Running Groups
ASICS Apps Runkeeper B2B & B2C | Research & design | April 2022
Facilitating a core use case. Balancing both user and business needs to build the foundation for meaningful & longterm engagement.
A sneak peak of the outcome…
Meet the Team
Shout outs
Problem statement
While ASICS offers many products & services for runners, there was no way for them to meaningfully engage with our users.
Users
Had no way to discover the products and services ASICS has to offer.
ASICS
Wanted a way to leverage Runkeeper’s users to create business value.
After recently being acquired, Runkeeper needed to facilitate a core use case to help ASICS achieve business goals.
Constraint
Technical
This was new feature that had two primary users, which meant we had to account for both sides of the interaction. This limited the scope of what we could create for each user within a reasonable timeframe.
Organizational
ASICS wanted a group to communicate with users, and we needed it to be flexible enough to allow us to leverage existing Runkeeper features later on.
How might we…
Create a way for ASICS to meaningfully engage with the our users, while also providing value to runners.
How We Defined Success
Users
Demonstrate interest in joining groups and have a positive opinion about them.
ASICS
Sees opportunity in using Runkeeper to help them achieve business goals (ie. Increased Investment in Runkeeper Groups).
My Design Process
Working closely with the product team
I worked closely with my product manager to define the problem space and determine the outcomes we wanted for the product. Then based on the qualitative information we collected from several user interviews. We created an opportunity tree to help us get a sense of where to focus and highlighted the opportunities that could potentially satisfy the needs of both the user and businesses.
Initial Brainstorm
I used the “Jobs to be done” framework to add structure to my initial thoughts.
Conclusion
User interviews helped us uncover how users prioritized these jobs in the context of a running group. They seemed to be interested in the emotional aspects more than the functional.
Rough Concept
”HMW create a group that can help users fulfill their needs for social connection and a sense of accomplishment, while also providing the affordance for existing Runkeeper features to be leveraged later on.”
Challenge Groups
A group with challenges as the main focus could satisfy two core associated jobs to be done for the user. However, ASICS really wanted to establish something that could function as a channel to communicate with highly engaged users.
Announcement Groups
A group with a communication focus was also a strong candidate. However after interviews we found that it’s focus did not provide enough to address users needs in a meaningful way.
Event Groups
An event focused group was chosen after we heard stories from users about how in-person running groups had enabled them to fulfill their needs with in-person coaching and social interaction. We also saw the opportunity for ASICS to meaningfully engaging and communicate with users with in-person events at their stores.
Entry point
In App
We wanted it to be easy for users to discover groups near by. The cell at the top could also be used to create different types of running groups for regular & designated users. (We already had an exiting create challenge group feature for users).
Entry point
Deep Links for the Store
We created the affordance for deep-links to the running group. So ASICS Store employees could easily direct users to join their running group and receive updates on exclusive offerings.
Main screen
Group Details
We sent out surveys to learn about key factors users considered when deciding to join running groups. The outcome of this resulted in this design for the group details screen.
Creation
Event Creation
Event creation was an essential feature for group admins. We made it easy for group managers to leverage this feature to create events and let users know about exclusive coaching opportunities, footwear trials, and giveaways.
Benefits
How Users Benefit
In the end, we were able to facilitate a way for ASICS to meaningfully engage with our users by providing them access to unique perks and creating a space for local runners to connect with each other.
Takeaways
Main Takeaways
Balancing business goals with user needs can sometimes lead to difficult decisions. But being able to debate and then commit fully can lead to exponential outcomes.
Continuing to advocate for the user even when the primary focus shifts towards business needs is still important because it can lead to positive discussions about future iterations that impact product roadmaps.