Personalised booking
system for dancers
on-the-go
Re-vamping Sydney Pole’s booking app
*Note this was a conceptual project and is unaffiliated with Sydney Pole.
Project Type
End-to-end app re-design
Role
Sole UX/UI designer
Industry
Tools
Figma, Miro, Zoom, Google Forms, Facebook
Fitness & Wellness
Project Duration
Winter/Autumn 2023
OVERVIEW
Who is Sydney Pole?
The largest franchise of pole dance studios in Australia, offering a range of fitness classes including; exotic, pilates and splits training. They take students on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. As their customer base has expanded, the limited functionality of their app has become an increasing source of frustration amongst users. This community is close to my heart, so I set out to see how I could help!
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Showcase the Sydney Pole brand, encouraging exploration of their offerings and experiences.
Help retain and gain students by making the self-booking and managing of their accounts smooth.
Deliver quick & clear access to important info.
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Users appreciate the app as a platform but report feeling a lack of control over their memberships.
The efficiency of the booking process holistically needs work…
The problem at first glance
Sydney Pole app users feel powerless over their memberships in the booking system. They want more control over their passes, but the limited functionality of the app is preventing them.
UX RESEARCH
Research objectives
Understanding users’ backgrounds
Anything they like or dislike about Sydney Pole and their reasons/goals for attending.
How users interact
Gain insight into how users interact with the app, noting any issues or moments of joy.
The market
Get a feel for the market and assess the competition.
Research methodology
Market Research (Competitor Analysis)
Conducting a market review of the pole dancing and sports app landscape enabled me to identify strengths in the field, gain inspiration, and also observe any pitfalls.
Survey (Google Forms)
I obtained posting privileges on the Sydney Pole Facebook page which provided me access to a large number of targeted app users.
1:1 interviews (Zoom)
Through posting on the same Facebook page, I organised 1:1 interviews. This approach provided valuable insights into users' unique experiences with the app, fostering a deeper understanding of their perspectives.
Above is the post I submitted on the student’s Sydney Pole Facebook page.
Competitor analysis
What sets Sydney Pole apart?
Offering flexibility via…
The opportunity to try different classes whenever you like - no termly lock-ins. Pick and choose each week & explore.
Being able to join waitlists for classes.
Free 8-hour cancellation window.
What other studio platforms did best?
Alerts and more customisation
Interviews and Survey
Learning about the student’s experiences
I Received 22 survey responses; all students of Sydney Pole (app users)
I interviewed 4 participants, all of whom were/are students of Sydney Pole.
*All interviews were conducted remotely via Zoom.
Affinity map of notes I produced from the survey results and interviews conducted.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE 🔎
After grouping the research findings into the above map, I wanted to synthesise the findings from a more empathic standpoint, so I expanded into an empathy map.
Key research findings
90% of participants said the app caused them frustration.
What were the leading causes?
#1: Glitching
Frequently being logged out.
#2: Excessive Steps
to find and book classes. A large selection of classes to choose from resulted in a lot of scrolling. Users were also taken back to the present day after booking or changing studio rather than the day they were looking to book on.
#3: Lack of Membership Control
Users experienced ambiguity in the app. Not knowing or being able to select which membership to book classes with. This resulted in passes expiring before they could be used.
Understanding the user
To empathise more completely with the user, I developed a persona by synthesising all the data collected from my research… Allow me to introduce Suzie, the embodiment of these insights.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE 🔎
Pivot!
A significant source of dissatisfaction stemmed from limited customisation options. It’s not just about users feeling powerless with which membership passes are being taken.
One of Sydney Pole’s most unique strengths was defined by customers as its flexibility, but this hasn’t properly translated into the app experience. Increased customisation translates to greater user control and a happy Suzie!
Re-defining the problem
Sydney Pole app users feel frustrated due to the sometimes time-intensive class booking procedures and experience a sense of powerlessness regarding their memberships. The ambiguity has led to instances of losing class passes, adding to user dissatisfaction. Users seek a streamlined and customisable booking system, but the app's current limitations hinder their desired experience.
UX DESIGN
How might we?…
Create a booking experience that negates frustration so Suzie enjoys the app experience?
How can we understand and de-stress her?
How can we give her back some time?
Suzie’s journey
To begin answering the ‘How might we’s’, I took Suzie (my user persona) through a journey of the current app. Understanding the user’s touch points on the existing app was critical to informing the direction I took the new one. The map considers pain points and areas for opportunity going forward.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE 🔎
Value Proposition
After considering the opportunities and user pain points throughout the customer’s journey, I determined that:
“We help our customers achieve their fitness goals by providing them with a personalised system that allows them to book their classes with pleasure and speed seamlessly.”
I began exploring loose ideas through sketching with the Crazy 8’s technique. I tried out multiple pathways and took some key ideas forward to generate an MVP table of ‘must-haves’ for the app. The features were prioritised by an effort vs value outcome.
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE 🔎
Information architecture
Inputting features from the MVP and core content from the existing app, I tested the IA through closed and open card-sorting with a user.
I constructed a new user flow incorporating the feedback generated from the card sorting exercise.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE 🔎
Lo-Fi wireframes
Guided by the user flow, I started to develop the lo-fi wire-frames following a similar layout to the existing app to form a base.
Experimenting with wireframe elements
Based on UI analysis of other platforms & referring back to the business goals, I chose to redesign and experiment with some elements in my wireframes:
More visual hierarchy was required with texts I wanted to include imagery as inspirational photography and large images put the focus on experience which is key to SP’s business goals - showcase the brand and highlight the offerings.
Re-sketched wireframes with new interface.
UI DESIGN
Inspiration
I explored Sydney Pole’s Instagram page to get a feel for the mood of their studios across the board. Their imagery is particularly lighting-focused and often encapsulates mystery and darkness.
The SP brand attributes are empowering, fun and alluring. The colour palette is intended to reflect these tones.
Background accent
& image styling
I curated a background accent for the app with sweeps of glowing colour intended to capture the alluring lighting found within the studios. It was also important to remain predominantly black to ensure high contrast against any text or shapes that would be overlayed.
Full background accent.
Cropped for app.
Additionally, I styled 2 images (shown above) with accent colours from the palette to demonstrate how images could also embody this tone.
Image 1 Before
Image 1 After
Image 2 Before
Image 2 After
Inclusive design check
Colour Contrast: I used the Figma plugin from ‘Stark - Contrast and Accessibility Tools’ to ensure I only used combinations that met WCAG’s AA contrast criteria.
Colour Blind Safe: I implemented visual cues, such as changing the outline thickness on buttons to present different states.
Text Size: Ensured the text was not smaller than 14pt (except the text featured directly underneath the icons).
UX copywriting
All the text written for the pole levels in the on-boarding section of the app has been thoughtfully crafted to follow a poling theme or highlight a key move that is reflective of that specific pole level:
E.g. Getting the Hang of this - Intermediate/ Tech 3
In Intermediate/Tech 3 pole, you learn to perform ‘leg hangs’ on the pole, so I featured this move in the title when users are selecting their level for a fun way of adding clarification.
Tackling user pain points
Pain points from the existing app, fixed in the new design (Part 1)
Pain points from the existing app, fixed in the new design (Part 2)
USABILITY TESTING
Testing the prototype
To conduct the user testing of the app, I created:
Built the test using the platform Maze
Outcome & iterations
My prototype was tested on 4 users. The results and feedback from the usability testing were insightful and helped me implement several changes to smooth out the booking process.
An alert can be a helpful reminder, but “it gets annoying if it keeps popping up”
- User testing participant
New app, features & improvements
Below are the key changes made, including design, navigation, and functionality of the app.
User satisfaction feedback
Test my prototype…
TAKEAWAYS
Testing in hindsight
Using the platform Maze to conduct the usability testing remotely came with some real benefits. I was able to see the participant’s heat paths on the app as they went through the exercises. It also meant that participants could perform the test at any time it suited them.
However, on the free version I was limited to the number of questions I could ask which meant I had to cram quite a lot into the questions on the first run through and this caused participants confusion. Simplifying and clarifying the questions on the second run-through was much more efficient. Carrying out the testing in person or via zoom would have allowed me more freedom and likely produced even more insights.
Potential next steps?
The filtering system was a big hit with the test participants so perhaps adding even more filter categories in the next design sprint would be beneficial. e.g. filter by the teacher.
Adding a feature to view the entire class term timetable on one screen within the app could also help progress more functionality