DARC SPORT MOBILE APPLICATION
For this project, I leveraged the research I conducted to develop an application that would increase Darc Sport’s brand presence, enhance the user experience for their consumers, and solidify Darc Sport’s position as a top player in the fitness apparel industry.
BACKGROUND
PROBLEM
GOAL
USER INTERVIEWS
New Finding!
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Recognizing that other fitness apparel competitors had mobile applications, I aimed to identify their key features for consideration in Darc Sport’s app development. I also saw value in examining indirect competitors (companies without mobile apps) to understand how they marketed their brands and what features contributed to their success. A crucial aspect I considered was how these companies integrated their brand ambassadors. Given that user interview results indicated an interest in following social media influencers for inspiration, I wanted to explore how this was being addressed in existing apps.
USER PERSONA
I synthesized my research into a user persona representing a potential Darc Sport mobile app user. This persona is a social media influencer aiming to create a more engaging experience for her followers by wearing a unique variety of gym clothing. She loves fashion, and using the Darc Sport app would help her discover the styles she needs to grow her following.
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Location: Los Angeles, Ca
Occupation: Personal Trainer
Gender: Female
Location: Los Angeles, Ca
Occupation: Personal Trainer
Savanna is a motivated social media influencer who has considered the gym her second home since high school, where she was a multi-sport athlete. After realizing that university wasn’t for her, she began creating social media content centered around her bodybuilding experience, hoping to gain sponsorships and kickstart her personal training career. Savanna loves fashion and often puts together her best outfits for the gym rather than for clubs or bars like most people her age. She believes that expressing herself through her gym attire will not only help her create more engaging content for her followers but also serve as a creative outlet, enhancing her happiness and well-being.
Brands Savanna wears
“I always express my love for
fashion in the gym because people like me live here, where else would we do it?”
- Not finding gym clothes that reflect her style
- Missing out on exclusive clothing drops
- Create engaging content for her followers
- Look the best she can in the gym
- Be up to date on fashion trends
Savanna needs a platform where she can access exclusive Darc Sport content. She wants to conveniently browse Darc Sport media for inspiration and seamlessly purchase their products in one place.
USER INSIGHT STATEMENT
Athletes like Savanna rely heavily on social media content for gym outfit inspiration. Darc Sport should capitalize on the mobile application space. With several other prominent players in the fitness apparel industry already having mobile apps, developing an app is in Darc Sport’s best interest to enhance consumer engagement and ultimately boost their bottom line.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
USER SCENARIO
To fully understand the persona's processes and confirm the application's value, a user scenario was created. The goal was to get in the mind of our user persona and simulate a scenario that she might encounter, where our application could potentially support her.
EPIC
As a Darc Sport user, I need to be able to have an inspiring shopping experience so that I can look and feel my best in the gym. USER STORY
As a Darc Sport user, I need to input my size, preferred colors, and price range preferences so that I can have a smoother shopping experience. As a Darc Sport user, I need to get inspiration for my outfits from other athletes.
ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA
Ensure that Darc Sport user is able to:- Complete onboarding where personal information/preferences will be obtained to enhance shopping experience
- View high quality images and video of other athletes utilizing the brand in the gym space
NEED FOR CHANGE
Savanna has been wearing a lot of the same clothes to the gym recently and she feels she needs a change of style. She has done a lot of research on Instagram to look for inspiration but she is falling short.NOT HER STYLE
Savanna keeps an eye out at the gym for people with cool outfits on but, still, she is having trouble loving any of the styles she is seeing. INSPIRATION BOOST!
Savanna finds the Darc Sport app and is able to scroll through exclusively Darc Sport media and sure enough, she was inspired! Savanna came across a unique style that fit her personality and in a few short days after ordering, she was able to walk into the gym more confident than ever in her new swag. Something feels off...
I was using the wrong user persona.
This realization helped me focus my prioritization matrix and clarifyu the essential features for this application.
FEATURE PRIORITIZATION
MATRIX
With the new persona in mind, I developed a feature prioritization matrix to determine which features would be most suitable for this application. The matrix was crafted based on insights from competitive analysis, user research, and the user scenarios.
SITEMAP
I aimed to maintain consistency with the information architecture of Darc Sport's current website for the shopping experience. The main difference, not reflected in the sitemap, would be the addition of a social media section on the home screen.
Shop Item Mid-Fidelity Iterations
The shop page and its contents underwent several iterations in the mid-fidelity version of this prototype. These iterations included different versions of the bottom navigation bar. Specifically for the shop item pages, I considered whether having the main navigation bar would enhance usability. Ultimately, I prioritized other elements such as sizing, prices, and naming over the main navigation, and decided that a back button would provide equal value in this particular situation.FIRST ITERATION
This iteration included my first rendering of the main navigation bar. If I had decided to keep this navigation bar, I thought this version of the shop item page wasn't too bad. I found it relatively unintrusive and visually appealing. However, if I had continued with this design, I would have needed to add more information on pricing and descriptions.
FINAL ITERATION
The third mid-fidelity iteration I created was the closest to the final high-fidelity version of these three. I designed a fairly standard shop page, following the principle of 'if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.' While I aimed to introduce uniqueness, I prioritized usability in this design approach.
SECOND ITERATION
The second iteration included what ended up being one of my final versions of the navigation bar. It was during this iteration that I decided against including the main navigation bar on the shop page due to the space it occupied. I recognized the need to include more information on this page and began exploring the best way to achieve that.
Style Guide
Link to full style guide
HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
Link to High-Fidelity Prototype
Darc Sport is a company that takes risks and stands out from the crowd. That is what I was trying to emulate with the navigation system in option 2. After offering additional navigation bars to select from, option 2 remained the favorite.
A/B Testing - “Which navigation bar do you prefer?”
Darc Sport is a company that takes risks and stands out from the crowd. That is what I was trying to emulate with the navigation system in option 2. After offering additional navigation bars to select from, option 2 remained the favorite.Option One - 9.5%
Option Two - 50%
Option Three - 40.5%
Link to High-Fidelity Prototype
At this point in development, I wasn’t confident with the style of the shop item pages, so I thought it would be wise to ask a sample group for feedback. My design choices were confirmed by the sample group, and I ultimately decided to stick with my original layout (option 2).
A/B Testing - “Which shop item page do you prefer?”
At this point in development, I wasn’t confident with the style of the shop item pages, so I thought it would be wise to ask a sample group for feedback. My design choices were confirmed by the sample group, and I ultimately decided to stick with my original layout (option 2).
Option One - 31.8%
Option Two - 68.2%
Reflection
I learned a lot from adding an additional project on top of my coursework. Perhaps most importantly, I gained valuable insights into time management and what it takes to juggle multiple projects simultaneously. These are skills I will certainly carry forward with me into the professional world.
Additionally, I found great joy in completing this project. Another goal of mine during this project was to determine whether I could continue doing design work in my spare time and see if what was once just a hobby still brought me joy. It turns out it does. Completing this project filled me with energy and excitement as I transition this hobby into a career.
Key Lessons Learned
- Time management
- Taking risks in design is a good thing! There is a lot to be learned from doing so. At the very least, you learn what doesn’t work
- Improved on framing projects/presentations into stories
- New ways to present prototypes
FUTURE ITERATIONS
1. Enable ambassadors to create, ‘teams’, with their followers on the app. These teams will add another layer to the community being developed for users like Savannah.
Within the teams, ambassadors will be able to communicate with their followers and even send discount codes, only available through the app.
Within the teams, ambassadors will be able to communicate with their followers and even send discount codes, only available through the app.
2. I would like to expand the profile section, as it will play a significant role in the ambassador teams. The information entered into the profile section will help curate content, enable ambassadors to see who is interacting with them, and provide users with a screen name for commenting on their ambassador’s posts.
3. If we are going to build a community, there needs to be a way to share the content displayed on the application. In future iterations, I would like to create a feature that allows users to share links and images with their friends to spread the culture.
4. To be a proper e-commerce application, the checkout process needs to be prototyped. In future iterations this is something that will receive close attention to ensure it is a painless process.
5. To effectively integrate the social media and marketplace features on this app, I plan to create a function that allows users to interact with a photo from the main page and directs them to the corresponding clothing items in the shop.