Still a young freelancer back in 2015, I joined Bart Jacobz-Rozier and Marijn Flipse on what would become an amazing journey leading to the product you see on this page. What started out as a design brief to create a concept of an electric scooter that was better than what was on the market at the time has turned into a company at which I have now been employed for four years.
AppScooter was designed from the ground up and being its designer gave me the opportunity to take a huge variety of parts from concept to pre-production prototype. From the overall shape of the body to the material used on the seat, this product literally contained design challenges in all shapes and sizes.
In designing AppScooter, my design philosophy focused on being clean and minimalistic. I believe in removing everything that is not essential, and shaping what remains into a coherent, modern, and aesthetically pleasing product.
Applying this philosophy while paying attention to detail lead to large uninterrupted surfaces split only by the parting lines that are absolutely necessary. Furthermore, parts such as the brake calipers, belt drive, and almost every single fastener have purposely been hidden from view.
With AppScooter’s user-centered design, anything that does not add value for the user is not visible, resulting in an elegant and self-explanatory product.
A cue I took from the automotive industry is the integration of parts within surfaces throughout the scooter. Examples of this include the side stand, passenger side steps, gloveboxes, indicators, and tail light, which have all been designed to lay flush within the surrounding body.
A well balanced mix of both finishes and form styles complete the overall look of AppScooter. The front fork, swingarm, rear grip, and lower cockpit shell have all been designed and coated in contrasting shapes and colors to achieve this.
AppScooter won the German Design Award for ‘Excellent Product Design’ in the Motorcycles category in 2020.