Workout Planner

A case study of additional features for Strava, an activity tracking app for running and cycling. Disclaimer: I am not connected to Strava, this project is an exploration of possible additions to its platform.

As an individual trying to keep fit and stay active, there are some days that I wonder what I should be supposed to do in order to keep with that goal. Sometimes motivation isn’t enough as it often wanes and peaks throughout the week. In this case study I try to find a solution to help me keep consistent without having to rely on willpower.

Guiding problem:

How do I regularly keep active?

Roles:

  • Research

  • Wireframing and Prototyping

  • Testing

Duration:

3 weeks

Background

From reading studies about motivation, this particular excerpt resonated with me:

There are three important ways in which the social environment can help to facilitate perceived competence and flow:

  1. Providing structure and guidance,
  2. Relaying information and feedback, and
  3. Tolerating errors and failures

-Legault, 2017

I paid attention to the finding that structure assists in the perception of competence and flow. This translated to me as having sense of organization towards exerting efforts will reward an individual a better sense of consistency and effectiveness.

With this direction, I sought out individuals who have been practicing their chosen activities consistently to find out how they structure their time around it.

 Research

From a total of 47 respondents, I asked the following questions regarding their sports:

  • What workout or sport do you perform regularly?

  • How long have you been consistently doing your PRIMARY sport/workout?

  • How often do you perform your sport or workout? (in a week)

  • What routine/plan do you follow for working out?

  • Goals that apply for you when working out

  • Methods that apply for you when tracking workouts

Insights

 Goal

From the research, I set out on figuring out:

How might we keep individuals committed
to being physically active using a tracking app

Competitive Analysis

I conducted a surface analysis of some popular training and tracking apps that have similar feature sets. I based the comparison on features that were mostly free or easily accessible to the public.

Each one had their share of features including tracking and training planning, they were mostly not available together. I chose Strava as a base platform for this case study because of its robust feature set. Adding its social aspect was perfect for creating an environment for emphasizing consistency and structure to an individual’s training regimen.

Ideation

Since this was a personal project, I took the time to sketch out features based on my notes from the earlier phases. I also took aspects of the competition that did well and translated this into how it would integrate with Strava. Doing this phase on paper gives the flexibility to iterate quickly and scrap ideas that otherwise would have took time to explore when designing digitally.

Prototyping

Figma was used both for design and prototyping. Since the release of new features surrounding autolayout and components, it was easy to transition from wireframes to an interactive prototype in within a week. The visual elements were based from the current interface of Strava as well as their published Design Guidelines.

View prototype 📲

Testing

Remote user testing through a Figma Prototype and Zoom. I was also able to conduct 1 session through an in-person contextual inquiry method. I would say that would be the better option since you can observe more than just what is happening on-screen.

 Insights

Feature Discovery

Among the things uncovered during the testing phase was how users discovered new features. It seems to be a balance between:

  • Breaking established patterns
    Since the new feature announcement for the planner resembled the rest of the content in the timeline, it was easily glossed upon. The options for the change was either an interstitial or a callout/tooltip to announce the new feature

  • Using established patterns
    3 users noted that there should always be an option for setting a time since users expect to be notified at different times throughout the day

User Preferences

Users tend to have differing preferences regarding the level of details they would like to have control of. New users would often rely on safe defaults while experienced users would like more granular control over their preferences.

  • Add more details for settings
    Some users liked having control over the timing of notifications, expecting snooze intervals and scheduling multiple activities over the week

  • Confirming user preferences
    Regardless of the level of experience, users would like their preferences confirmed to them after setting

 Final Design

Workout Planner + Activity Goals

_

Features:

  • Set up weekly schedule for activities

  • Receive notifications for planned activities

  • Set up time and distance goals for a single activity

  • Receive notification when goal has been met

If I had more time…

I would expand the features to test:

  • Tagging a friend when setting a workout plan

  • Setup workout plan on a calendar interface

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