The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Sketchers.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
LA Marathon app users have difficulties navigating the current app to find the information that they need and communicating with their runners/supporters during the race due to the inefficently designed app.
GOALS
Redesign a marathon app to simplify the app's interface, increase the number of downloads and sign-ups and have users continue to use the app after the marathon.
USER INTERVIEWS AND DISCOVERIES
A co-designer and I interviewed 7 marathon participants and 3 supporters. We synthesized our data and compiled them into categories. During our discussion we discussed that there were three major problems with current marathons:
1. Inaccurate GPS tracker
2. Difficulties finding participants or supporters in the crowd
3. The frustration of planning the logistics and transportations
USER PERSONAS
THE RUNNER
JOHN PAXTON, 26
○ The traffic and closed streets getting to and from the marathon are always daunting.
○ Gives his family his mile split times so his family can get a general idea of where he will be during the marathon. Even after all this planning, John is not always successful seeing his family in the crowd.
○ Friends are reluctant to go watch him run because of all the chaos.
THE SUPPORTER
SUSIE MCCONNELL, 45
○ Tracks friends running on the marathon app, but the tracker isn't always accurate.
○ Brings snacks for runners and waits to cheer for her husband that is participating, but usually don't see him until the race is over.
○ Enjoys cheering and feeling connected to her community, but finding her husband at the finish line is always a headache.
SKETCHING AND PROTOTYPING
We first started to tackle the home screen. The current home screen has a Points of Interest feature that pins mile by mile the famous places, water stations and bathrooms along the race in which users can write and rate reviews. However, not a single review has been rated nor written. The largest real estate on the home screen is the radio music feature that plays random music depending on the user's genre of choice. From user interviews we discovered that most runners create their own playlist, so we decided to omit that feature.
In order for family and friends to show their support, we decided to add a new cheer feature where users can send each other pictures and messages to motivate the runner.
USER TESTING AND ITERATIONS
We redesigned home screen by adding a "getting there" feature so users can easily sort through the modes of transportation and find the most convenient way to the marathon.
Cheer feature promotes users to share cheering photos remotely. Visual support from families/friends are what runners need to push them through the last few miles.
After conducting user testing, many users found that the simple and organized main menu made it easy to navigate. Also, users were relieved that the app provides supporters with an alternative way of cheering their runners without going to the actual race. However, there are a few feedback that needed to be addressed:
Ambiguity- the function of the "cheer" feature confused most users. "Why am I taking a picture? What am I supposed to take a picture of?" were frequent questions received.
Multitasking- Intense runners refrained from using their phones and they have minimal interactions on their phones. Taking photos and messaging while running seemed too cumbersome.
Quick Accessibility- Need to create a shortcut for the cheer feature without having the user go through the tracker/results tab.
SITE MAP
HI-FI PROTOTYPES
Old home screen and new home screen
CONCLUSION
My major role was to complete the site map and design the home screen. For the multitasking runners who run with their phones in one hand, I designed the home screen features towards the bottom of the screen and applied Fitts’ law, so runners can easily access the features. I also added a carousel on the home screen so users can stay up-to-date on the latest news or sponsors can place their ads. For the laser focused runners, who are plugged in their headsets, we added a voice messaging option to our cheer feature so users can hold down the record button instead of texting. In order to encourage users to use voice messaging, we added a voice changing feature, which users can change their voices into a robot, chipmunk and other options. Runners can listen to the message instead of reading their text messages.
Through user testing and interviews I was really able to understand the problem, but sometimes we couldn't find the right solution. We both hit a wall and we were stuck. I found it helpful to backtrack and conduct more interviews because sometimes the solutions came from the users themselves! If we could do this project again, I wish we thought about integrating our cheer function with iWatch or other smart watch devices.