Summary

This project was coursework and I was tasked to design a better way for aspiring runners to crush comparison and move forward with their goals so that they can run their own race!

Background

The Run Well app seeks to meet a very tangible, real need among aspiring runners - they want to run, or get better at running, but for some reason, they feel stuck. The goal of the app was to help individuals from all walks of life and with their own unique aspirations and challenges to get rid of common barriers runners they face with tangible tips and tools, training plans, psychological insight, and access to a community of other runners who can offer support and motivation along the way.

I know this journey well myself, as a few years ago I was given the opportunity to run a marathon with no previous training and no substantial running experience. I discovered my own barriers and how to overcome them. I learned along the way that each person’s barriers and challenges are unique, but some of the common needs we all have are resources, guidance, support, and encouragement, which are built into this app. 

I went on to run eight marathons from LA to Chicago to New York, and even one in Kenya, Africa. It is my great passion to help others succeed and realize they can do so much more than they might have ever imagined - and that anyone, with any unique combination of age, gender, experience or goal - can learn to run well. 

Design Brief

It all started with designing a better way for aspiring runners who have wanted to run a race before but might be struggling with the process because of emotional, physical and mental barriers.

Challenge

We set out to design an app that teaches people how to get started running and finish their own race.

Problem

There is a need for an app that supports users who have been unable to achieve their running goals due to emotional, mental, physical, or environmental barriers.

Solution

An app that guides individuals in need of support, community, and ways to tackle past pain or roadblocks in order to reach their goal of running well.

Research

During the research phase we conducted 40 surveys, 3 live user interviews, 3 industry professional, conversations and a SWOT analysis.

These insights provide guidance for what key features the app should focus on to help individuals overcome their personal barriers to running well (physical, environmental, and mental/emotional), as well as resources and support (both within the app, or in their community) users may want to access to increase the likelihood of being able to finish their individual race.

Insights

Top Physical Barriers
Overall level of fitness
Weight/health
Injury

Top Environmental Barriers
Time
Lack of a training plan
Lack of safe places to run

Top Mental/Emotional Barriers
Lack of motivation
Discouragement/Insecurity
Lack of discipline

Personas

After gathering and organizing the data from my research, I needed to create personas to visualize the target user. I wanted to ensure that the personas accurately portrayed aspiring runners who wanted to start running and or finish a race. The personas were referred to throughout the entire process in order to remain focused when making design decisions.

MVP Statement

A product that gets rid of common barriers runners and aspiring runners face with tangible tips and tools, training plans, psychological insight, and access to a community of other runners who can offer support and motivation along the way.

User Flow

We started with a user flow that would quickly get users through the onboarding process, ask them their why and fill out a quick profile.

However, we shortly realized after prototyping and user testing that there should be more of a cohesive onboarding process that guided the user from start to finish.

Wireframes

At this point in the design phase it was time to incorporate the research that I had into wireframes. To help visualize how the app should be structured, I created low-fidelity wireframes for the loading screen, initial onboarding process and also the home page in Figma.

Styleguide

As we put together our styleguide we wanted our different elements to be minimal yet carry a very strong sense of purpose and allow the imagery and colors to take center stage when using the app.

Download Full Brand Document

Usability Insights

At this point in the process I had a few users try out the prototype as well as give feedback on what they were experiencing. Below is a walkthrough of the prototype.

Takeaways

Designing the Run Well app from start to finish was a great learning experience. Everything from the research process, to prototyping. Having a better idea of how users think and feel is so essential to making decisions along the way.