Annika Wiedera

Motivational running app

Connecting users with their ideal running partners

Overview

Runbuddy is a motivational running app that enables casual runners to find their best running partners in their area and celebrate their personal milestones.

This innovative platform helps its users to cultivate a consistent running routine and overcome the obstacle of motivation through community engagement and mutual accountability.

Link to Prototype

You ran a marathon? I wish I could do that too!

How the app idea was born

Just one day before I started my 12-week-bootcamp in UXUI design at Spiced academy I ran my first ever marathon. So when it came to picking a passion project my focus immediately turned to running.

Throughout the training period I had many people approaching me asking how I do it. They, too, ran sporadically but struggled to maintain a consistent habit. That really resonated with me and inspired me to create a tool which supports casual runners in building a habit of regular running, staying motivated and achieving their running goals!

So why don't they just run more?

Finding the real obstacle!

With 17 million casual runners in Germany there is a big market for this product. Running is the second most popular sport in this country and has a very low entry barrier – all you have to do is put on your shoes and go outside. So what keeps people from going out and “just doing it”? By taking the insights of seven interviews and analyzing the survey answers of 96 people it became clear that casual runners want to develop a regular running habit but have one big obstacle: they struggle with motivation. 69% of the casual runners stated this as the main reason for why they don’t run more often and can’t keep a habit.

Together is better than alone!

Using the motivating factor of community!

So what could motivate people to run more? Community! Running with other people was stated to have the most significant impact on motivation. However, it became clear in the interviews that simply joining an established running group wasn’t the solution, as casual runners felt intimidated by the pace, found it inconvenient to fit into their schedule and couldn’t find anything close by. They wanted running buddies at their pace and in their area!

User Needs

Social Motivation
Users seek encouragement and support from a community to fuel their motivation to run regularly.
Accountability
Users require a system that promotes mutual accountability, to aid in staying consistent with their running routines.
Visual Progress Tracking
Users desire a visual representation of their running progress, providing them with insights and accomplishments.
Engaging Interface
Users want an interactive and captivating platform that they enjoy coming back to so they stay motivated.

It's a match!

From ideation to the final features

After defining the design principles I went into ideation phase and fused two ideas that my product would focus on: a community-based app that matches people with their perfect running buddy and an motivating app that inspires and celebrates the personal milestones of the users!

Design principles

1.
Community feeling, inspiration
Runbuddy aims to foster communication and inspiration among users, encouraging them to support each other in their running journey.
2.
Motivating, positive & active
Runbuddy aims to enable users to maintain high spirits, motivating them to sustain activity and continue in their running journey, while providing opportunities to track progress and milestones in a celebratory manner.
3.
Accountability through engagement
To encourage and facilitate accountability among users Runbuddy enables scheduled runs with others to motivate consistent participation.
4.
Simple & easy to use
To prevent users from feeling overwhelmed and giving up, Runbuddy prioritizes an intuitive and easy-to-use interface to support continued engagement and avoids frustration.

This needs some structure

Building the Information Architecture

Once the focus of the app was clear I focused on developing the information architecture of the app. As Community was the main focus I decided to have the home feed as a social media platform that invites the user to partake.

Is there anyone like me here?

User Flow: Finding a buddy

As the main feature was planned to be the matching process with running buddies I created a user flow in which the user wants to run with someone to be more motivated. They enter the app, search for a running buddy in their area, filter for their preferences and schedule a run together in the upcoming days.

Mid-Fi Wireframes

Is this what you're looking for?

Testing the buddy-finding process

In order to test the intuitiveness of the buddy-finding process and to determine what info is most important to users I conducted five user tests. The process of filtering for buddies went smoothly but the users needed more clarity and explanations about the content of the app and the filters. The safety issue when meeting with strangers was tackled by introducing verified accounts. Usability was improved by targeting the UX design more towards casual runners over experienced runners.

Minimalism but let's make it pop!

Creating the design system

In crafting the design system and user interface of the app to embody the motivating and positive environment aligned with the design principles, I selected neon yellow as the primary color. This vibrant hue serves to grab attention and stimulate user engagement. Complemented by dark grey as the secondary color, the contrasting yet nearly mono-chromatic appearance achieves a modern aesthetic in line with the visual spectrum typical of sports apps. The italicized font choice aims to evoke a sense of movement, aligning with the app's focus on running and physical activity.

The icons, carefully designed and curated, boast simplicity and cleanliness, reinforcing the intuitiveness of the user experience.

The milestone badges contain more complex icons in shades of the primary colour. Additionally, the inclusion of self-drawn illustrations within the filters deviates from conventional patterns, fostering a more inviting atmosphere.

Design System

Hi-Fi Screens

That’s a wrap! Or is it?

Working on a passion project centered around my favourite hobby, I’ve adressed the issue of motivation loss and engagement in casual running with a user-centered approach. Through fostering the power of a motivational running community, emphasizing encouragement and mutual accountability, RunBuddy has seen a promising start.

Now, after having completed the bootcamp, I want to move forward with the project. The focus will be on enhancing the app's other features especially the progress tracking that focuses not only on statistical tracking but personalized individual milestones. This strategic direction aims to provide users with a more holistic experience, allowing them celebrate their unique goals, fostering a sense of accomplishment and further bolstering the app's supportive and motivating environment. Runbuddy aims to continue inspiring and empowering users in their running journeys while cultivating a stronger sense of community and achievement.

Let me see that prototype

Hi there! I'm

ANNIKA WIEDERA

UX/UI & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

a multidisciplinary designer dedicated
to enhancing visual communication
and user experiences.