Run Buddy

As a kid, I used to love running and doing 5K's, but over the years, I got out of the habit and became out of shape. Last summer, I decided I wanted to get back into it but was stumped on the best way to start running again. I downloaded a few apps for beginner runners, with the end goal in mind of doing a 5K. I found the apps useful for a few days, but could never stick with the program because of a few key issues.

Hidden paywalls and costly subscriptions: Users are frustrated with they get hit with subscription fees after downloading and investing time in setting up their profiles.
Non-intuitive interfaces and user experience: UI and UX in existing apps make navigation, program set up, and tracking challenging. These usability issues lead to user discouragement and disengagement.

The key goals of the app were to create an iOS app, useable on the IPhone and Apple Watch, with a user friendly interface for tracking workouts and following a plan, and to avoid a paywall.
I did market research by downloading multiple running apps, and identified the key improvements by app wanted to make.
After identifying the problems, I began by taking a Udemy course in Swift App Development.
I started by implementing the functionalities needed for our minimum viable product(MVP), including a home screen, a timer to allow the user to track their run, and a pause button.        

May 2023: Customer problem identified. Started taking a Udemy course on Swift development.
‍June 2023: Started developing without a clear design idea. Utilizing development to learn more Swift.
‍July 2023: Created a new design concept. Wireframing in Figma.
‍August 2023: Implemented the new design.
‍Going Forward: Still some issues to workout, the design is professional but still some functionality missing.

User downloads the application from the apple app store. The user is given one or 2 screens of introduction of the app and its purpose. They enter personal information to set up an account. The user selects what level of runner they are - beginner, intermediate, or advanced. The user is taken to a home page, where they will be able to see their data after they complete their first workout. When they are ready, they can easily click start workout. The user can see the interval information on their phone, including the time left and if it is a walk or run interval. If the user turns off their phone while they are running, the app will beep so they know it is time to switch. After the workout is done, the user will be able to see a summary.

Although the app has not yet reached a product launch or user testing, I identified some key performance indicators (KPI's) to measure success in the future.
Sign up a minimum of 50 users.
50% of users completing more than 3 tracked workouts.