Zoomo
Building a scaleable brand to spearhead the future of last mile delivery
Context
Young startup launching into a unique sector
Zoomo is an electric vehicle startup based in Sydney. During my time there, I started out as a graphic designer, before moving into the digital product team, then to hardware, and then finally ending up as Design Lead, overseeing brand and design synchronisation across hardware, digital product and marketing.
In late 2021, Zoomo intended to launch two transformative projects at the same time: and brand new website, and a new, fully in-house-designed e-bike. I was tasked with designing and building our website, plus working with our talented in-house industrial designer, David Lahoud, on the design of our bike.
Problem
Unclear brand and product vision
We set these ambitious goals to prepare the company for massive growth acceleration heading into 2022. We needed a strong brand voice to carry us forward, to go along with a industry leading product designed specifically for Zoomo’s bespoke delivery focus.
Our existing website lacked clear vision and professionalism that was required to take the company forward, so I was tasked with coming up with a new proposition to present to the world.
Meanwhile, the bike had to meet the requirements of a very specific cohort — last-mile delivery workers.
Process
Researching with customers and stakeholders around the world
To make informed design decisions on both these projects, I met with stakeholders across the organisation, from the CEO and the head of marketing, to the mechanics on the ground in London, New York and Sydney.
With the website rebuild, I spoke to riders about their experience with the existing website and how it could be improved to make it easier to book a bike reservation, or even just understand how Zoomo worked.
For the bike design, David and I spent a few days thinking about what the perfect delivery e-bike would look like, from the ground up. What would it need to be able to do? What new technology can we leverage? What manufacturing and supply chain constraints do we need to consider? These were all questions we set out to answer, as we sketched ideas, spoke to customers about what they liked and didn’t like about our bikes, and our competitor’s bikes.
We envisioned a bike that was modular for things like a carry-rack, or stronger front lights for better visibility, or fairings that could be easily removed to rebrand the bike. We also imagined a bike that was streamlined, easy to get on and off, and instantly recognisable.
Solution
Launching our new products to the world
After weeks of iteration, testing and feedback, I presented our new website with the head of marketing to soon be rolled out across all markets.
We also unveiled the final production ready design for the Zoomo One, or Z1 for short — our vehicle designed completely in-house. The below images are not renders, they're studio photos of the Z1 working prototype that was assembled and shipped to our Sydney office.
A redesigned homepage to put our product front and centre
Landing on the homepage, users are greated with the striking visual of a Zoomo e-bike, along with clear call-to-actions for getting started with finding the right vehicle for them. It also embraced our multicultural customer-base, flashing our slogan in diferent languages spoken by our riders around the world.
It's not a bicycle. It's a machine.
Most e-bike manufacturers try to make their e-bikes look like regular bikes, blending their electronic components with the rest of the frame. We wanted to do something different. We wanted to distinguish this as something different from a bike entirely — a tool to get a job done. A machine purpose-built for performance, utility and safety.
Integrated software solutions
Critical to our enterprise clients was vehicle security. With bike thefts on the rise globally, I created a visualisation of Zoomo's integrated IoT tracking software, capable of tracking the location and speed of every Zoomo vehicle around the world.
“The Zoomo One is the safest, smartest, and most secure e-bike to date.
"No other bike on the market has been designed so specifically for delivery, which is something I am incredibly proud of.”
— Director of Hardware, Zoomo
Impact
2022 Good Design Award® winner
The Zoomo One provides couriers and businesses with a tool that enables them to make more efficient and cost-effective deliveries whilst achieving social, environmental, and economic benefits. More importantly, the Zoomo One provides delivery workers with a more durable, safe, and efficient vehicle.
As such, it was recognised at the 2022 Good Design Awards for excellence in Automotive and Transport Design.
The website refresh was placed on hold as the company continued to reevaluate it's market positioning.