, looking at his phone with augmented reality glasses. There is an open cardboard box on the table, and speech bubbles indicating he is interacting with virtual annotations related to navigation and alerts. A potted plant and family photos are visible in the background.

PANEL 6 — Focus Mode Setup

Scene: Mike cycling through setup options.

Two men on bicycles having a conversation in a wooded parking lot. One man is in a gray shirt and black shorts, the other is in a blue shirt and black shorts. They are wearing helmets. The man in gray says, 'Let's try not to stop to check screens today.' The man in blue replies, 'Deal.'

PANEL 8 — Route Loading

Scene: Mike selects a saved coastal route.

Close-up of a person wearing futuristic red and black sunglasses with a traffic warning message about Jay falling behind causing a traffic light delay, with a city street and cyclists in the background.

PANEL 11 — Conversation While Riding

Scene: Side-by-side riding.

A cyclist on the road notices a large pothole, and thinks to himself, 'That's exactly when I'd normally look down.'

PANEL 13 — Regroup Signal

Scene: Mike eases pace.

A man riding a bicycle along a scenic road by the ocean at sunset, wearing a blue cycling jersey, white helmet, and red sunglasses, with palm trees in the background. The image includes text that says 'Riding Through It Smoothly. Display clears again.'

PANEL 15 — Riding Through It Smoothly

Scene: They pass the hazard cleanly.

Two cyclists standing with their bikes on a mountain road, one saying 'Ride saved' as they smile at each other.

PANEL 18 — Ride Complete

Scene: They stop, unclip, and laugh.

Discussions

The RideFocus project helped me see how design can become more meaningful when it builds on existing behaviors instead of trying to replace them completely. It works as an add-on to systems cyclists already trust, especially Garmin, while making those tools safer and easier to use in motion.

Another part of the project that stands out is its versatility. RideFocus is not only a navigation tool, but also a communication system, a protective wearable, and a customizable riding interface. That flexibility makes the project feel realistic and user-centered.

Limitations & Future

One of the biggest things I wish were different is the level of technical development I was able to reach. While I created strong mockups and a physical mockup, I would have liked to build a fully functioning prototype that could be tested in live riding conditions.

This points toward a clear next step for future development: a working AR system with real-time data integration, voice control, and group communication to evaluate the concept more deeply in the real world.

Final Outcome

The final outcome of this project is RideFocus AR, a research-driven cycling concept that transforms fieldwork, rider insights, and iterative design into a focused wearable system for safer riding.

Companion app

Smart glasses displaying digital health metrics, including speed, heart rate, and steps, on a tinted transparent screen.

Pair of black sunglasses with rectangular lenses and adjustable nose pads, resting on a wooden surface against a white background.

A collection of nine digital display glasses showing various cycling data such as speed, heart rate, elevation, hazards, and directions.

A Complete Design Vision

The project resulted in a complete design vision that includes AR cycling glasses, a customizable heads-up display, voice control, built-in audio communication, Garmin integration, and a companion app prototype.

The RideFocus Companion app manages ride data, HUD customization, and group connectivity, ensuring a seamless bridge between the physical glasses and the digital ecosystem.

Why It Matters

RideFocus addresses the critical safety gap in modern cycling by placing only the most important ride information directly in the rider's field of view. By reducing screen-checking and improving situational awareness, the system supports safer navigation, better group coordination, and greater rider confidence.