E-BIKE TUNER · PRODUCT DESIGN

Turning technical parameters
into a shared tuning experience.

I worked with firmware and marketing to turn engineering knowledge into a mobile tuning tool—helping brands understand adjustments and take a more direct role in shaping ride feel.

Launched · iOS mobile appSee the turning point ↓
Tuner's Performance Sharing screen showing multiple riding configurations on a phone beside an e-bike handlebar.
Hyena E-Bike Tuner · Riding configurations available beside the bike.
01 / OVERVIEW

Bring brands closer
to the tuning process.

Tuner lets engineers and brand customers configure the riding performance of e-bikes powered by Hyena drive systems. Customers can adjust ride feel in the app or use configurations provided by Hyena.

There was no dedicated Product Manager. As Product Designer, I helped define the requirements with firmware and marketing, translated technical knowledge into the experience, and developed the wireframes and UI.

Role
Product Designer · Product definition & experience design
Timeline
March 2022 – October 2024
Platform
iOS mobile app
Core collaboration
Firmware & marketing

02 / OUTCOMES

A tool for tuning.
A resource for brand conversations.

BRAND ADOPTION72

Brands using Tuner.

ESTIMATED SAVINGS~US$30,000

Estimated engineer travel costs saved.

CUSTOMER ENABLEMENTTry directly

Adjust ride feel or use configurations supplied by Hyena.

Brand adoption describes use of Tuner, not new contracts attributed to the app. Travel savings are an estimate.

03 / THE PROBLEM

Ride feel was getting lost
between teams.

Brands described how they wanted a bike to feel. Those requests passed through sales and other teams before reaching firmware engineers. Each round of clarification and adjustment added another handoff.

1 month or more

of back-and-forth communication to get tuning adjustments right in the previous process.

PREVIOUS WORKFLOW

Tuning repeats until the brand confirmsBrand describes the desired ride feel, sales relays the request, firmware adjusts, and the brand tests. If changes are needed, the cycle returns to the brand's request. Once confirmed, tuning is complete. 01 · Brand02 · Sales & teams03 · Firmware04 · Brand Describe the desiredride feelRelay the requestInterpret and adjustTest the ride feel Repeat untilthe brand confirms Needschanges Confirmed Complete
The cycle continued across teams until the brand confirmed the riding configuration.

Engineers also relied on laptop-based tools for on-site tuning. When remote exchanges could not resolve the request, travel added further time and cost.

An engineer stops on the bike and holds an open laptop to adjust the riding configuration.
During a test rideStop and operate the laptop before riding again.
Two engineers sit beside an e-bike in the office, working on the bike and a laptop.
In the officeWork beside the bike with a laptop-based tuning setup.
04 / THE TURNING POINT

A familiar partner.
An untested assumption.

We started with a well-known US brand that had worked with Hyena for years. I initially assumed its engineers understood what each parameter controlled and how an adjustment would change the ride.

INITIAL ASSUMPTION

Give engineers access to the parameters.

Long-standing collaboration seemed to imply a shared understanding of the tuning controls.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Understanding and comparison mattered.

The customer's engineers did not fully understand each parameter's effects. They also wanted to save parameter sets and compare different riding configurations.

This shifted the design focus toward explaining adjustments and supporting configuration comparison.

05 / DESIGN DECISIONS

Connect engineering knowledge
with the customer's task.

01

Understand the parameters before designing the controls

I interviewed firmware engineers about their past tuning work and actual operating practices. Together, we clarified what each parameter meant, what it affected, and its adjustable range. This gave me a technical basis for defining the requirements and designing the experience.

KNOWLEDGE TO TRANSLATE INTO THE EXPERIENCE

MeaningWhat does this parameter control?
EffectWhat changes in the riding experience?
RangeHow far can it be adjusted?
The questions I worked through with firmware engineers before developing the wireframes.
Team discussion with parameter controls on a screen and response curves on a whiteboard.
Discussing parameter behavior and its relationship to ride feel.
02

Design around riding configurations

The customer's need extended beyond editing individual values: they wanted to retain parameter sets and compare riding configurations. I brought this need into the product requirements, so the design addressed how customers evaluate ride feel across different setups.

Tuner interface showing tuning categories, a Mild to Energetic control, saved configurations, and configuration actions.
From tuning controls to saved configurations: the UI connects parameter adjustments with the setups customers want to try.
03

Support both customer adjustments and supplied configurations

Tuner gives brands two ways to explore ride feel: adjust it themselves or use a configuration provided by Hyena. This also gives sales a practical way to introduce the riding experience when working with prospective brand customers.

CUSTOMER-LED

Adjust in Tuner

Explore ride feel directly through the app.

HYENA-PROVIDED

Try a supplied configuration

Experience the setup Hyena has prepared.

06 / COLLABORATION

Turn domain knowledge
into a reviewable design.

With no dedicated PM, I clarified requirements with firmware and marketing, then used wireframes to make the proposed experience concrete before developing the UI.

  1. 01

    Investigate

    Interview firmware engineers about tuning practices and parameter behavior.

  2. 02

    Define

    Clarify requirements with firmware and marketing.

  3. 03

    Wireframe

    Propose the experience and review it with the team.

  4. 04

    Design

    Develop the UI once the wireframes are aligned.

Annotated Tuner wireframes covering connection, tuning controls, and configuration export.
The wireframes brought bike setup, tuning controls, parameter explanations, and configuration export into one flow for team review.
07 / REFLECTION

Shared history does not guarantee
shared understanding.

This project changed how I approach expert tools. Even engineers at a long-standing partner may need help connecting a technical parameter with its practical effect.

My value was in uncovering that gap, learning the tuning domain from firmware engineers, and translating it into requirements and designs the teams could develop together.

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© 2026, Maggie Chang. Made with all Maggie's heart !