Building a cycling community by prioritizing compatibility over competition
Role
Lead Product Designer
Skills
UI/UX
User Research
Mobile Application
Brand Identity
Strategy
Timeline
Jul 2023 - Sept 2023
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Project Overview
Finding a community is important in the cycling world.
People are more motivated when they ride together. Cyclers who rode together recorded 87% more active time than solo riders.
However, communities in existing social apps are often cutthroat and competitive. Matching with the right ride-buddies, clubs, and events for your skills and preferences is hard and time-consuming.
100%
of our user interviews said discovering peers and clubs that align with their goals and skill level is challenging
33%
used the words “uncomfortable” and “embarrassing” to describe the process of finding a cycling community
However, communities in existing social apps are often cutthroat and competitive.
Emphasis is on record-setting tends to overshadow other aspects, forcing users to constantly measure themselves against riders of varying skill levels. Matching with the right ride-buddies, clubs, and events for your skills and preferences is hard and time-consuming.
100%
of our user interviews who currently use Strava described at least one incident of when they were overwhelmed by the competition and pressure that came from record-setting
Our user interviews, research, and competitive analysis clearly revealed that:
Users need a personalized experience designed to match each user's skills and goals to alleviate stress and reduce the workload of discovering the right communities.
After creating sketches, wireframing, and establishing user flows, we designed while actively incorporating feedback from users through usability testing and designers.
I took on the role of leading design critiques, setting clear design objectives, and coordinating feedback during the project. I worked closely with our engineers to build our our information architecture.
Accessibility and inclusivity is one of my non-negotiable design philosophies. We strived to meet or exceed the minimum AA standards, and in some cases, even achieved the higher AAA standards through high color contrast and large touch targets.
I dedicated significant time to iterating through designs to effectively represent compatibility. The final design is a combined result of our iterations and really fun ideation sessions I led in the lab.
My goal was to ensure the design accurately reflected users' skill levels without fostering competition or discouragement due to skill differences.
An algorithm focused on compatibility, not competition.
An interface to explore cyclists, groups, events, and races, all in one.
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INSIGHTS 𓆞
BALANCING BEING A PRAGMATIST vs PERFECTIONIST
KEEPING EVERYONE INVOLVED