An Integrated User-Centered E-Scooter Design Framework for Enhancing User Satisfaction, Performance, and Terrain Adaptation in Budapest City

Electric scooters and other micromobility innovations are becoming standard fare in urban transportation networks. Yet there are several obstacles that must be overcome, including concerns about users’ satisfaction and safety. This study aimed primarily at developing a user-centered methodological framework that combined different user-centered engineering tools such as voice of customers analysis, needs–metrics mapping, Pugh’s matrix and morphological design, strategic analysis approaches such as SWOT and PESTEL, and, a key innovation, the smart terrain-adaptive power management system (STAPMS), an AI-based feature that dynamically adjusts power output and regenerative braking based on Budapest’s varied topography and road conditions to improve energy efficiency and ride comfort. This innovative framework offers insights into redesign options aimed at enhancing customer satisfaction, product quality, and business growth. The proposed framework was validated on Lime electric scooters, particularly the S2 generation type. Three design concepts were generated and evaluated through a systematic approach to provide an optimal balance between users’ needs, technical performance, and strategic feasibility. The proposed user-centered framework shows significant potential to improve users’ satisfaction, enhanced usability, extended range, and increased market competitiveness, validating its viability for micromobility innovative solutions. The findings also demonstrate the necessity for systematic frameworks that link user experience with engineering design and can be generalized to other micromobility products.