Cyclaport: The UX Project designed to help Brussels’ Cyclists
19 March 2025
After starting her career as an illustrator, Sarah quickly became drawn to the fast-evolving world of interaction design. With a desire to create more intuitive and user-focused digital experiences, she made the leap into UX and never looked back.
Ahead of graduating from the User Experience Design MA (Online) course later this year, we caught up with Sarah on her project that helps cyclists in her home city, her time on the course and her plans for the future.
When did you realise you had a passion for design and/or UX?
I truly believe that design exists in everything around us because it is an inherent part of being human. I cannot remember a time when I was unaware of it or didn’t try to weave the stories of the world around me. I am a deeply curious person, and when I stumbled upon UX design, it immediately appealed to me. It is a discipline that allows your curiosity to take the lead as you get to know and understand your users and respond to their needs. Every project is different because no two people or groups of people are the same, meaning you get to immerse yourself in a whole new world with every challenge you tackle.
What can you tell us about Cyclaport
It was created as part of my Final Major Project on the course. The project was encouraged to be as broad as our curiosities, so I decided to follow mine and ended up creating something for a group I have always enjoyed being a part of: the cyclists of my home city, Brussels.
The platform I created, called Cyclaport, is a web-based reporting tool that cyclists can use after their ride to report any issues they encountered. It records problems as common as potholes and rubbish on cycle tracks to more significant infrastructure issues (e.g. no cycle lanes, insufficient bike parking, unhelpful, incorrect or confusing signage) and even problems related to attitudes towards cyclists (e.g. if someone shouted at you or if pedestrians were using the cycle path when they shouldn’t be). Information affecting a cyclist’s journey, such as road conditions, is also made available through a map feature, helping cyclists to feel heard, plan their routes and see what local officials are doing about reported issues
This system not only ensures that smaller problems, such as rubbish on cycle lanes, get resolved quickly, but it also generates a data-driven understanding of cycling conditions in Brussels. Over time, this data can help the city target problem areas and improve its overall cycling infrastructure.
I am currently finalising some developments on the project, after which I will assess whether to approach the Brussels government with it.
How did you find studying online?
The most challenging aspect of this project was that, since my degree is delivered remotely and I had no classmates in my city, I had to rely entirely on my own discipline and autonomy to run a full project from start to finish over seven months. I believed in my project, so I kept showing up for it, and with time, I grew in confidence.
One of the wonderful aspects of UX design is that you are constantly involving your end user in the process. The further I progressed with the project, the more I engaged with the cyclists I was designing for. Each time they reacted positively to what I was building, it reinforced my belief in the project itself.
The project also involved a leap of faith. As I am relatively new to UX design, I found myself experimenting with many approaches for the first time. It can be both paralysing and extremely rewarding to push past your fears and test a new interview technique, for example. However, my perseverance paid off, as I created something I believe is genuinely useful for the people I built it for.
What did you do before beginning the UXD course?
My career began as an illustrator, but I quickly became more interested in the ever-growing field of Interaction Design. It was completely new to me, yet it immediately excited me—thinking about how people interact with the world around them and how the world, in turn, interacts with them.
I jumped at the opportunity to work as an e-learning designer, which sits within the UX field, as it involves collaborating with business stakeholders while always keeping the end user in mind. I found it fascinating and fell even more in love with the discipline. Eventually, this motivated me to pursue a master’s degree in UX design—not only to solidify my learning but also to validate my skills for the wider industry.
Who would you recommend the UXD course at Falmouth to?
Anyone who is self-motivated and wants to work with and for people. You don’t need to be an expert in UX before starting—I entered as an e-learning designer and have graduated with confidence in my abilities as a UX designer as a whole.
Do you have any other projects coming up that you’re working on?
Yes! I’m currently working on two other projects.
Firstly, I’m collaborating with a friend based in London on her fashion brand. I’m helping her understand and target her market audience effectively while also ensuring her website is set up in the most UX-friendly way.
Secondly, I am competing in this year’s D&AD competition. While it is primarily a design and advertising contest, the briefs can be interpreted through a UX lens, as ad agencies must understand their users to showcase products in a way that resonates with them.
External links
Links to the mobile and desktop versions of the project
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