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Group Project 

 

Mobile App Design 

3 Weeks

2020 Summer

My Role:

 

Strategist

Idea Thinker

Researcher

UX Designer

My Deliver:

 

Research Strategy

Synthesis Analysis  

Design Strategy

Ideation

UX Design

A joyful New Balance (NB) exercise lives-sharing social networking platform for users to s

New Balance (NB) is an American sports footwear and apparel brand established in 1906. It is one of the world's foremost sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. It's well known for its sneaker comfort. New Balance claims to differentiate its products with technical features, such as blended gel inserts, heel counters, and a greater selection of sizes, particularly for very narrow or very wide widths.

 

New Balance's primary market is the United States, occupying 83% of businesses. Its business also spreads all over the world. 

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The primary user group of New Balance is between 25 and 34 years old (31%), and between 18 and 24 years old (27%). The third big user group is between 35 and 44 years old (17.5%). In summary, the main user group of new balance is relatively young. 

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New Balance ranks #3 among Americans' most wanted sneakers. Second only to Nike and Adidas. Its market in the U.S. is very competitive.

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Data Source: 

https://www.similarweb.com/website/newbalance.com/#geography

Chart: Nike Reigns Over the Sneaker World | Statista

New Balance Experience Guide (Current Available New Balance Mobile App):

New Balance (NB) currently has an experience guide app where registered members can get up-to-date information on NB Experience Programs and Events. But the app rating and feedbacks are low and hard to use.

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Problem Statement:

How might we improve the NB experience guide's user experience and boost New Balance's sales?

(my deliver)

Even though New Balance got  22.6% popularity. However, as the biggest competitor, Nike obtained 47.3% popularity; Adidas got 23.8% votes. The total of Nike and Adidas is 71.1%. Plus, Nike and Adidas developed mobile applications to build a tighter relationships with their users. Since New Balance Experience Guide is  the workout app to manage users' daily runs. Based on the data, the competitive research is mainly about the workout mobile applications of Nike and Adidas.

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Data Source: 

Chart: Nike Reigns Over the Sneaker World | Statista

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Among all the sports footwear and apparel brands, beyond the shopping app, Nike and Adidas developed workout apps for members, and the app ratings are high.

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  • Nike Run Club is devoted to encouraging users to pursue running excellence by challenging themselves for a new running achievement. Nike Training Club is committed to helping all levels of users to complete the routine at any time in any place. It also ranks No.3 of 'the five best Workout Apps' on the website: Compare and Choose The Best One. 

 

  • Adidas Running App Runtastic provides a similar function as Nike Run Club with a relatively easy-achieving expectation setting and adds a running shoe tracking and reminding function. Adidas Training by Runtastic is identical to Nike Training Club

 

  • All these fitness apps provide training videos and personalized plans. â€‹

Question 1: Why Nike and Adidas all choose workout applications as their ancillary business areas?

Secondary Research

The global fitness app market is forecast to grow rapidly.

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Fitness is a global trend, and covid-19 has made people more aware of the importance of maintaining health and fitness.

 

Polaris market research indicates the global fitness app market was valued at $3.15B in 2019 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of more than 26.2% during 2015-2026 (Khyathi Dalal, 2020).

Question 2: How competitive is the global Fitness Apps market?

Secondary Research

Insights:

1. For the Fitness App Market, many powerful companies have occupied a significant market share, such as Nike, Google, Addidas, FitnessKeeper, MyFitnessPal Inc, etc. New balance is outside them.

 

2. The Fitness App Market has been subdivided, among which the wearable device segment is the most promising. New Balance entered the field of wearable devices in 2016, launched RunIQ in 2017, and introduced other wearable products to the market one after another. However, New Balance is not on the list of the most competitive companies. The key players in the wearable technology field are Apple Inc, Fossil Group, Inc, Garmin Ltd., Samsung Electronics, Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.), Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (Huawei), NIKE Inc, Xiaomi Corporation, etc.

 

3, Although wearable devices are promising, their accuracy is still frequently questioned. Also, excessive reliance on numbers may mislead the correct health understanding.

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Primary user groups are essential. It could reflect New Balance's strength or opportunities beyond its well-known comfortable sneakers from other perspectives. Also, studying their characteristics can help increase loyal customers and form closer customer relationships. The primary user groups of New Balance are young, mainly between 18-34, accounting for 58% of all users. Even the user group aged 35-44 accounts for 17.5%. The total is 75.5%. Therefore, on this basis, it is crucial to study which publicity channels New Balance currently relies on are more impactful to these user groups and why.

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Data Source: 

https://www.similarweb.com/website/newbalance.com/#geography

Secondary Research

Top newbalance.com Audience interests shows the No.1 interest is Fashion and Apparel & Shopping. The top traffic of Outgoing Links from new balance.com and newbalance.com Referral is also Fashion and Apparel.

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The data shows that fashion and apparel demand is more significant than sports.

- Search and direct occupied 83.82% of the total traffic means that distributors, middlemen, etc. search more. It also reflects the excellent market demand for New Balance.

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- Referrals as the most underutilized channel means most consumers are not interested in various forms of push from merchants.

Social Media Traffic to newbalance​.com indicates that newbalance​.com get most of the traffic from Youtube, and engaging with audience through Twitter may reveal more opportunities. 

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The data shows that videos are preferred way for most of people to get the information. People are also willing to talk about products on non-official platforms to obtain the information they need. Other than merchants, other people's reply will be more objective.

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Question 1: Why, on the one hand, the market research report shows that Covid-19 has strengthened people's fitness awareness, and on the other hand, the online traffic data from users shows that people prefer a relaxed lifestyle instead of pushing themselves to fulfill daily exercise routines. What is the gap between these reports? What are the pain points that need to be discovered?

Primary Research

7 people between 18-44 years old accept the user interviews with the questions: Could you describe the typical day and what time you usually exercise? Could you describe your most satisfying exercise frequency and exercise situations in a week? What are the things that motivate you to do exercise, and why? What are the things that block you from doing exercise, and why? How do you feel before, during, and after your workout?Would you like to share your exercise experience with others? If so, What and who would you like to share? What are suggestions you have for maintaining an exercise routine? Do you use New Balance products? If so, why did you choose it? Do you use any workout apps or tracking devices? If so, how do you like it, and what improvement do they need?

Insights:

1, Exercising habits can be greatly impacted by changes in the environment, life, or work conditions.

  • Covid-19 has forced many people to stay at home, and some people's exercise habits have disappeared. It is even more difficult for people without exercise habits to carry out the daily exercise. 

  • Many people's exercise habits disappear from becoming a mother for the first time, rushing to work, staying with parents in the hospital, and big blows in life, etc.

 

​2, Forming exercise habit is a process. Accountable exercising friends or partners are important. 

  • People with exercise habits usually feel excited, happy, confident, and powerful when exercising. So they easily maintain their daily exercise routine.

  • People without exercise habits typically have a process from an unwillingness to enjoyment when developing an exercise habit. But in the initial stage, exercise routines are easily broken. Having accountable exercising friends or partners can help them maintain fitness routine well.

 

3, Big stimulation factors can motivate the determination with a strong willingness to keep a fitness routine.

  • Such as a severe illness, meeting someone they like very much, and professional image requirements, etc. these factors can keep people maintain fitness routine for a long time.

 

4, The exercise environment is critical.

  • It is easier for people to complete exercise goals in the gym and get physically and mentally relaxed in nature. People with social anxiety prefer to exercise at home to maintain comfortable feelings.

 

5, Boring kills many people's willingness on maintaining daily exercise.

  • Many people who are unwilling to exercise have a stereotype about exercise: boring.

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6, Interaction with people can significantly reduce boringness.

  • Exercise under guidance is more effective. Beyond professional help, interaction with people also keeps training from being boring.

  • Exercise together with friends can increase enjoyment.

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7, People who like to exercise are willing to share workout experience.

  • People who get a great deal of enjoyment from exercising often willing to share their workout experience with others.

  • Some people also like to share workout tips.

  • Some people share their exercise experience and hope to find friends who exercise together.

  • Some people who is confident about themselves tends to share their pictures online.

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8, Many people use fitness app & devices because they are build-in functions of mobile phone and smart watches. Also the data is questionable.

  • 4 out of 7 people use fitness apps & devices. But only one person checks the data more often. One of the reasons is they are confident about their health. Another reason is the data needs to be more accurate. 

 

9, Recommended by friends, wanting to try a new product, and the trendy appearance are the three main reasons people chose New Balance.

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How might we create a joyful, interactive environment to let everybody enjoy an exercise routine at the same time to boost New Balance sales and market share?

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(my deliver)

Existing Condition: The workout apps of Nike and Adidas are very mature.

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(my deliver)

People love themselves; They want to share their lives with complete control.

The popularity of the social media content

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  • User interviews show there's an increasing tide nowadays for people to show their bodies as long as they have confidence and feel good about themselves; many people who keep exercising would like to share their exercise tips; for most of the people, they would like to share their life experience, like hiking, running, walking along the coast, etc.

  • ​The New Balance primary user group research shows that New Balance users like to use Youtube and Twitter. We can see how essential videos and unofficial opinions are to them. Having an exercise lives-sharing social networking platform can let the users obtain the most authentic product feedback and the effects of New Balance products on other people.

  • ​New Balance can also directly obtain the users' opinions, which is suitable for product & service improvement. As a responsible enterprise, this sincere attitude can make it win more loyal customers.

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It will provide continuous incentives to attract users to stay in the app.

  • The instant try-on function for users is not only providing a trying experience but also stimulating their curiosity of testing different results on themselves. Many mobile makeup apps, like YouCam Makeup, Facey, are utilizing this psychological effect.

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  • ​When people see new balance (NB) users' exercise lives, they might want to try the related product NB users wear. The instant try-on function can quickly fulfill this need. Plus, people can choose to upload pictures instead of opening the camera. They can upload a previous photo with a better figure to try the products, which will motivate them to exercise more for keeping a good fit. 

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(my deliver)

We have so many lives-sharing social media platforms, but we don't have such platforms specific for exercise lives. 

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We believe that by introducing an exercise experience sharing social networking platform, people who feel dull and not used to workout will experience a fun and joyful exercise journey to get used to daily exercise and build up their health. Meanwhile, we will utilize an exercise lives-sharing platform with an instant try-on function to connect customers tightly with New Balance products. 

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We will know this to be true when the New Balance market share increases through the high-frequency use of this exercise lives-sharing platform.

Three Words:

Fun;  Colorful;  Be yourself

Slogan:

New Balance, New Life

Internal function:

Since New Balance already has the New Balance Experience Guide app. So the exercise lives-sharing platform will be designed as one of the NB Experience Guide's internal functions.
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NB users can share their exercise experiences, training tips, diet tips, the preferred NB products, etc., through photos, videos.

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Tom

 

  • Age: 37

  • Job: Accountant

  • Education: Bachelor of Finance

  • Marital Status: Married

  • Family: Two kids

Needs & Wants:

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  • To connect people who have similar exercise interests.

  • To keep weekly workout.

  • To maintain the interest of doing exercise.

  • A flexible and effective exercise schedule.

Preference:

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  • A way to make exercise life with more fun and more flexibility.

  • An effective way to keep fit.

 

Pain points:

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  • Exercise is synonymous with boring. 

  • He does not have a regular time to exercise.

  • Hard to maintain exercise habits.

 

Goals:

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  • Eliminate big belly.

  • Build more muscles.

  • Keep in shape.

  • ​Stay healthy and energetic.

Needs & Wants:

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  • To be more beautiful and attractive.

  • An effective way to lose weight.

  • An easier and fun way for workout.

  • To maintain motivation on exercising.

Preference:

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  • A way to enjoy the exercise life.

  • A way to lose weight effectively, but not painful.

 

Pain points:

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  • Feel boring about doing exercise.

  • There's always something for her that is more important than doing exercise.

  • Hard to maintain a regular exercise life.

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Goals:

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  • Lose 30 lbs first.

  • The ideal weight is 105 lbs.

  • Keep fit after achieved 105 lbs.

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Laura

 

  • Age: 34

  • Job: Elementary School Teacher

  • Education: Bachelor of Education

  • Marital Status: Single

  • Family: No plans

(my deliver)

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(my deliver)

User-testing is conducted after the mid-fidelity design through prototyping. It went through several rounds.

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Functions can be accessed by non-members.

Strategy 1: Increasing NB public influence through the non-constrain 'Share,' 'Comments,' and 'Tags' functions.

When opening the NB life on a cell phone, NB users' new posts will automatically show up after the flash page. Non-members can watch directly without registration. The Comments, Share, and Tags functions are also available for them, which can significantly enlarge New Balance's public influence by allowing people (members., non-members) to share, comment on NB users' exercise experiences and see the related NB products on any social media platforms freely. NB online store with Like and Cart functions also can be accessed freely by non-members. 

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Strategy 2: To better motivate NB users by providing the 'Select A Picture' function to allow them uploading a self-satisfied photo to forecast their look after they achieved the exercise goals.  

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Strategy 3: Add the 'Similar Items' function to the try-on room to enhance the user experience and stimulate the buying power.

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©2024 by Jing Wang Designs

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