The Problem

The Solution

I led a collaborative project to conceptualize a cohesive web page and app through a challenging crossroads of marketing, design, and user experience.

The Process

I wanted to research the people I was designing for, as well as the values of the business. I took those personas to establish their needs, which informed the user flow. Once I worked out a design that satisfies those needs, I sketched a wireframe of the app and a hi-fi concept for the user interface.

1. RESEARCH

2. CORE NEEDS

3. USER FLOW

4. PROTOTYPE

DRIVING QUESTIONS

Competitive Analysis

• How do they distribute their products/services?

• What are the characteristics and needs of their ideal customers?

• What are the differentiating features?

• What do their customers like about their business?

• What marketing strategies have they employed in the past?

• How is their service better/worse than ours?

• What do they offer their customers?

• What do their customers struggle with?

FLEXIBLE FITNESS

ClassPass

• How do they distribute their products/services?

• What are the characteristics and needs of their ideal customers?

• What are the differentiating features?

• What do their customers like about their business?

• What marketing strategies have they employed in the past?

• How is their service better/worse than ours?

• What do they offer their customers?

• What do their customers struggle with?

MULTI-STUDIO FITNESS

FitReserve

• How do they distribute their products/services?

• What are the characteristics and needs of their ideal customers?

• What are the differentiating features?

• What do their customers like about their business?

• What marketing strategies have they employed in the past?

• How is their service better/worse than ours?

• What do they offer their customers?

• What do their customers struggle with?

MARKET RESEARCH

Onsite Investigations

One of the benefits of a physical location for the business is a user base actively engaging with the brand. I conducted on-site research at two different schools in the Chicagoland area. I crafted a sweepstakes for the students to enter to win a free month of classes for participating in the research.

Analyzing and Using Data

I organized the data from the onsite research and began creating personas to represent the largest categories of users. Developing personas allowed me to step outside of myself and identify who I’m interacting with, highlighting their needs, experiences, behaviors, and goals.

LYNNE NORRIS

"I want to give my children a safe environment that enriches values, but with three kids, it's hard to keep up with all of the after school activities."

• Juggles three children with busy schedules

• Wants her children to grow in confidence and discipline

• Difficulty in getting children to go to classes

HELEN JACOBS

"I want to get involved with an active lifestyle, but my schoolwork takes a lot of time, my budget is tight, and my work schedule changes weekly."

• Works unpredictable hours week to week

• Thrives in environments where she can socialize and share memories with friends

• Participates in a wide range of new experiences

BYRON ELLIS

"I want to push myself and be a part of a community of like-minded individuals."

• Motivated by competition

• Strives for physical fitness

• Interested in advanced classes and training methods

• Studied various martial arts for the past decade

• Enjoys attending boxing matches or going out to bars with friends

ESTABLISHING NEEDS

What Matter To Our Users?

I recognized different desires each person had for the brand. I placed these inside of a Venn diagram based on common interests.

It illustrated the most valuable functions for the design of the app. Designing the app around the core needs of the users ensures that essential content is priority, and establishes that the tool will compliment and enrich the user experience.

Class schedules should be centralized and readily available through the use of a mobile app.

Students could save money on classes, gear, and the snack shop through exclusive discounts and promotions through an app.

Through an autopay system and push notifications, students could handle their billing electronically on mobile.

Community events could be hosted, managed, and scheduled through a system that every student has in their pocket.

WORKING WITH OUR HANDS

Wireframing

The class schedule page was one of the main features of the app, so I explored different ideas and approaches to solve the user's needs. Shown below are a handful of different avenues I considered for the design.

Class Schedule Page

• There was a distinct exploration for a single page view versus a curated experience shown in sketches 5 and 6, but it was found too repetitive.

• The full calendar look was appealing because students tended to focus on a whole week or the next week of classes, rather than an individual day.

• One of the main struggles with the class type sorted view was that users wouldn't be encouraged to explore activities that could take the place of their usual classes.

ENDING ON HIGH NOTES

High Fidelity Mock

After determining the wireframe for the most essential screen, I showed a full-fidelity mock of the style and interface for the app. This would act as a keystone to guide the entire visual appearance of the rest of the app.