Strava is a GPS-based app that helps you track your training, speed, distance, altitude, and the time you spent out practicing your favorite sport. In a basic sense, an ideal virtual self-motivated fitness partner who motivates you to stay fit.
Keeping it crisp, we will examine the goal behind, research and design process, followed by surveys (which are an interesting read btw), usability tests, and concluding with my favorite part — the problem finding along with the design POV — Wireframes.
Goals: Though there is a lot of improvement scope in every screen and section within this exercise, my goal here is to improve some basic. Along with that, some crucial features that will help users to perform the regular task. And all this had to be finished within five days!
Research: Being a user of the Strava app as a Runner and Cyclist always bother me to face some issues. So, I decided to discuss with some existing and new users while giving them some tasks to perform. And that helped me gathering the pain points of users.
Note: I am not on Strava’s official research, and my views from this case study are strictly my own. As a result, this case study is not exhaustive.
Design Process
User Persona > Usability Test > Problem Findings > Wireframe/Solution Prototype
Surveys
My survey was quite sorted with few questions. Since it’s an app, and of course, as behavior, very task-oriented, so people similarly perform the task.
User Persona is a hypothetical archetype of an actual user profile according to their expectation, needs, goals, and observed behavior pattern.
Take a glance at the real persona’s — I target to cover demographics, frustration and, the goals:
Usability Test:
A) Task Scenario: The scenario is the core of any Usability testing and task-driven exercise, where the Usability Analyst communicates correctly to the participants to perform the given task.
Scenario: Here, there are two different scenarios, you are a fitness freak as Runner or Cyclist. You are using such an app for the first time or switching from some other app. Based on the most major performing action, you are going to record your activity and after finishing review and share the same.
B) Usability Rules
Hick-Hymans Law (Hick’s Law): Shortest description may help you to understand — “The more choices, the more time to make a decision.”
So, if we go by Hick’s Law, Strava has lots of options that can be categorized and some choices of actions that can be minimized to make it more accurate.
High-Level Task Chart: User actions are placed on the two vital parameters — “Importance & Frequency”, and based on that major actions can be re-arranged and designed.
Problem Findings:
All finding is equally significant, so let's drill top to bottom,
#Problem 1: Add Button at the top left, Top right icon (Two People) is confusing to add activity or Friend or Group, and I’m still searching the search icon.
#Problem 2: Comes under Hicks’ Law, there are so many options to choose the required action. Explore icon can be a part of instead of a separate identity or an action.
#Problem 3: Profile icon placed at the bottom, which comes under most reachable area and the action is needed not so frequent, High-Level chart helped to move the icon on the top from the bottom.
#Problem 4: Record action to be more prominent as per Fitts Law “Size of the target and the distance of the target help” to perform correctly and faster.
#Problem 5: Record screen, selected activity doesn’t depict to have other option inside it. The Heuristic Evaluation principle says “Error Prevention”. Denoting with a small effort can prevent an error. Activity icons (Running, cycling, or any other activities) are available inside the icon itself but not communicating.
#Problem 6: Heart Rate sensor and Beacon are already under the Setting to switching on/off. Removing them from the bottom tray will provide more space and the Start action can be fit in there.
Wireframes
Many designers mistakenly think a sketch is a wireframe. They are similar but, they are not the same thing. And of course, sketching comes right before wireframes. Designing is a process, and it begins with an idea, and any hand sketching involves you more than a digital platform.
Agree, hand sketching needs more effort while creating multiple screens but, that involvement opens more thoughts and solutions on the working project. Sketching takes your imagination from the clouds to the user interface screen, where you can start thinking about the user experience.
Solution Prototype:
The best thing about the learning and creation process is that you learn what works, and what doesn’t. You learn how to do things faster, better, and more efficiently.
and the cherry on top of that, it doesn’t end…
Good designers never start by trying to solve the problem given to them: they start by trying to understand what the real issues are. (~Don Norman)
that’s a wrap. Thank you so much for reading my first article!
