Section 06 · den Ouden (2012)
Value on four levels.
A better ride would need a system that sustains it. The BCES could create value across four nested, interdependent levels, with benefits and tensions at each scale.
Adapted from den Ouden (2012). The levels are nested and interdependent, not a sequence. User value would need to align with the organisations sustaining it, the ecosystem and society.
den Ouden (2012), Innovation DesignUser value
Theoretical interpretationThe person experiencing the journey.
Potential BCES value
Protect the Route
Continuous protection and legible junctions could reduce uncertainty and support perceived safety.
Remove Friction
Smoother surfaces, trustworthy parking and Jelbi Bike could make journeys less effortful and more flexible.
Everyday Cycling
Room to ride together and visible etiquette could support enjoyment and predictable interactions.
Stakeholders involved
Commuters, students, families, leisure riders, cargo-bike and e-bike users.
Potential trade-offs
Shared norms could improve predictability but may constrain individual behaviour. Different speeds and bicycle types could still create tensions.
BCES interventions come from the students’ proposal. This mapping and the trade-offs are theoretical interpretations, not measured outcomes or stakeholder commitments. Their effects would require pilot evaluation.
Potential value · three principles
Protect the Route → User value
Feeling safe and in control along the whole route.
Protect the Route → Organisation value
Clear design targets for Berlin's planning authorities.
Protect the Route → Ecosystem value
Public, private and regulatory actors coordinate a coherent cycling experience.
Protect the Route → Society value
A safer, more attractive cycling experience could broaden voluntary adoption.
All value statements are intended or expected value of the proposal, not measured outcomes.
Frameworks
Theoretical foundations of value creation
The cited theory
den Ouden proposes that meaningful innovation creates value for users, organisations, ecosystems and society, arranged as four nested and interdependent levels that need to align.
The nested-level diagram uses these four levels to show that the BCES is not only a better ride but a systemic proposal for the city's mobility network. The three-principle comparison maps the same four levels against each principle.
den Ouden, E. (2012). Innovation Design: Creating Value for People, Organizations and Society. Springer.
The cited theory
Boztepe distinguishes utility, social significance, emotional and spiritual value. Utility includes convenience, quality and performance, economy and safety. Value emerges when design meets users’ goals, needs and context.
Defines the User row in both diagrams, covering safety, comfort and enjoyment as experienced value.
Boztepe, S. (2007). User value: Competing theories and models. International Journal of Design, 1(2), 55–63.
The cited theory
Schwartz identifies ten motivational values in a circular structure of conflicts and compatibilities, including security, self-direction and hedonism.
BCES makes cycling rewarding through security, self-direction and hedonism. Predictable norms address the tension between openness to change and conservation. den Ouden connects these motivations to voluntary adoption.
Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1).
The cited theory
Human-scale design invites life in public space.
Grounds the Society row. Streets that invite cycling also invite public life.
Gehl, J. (2010). Cities for People. Island Press.