EXTENSION
Branding / UX Research / UX & UI / End-to-end Mobile App Design
BACKGROUND
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As the technical demands of ballet are higher than ever before, dancers are looking outside of the studio to maintain peak performance fitness. The mindset that “the only way to get better at ballet is by doing ballet” is a thing of the past.
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Most ballet companies lack the resources to provide preventative care programs for their dancers. Dancers are left to themselves to support their bodies outside of ballet training.
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The conversation of cross-training has been boosted during the Covid-19 pandemic with the proliferation of virtual workout programs geared towards dancers that have opened up the possibility of working with instructors around the globe.
Roles assumed
UX Designer, UX Researcher, UX Writer, UI Designer, and Brand Designer
Tools used
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Tactiq
Timeframe
6 weeks: June - July 2023
The Problem to Solve
During COVID-19, many personal trainers started offering their services virtually to professional dancers who were stuck at home during the pandemic. Often, these instructors use their social media accounts to post and share their services. A user might happen to see a post by one of these instructors pop up on their social media feed while scrolling. But when it comes down to searching for one intentionally, there is no way to find them.
I realized there was a hole in the market as there is no platform where users can find fitness instructors with experience training dancers.
The Approach
Create a mobile application that connects dancers with fitness instructors who understand their needs.
The Solution
Introducing Extension
A platform where dancers can search for cross-training instructors that have been vetted by other dancers.
Extension is a space for dancers to share insights- recommend and read reviews of trainers who have experience working with dancers. See which trainers have affiliations with dance companies and pre-professional schools.
Find trainers that specialize in and understand dancers' needs.
Looking to up-level your pirouettes? Browse by movement type. Want to learn from a Rockette? Filter by trainers who are current or former professional dancers.
Feel supported and uplifted.
In creating Extension, I decided to ground in these brand values: inspiring, connected, and expansive. The logo depicts a jewel, symbolizing refinement and light, expanding the reach of a supportive community.
My Design Process
RESEARCH
Preliminary background research revealed that when it comes to dancers' health, the focus is on treatment rather than preventative care. While several established resources help dancers find providers once they already suffered an injury, resources for preventative care were sparse at best.
Goal 1: Learn what dancers value when they are searching for physical preventative care so that I can make it easier for dancers to find effective care that fits their lifestyle.
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I interviewed 5 dancers, including 4 company dancers and 1 freelance dancer from the United States and Canada, who are a mix of newly hired to seasoned professionals with various levels of cross-training experience.
This is what I learned:
Dancers look for someone who has an awareness of their lifestyle and mentality and can bring insights that they can translate into dance. Dancers are not necessarily looking for a former dancer to train them.
Dancers search for trainers/programs that have been vetted by other dancers. Most rely on word of mouth and using social media networks to scout out trainers and programs.
Variety is key. Dancers prefer variety and mental stimulation. Overworking the same muscles can also create imbalances and injury.
I decided to conduct surveys to get quantitative data from more dancers (20) regarding their workout preferences and which dance skills and movements they would like to improve on. I used their input to determine the features and task flows that I would focus on designing.
Based on my first round of research, I learned that dancers search for trainers vetted by other dancers and primarily rely on word of mouth to find them. By doing so, they alleviate the risk of working with someone who won’t understand their needs and lifestyle. I learned from the dancers I surveyed that a majority of them want to improve their adagio movement. They are most interested in cross-training activities such as Pilates, weight training, and yoga.
Since there is no platform available where users can find fitness instructors who have experience with training dancers, I wanted to fill that gap. How?
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The idea: Create a mobile application that connects users with fitness instructors who understand their needs.
To get there, I needed to do further investigation…
Research Goal 2: Understand what users value when using a matching service app so that I can prioritize what features an app for matching with fitness instructors will have.
I ran a competitive analysis of matching service apps in the fitness industry. I also looked at pet and babysitting apps, knowing that these apps rely on trusted networks and service providers that have been previously vetted. The babysitting app Bambino had many of the features I would consider to be product requirements.
Opportunity & Project Goal
Since there is no platform available where users can find fitness instructors with experience training dancers, the goal is to fill that gap by designing a minimum viable product for a mobile application that connects users with fitness instructors who understand working with dancers.
At this phase, the product goal is to attract new users and match them with trainers that have been curated. A primary trainer base will be referred, and selected from established institutions affiliated with dance companies and pre-professional schools to ensure that they have the experience necessary. Subsequent phases will include expanding the database of preventative health providers based on referrals within the app network; users who refer trainers will receive incentives such as free sessions and discounts. Through partnerships with local businesses, trainers, and ballet companies, the goal is raise revenue by selling advertisements on the platform.
Persona
These two personas were created based on the in-depth interviews I conducted that illustrate the user's motivations, frustrations, and needs. One persona captures the dancer at the beginning of their career, while the other captures the dancer who is a seasoned professional already familiar with cross-training.
I used the Lila persona to create a storyboard for my product idea, which I initially called dancerfit.
User Flow
The product allows users to find cross-training instructors who have been recommended by other dancers and allows users to search for instructors based on criteria such as dance movement, activity type, location, reviews, etc.
BRANDING & UI KIT DESIGN
I wanted to create a supportive and uplifting brand image for this platform and decided to change the name from dancerfit to extension to make it inclusive and appealing to a wider market that is not necessarily limited to professional dancers. The name extension embodies the idea of expanding one's possibilities in all directions. It also refers to the lifting and unfolding of the leg, which requires flexibility, control, and strength.
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Grounding in brand values inspiring, connected, and expansive, the logo depicts a jewel expanding the reach of a supportive community, represented by an unbound circle. The jewel symbolizes refinement and light. The primary color, green, signifies growth and compassion, which are hallmarks of the heart chakra.
WORDMARK LOGO
LOGO FONT
Playfair Display
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1234567890
!"$%=()[]:+?;
COLOR PALETTE
COPY FONT
PRIMARY BUTTON
ICONS
Low-Fidelity Sketches
I drafted low-fidelity wireframes of key screens including Home, Find a Trainer, Search Results (for Adagio movement), and Trainer Profile.
High-Fidelity Wireframes
I married the low-fidelity sketches with the UI kit to create high-fidelity wireframes in Figma of key screens. Based on survey results, I focused on a user flow of a user exploring all the options for finding a trainer that can help them improve their adagio movement. Features include:​
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Using the search function
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Browsing by category
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Filtering search results
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Saving a trainer to their saved list
Find a trainer via the search bar or browse by categories such as dance movement or skill.
Results for trainers that specialize in improving adagio movement.
Filter the search results with these criteria.
Save a trainer to a saved list.
PRODUCT TESTING & PRIORITY REVISIONS
There were a total of 7 participants in the extension usability testing, which was moderated and conducted through one-on-one sessions on Google Meet. I tested the overall quality of the design, functionality, navigation, and appeal. Here is what I learned:
Reviews are important. More than anything, users cited that they use reviews to evaluate whether or not they would go to a trainer. I decided to prioritize this feature and build out more reviews in a carousel.
What's the vibe? Users want more context. Users wanted reassurance on the style of a trainer - beginner friendly, highly experienced, trains a wide cross-section of clients, etc. Website and images of storefront were requested.
UI needs consistency and hierarchy. The UI lacked consistency in the line weights and shape usage, which created a mismatched visual experience. The lack of hierarchy in cards made it hard for users to differentiate between items.
LOOKING FORWARD
Developer handoff
Design the rest of the key screens for extension and handoff to the development team.
20XX
Gain traction in the field of dancer wellness
Continue to normalize the conversation/necessity of cross-training in the dance world. Build partnerships with dance companies.
20XX
2023
20XX
Refer a Trainer feature
Users will be able to refer trainers to the extension community and gain rewards for doing so.
Expand beyond physical preventative care
Using the same concept and community, I would like to see extension expand into the realm of mental health and injury treatment.
REFLECTIONS
Cross-training itself has become more accepted and encouraged within the dance world, a departure from the times when the belief was that “the only way to get better at ballet is ballet”. During my design process, I was able to imagine a product that I wished I had during my career as a ballet dancer - a way to up-level my technique and performance with a support system that included a team of fitness instructors outside of the ballet studio. This project was an opportunity to connect with current and former dancers and dive deep into the possibilities of creating a platform that connects dancers to trainers who understand them.
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As a designer, this project was the catalyst to improve upon:
UI skills: build hierarchy without relying on size, expand Figma prototyping skills, and design icons with Adobe Illustrator.
UX research and testing skills: prioritize research by incorporating surveys, in-depth interviews and 2 rounds of competitive analysis; choose an exploratory task for usability testing, which requires designing more screens but provides an open-ended experience for the user.