#runbuddy

Duration: 1 week Project Type: Personal Project Tools: Figma

RunBuddy is an iOS app that helps runners in cities find great routes for their next run. Runners can see routes that other users have ran near them, and choose one to run.

Redesigning the Rating Screen

After users finish a run, they can rate their run. Other runners can see this rating, and can use it to help them find a great route.

The current version of the screen uses a 5- star rating system. Many users have complained that this rating system is not really helpful for them to find a new route to run, because it isn’t specific enough.

Understanding Users

At the discovery phase of my project, I conducted user interviews in order to get a better understanding of the problem. In doing so, I was challenged to focus on understanding the problem, rather than immediately jumping to a solution.

Survey Findings

In order to learn more about the criteria that runners use to rate, and choose a route to run, I asked a group of RunBuddy users the following question:

“What factors do you consider when deciding where you’re going to run?"

After synthesizing the responses, the main pain points that I found I would need to design for are the following:

Runners care about the safety of the route

Runners care about the difficulty of a route

Runners care about how crowded a route is, with people or traffic

After all the research, it was time to define the apps in which I would be competing with, and could take inspiration from. I began analyzing apps from competitors in different markets, to check common features and and rating options. This helped me tremendously in recognizing the kind of design solution I wanted to create for RunBuddy.

Competitive Analyses

After all the research, it was time to define the apps in which I would be competing with, and could take inspiration from. I began analyzing apps from competitors in different markets, to check common features and and rating options.

This helped me tremendously in recognizing the kind of design solution I wanted to create for RunBuddy.

Competitive Analysis 1: Uber Ride Ratings

Uber shows an overall 5-star rating, as well as common compliments to make it quick and easy to leave more detailed feedback on your ride.

This feature could work well for RunBuddy, as users could quickly select common feedback/key words that describe the safety, difficulty, or crowdedness of a run.

Competitive Analysis 2: GogoBot Ratings

The former Gogobot app (now known as Trip.com), allows users to leave not only a 5-star review, but also a detailed comment.

Incorporating comments beyond the 5-star rating system to RunBuddy, could allow users to indirectly engage with other users by sharing their experiences. It will also help runners to be able to accurately recommend or not recommend running routes for others' to take in detail.

Competitive Analysis 3: iOS Brightness and Volume Control Screen

The iOS brightness and volume control screen may be an unpredictable design concept to include in this competitive analysis. However, its sliding scale feature for each single value (brightness and volume) allows users to adjust the settings according to their preferences.

The concept of a sliding scale for RunBuddy could be included for each of the themes that users look for when choosing a run: safety, difficulty, and crowdedness.

This option could be helpful to RunBuddy users by allowing each runner to describe their personal experience alongside the options of an overall 5-star rating, as well as providing a detailed comment.

Sketches

I did 8 quick concept sketches in 8 minutes to brainstorm ideas for the components and features of the Rate Your Run screen.

A few ideas that came out of my sketches:

Slider scales could be useful to rate crowds, safety, and difficulty of a run.

Having key words or icons that users can click to describe their run could help make rating quicker.

Comment sections could allow users to explain their ratings in more detail.

Feature Prioritization

I highlighted some key elements from my initial sketches that would be useful features to add to the RunBuddy rating system.

Dividing the rating section up into three categories: difficulty, safety, and crowdedness helps to target our users' biggest pain points of rating specificity.

Slider scales allow users to leave quick, yet detailed ratings.

Presenting the user with key words for rating their runs allows for more detail in their reviews.

The option of leaving a comment further allows users to make any mention of details that they may want to include, and also creates a sense of "community" on the app by having individuals share their running experiences with other users.

Visual Design

The Look

After selecting which features I wanted to prioritize, I created more detailed wireframes for the rating screen using Figma, as well as two other screens for the app showcasing an example of how users would choose which route they want to take.