Sassy Biker Sisters
webpage/mobile app
Project Overview – Bringing Information and Connection to a Podcast Community
After creating a fully responsive website for the Sassy Biker Sister podcast, I went on to design a complimentary app for future development. On this podcast, my client interviews women throughout the United States who ride motorcycles with the mission to bring women closer together in shared experiences. The goal of the app is to bring functionality and connectedness to the podcast listening community through an interactive map and social features.
Timeline
The website was developed in 8 weeks and the app design was developed over the span 3 months.
Team
I worked directly with the client and filled the role of Project Manager and UX Designer.
**This case study for the app. If you’d like to see the Sassy Biker Sister webpage, it can be viewed here.**
Process and Design Decisions
The primary functionality is an interactive map allowing the user to zoom in on a location to see podcast episodes with guests from that area. However, Ms. Bailey would also like to incorporate a social connection feature for users, recommended routes, videos and reviews. As a new podcast business, the budget is a strong consideration when determining features, thus, this product will likely be developed in two stages. We will consider overall features and then determine which should be a part of the first stage for the MVP versus secondary features for subsequent iterations.
User Research
I conducted user interviews with women who ride motorcycles from Florida, Colorado, Washington, D.C. and Texas. Two of the interviews were with previous podcast guests and the other 3 were found through word of mouth within the group of listeners.
Qualitative findings
Riding Experience
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- Between 2 and 15 years
Types of rides enjoyed
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- short afternoon rides
- cross country rides
- solo rides
- rides with friends
Typical Ways to get information about new rides
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- All reported using Facebook groups
Most common frustration point
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- Difficulty finding groups/friends to ride with
- Concern finding gas stations on ride route
User Personas
Using results from user interviews, I created two user personas. These stand to establish an empathic connection with the users throughout product design and development.
User Flow
After a few iterations of whiteboarding sessions, the current User Flow was developed.
Important Considerations:
- Ease of access: Simple login/Alternative login (Google/Facebook)
- Clear goals: Easily identify areas to view/search for a specific area/create favorites list
- Style: align with webpage style
- Podcast: Ability to listen to podcast within app while app active and also when phone is locked
Additional Features to consider:
- YouTube videos
- “Find Us” tool for rally visits
- Social Aspect/Community Forum
- Route planner with Gas station availability on route
- Review feature and recommended rides
Wireframe Sketches
Low and High-Fidelity Wireframes
Notable Features:
- Interactive map with varying zoom-in percentage showing at what point users can see bubbles with the number of podcasts in an area to actual specific podcasts. This avoids overwhelm and allows the user to explore easily
- Search option for zip code, podcast episode, guest name
- Toggle function to view the episodes based on list form vs. map
- Ability for the user to listen to to podcasts in-app when phone is closed and locked
- Ability to “favorite” episodes to come back to later
- Community connection feature with an assortment of channels for conversation, questions and support
- Messaging system for direct messages to/from users
Feature Upgrade – Community Pages
After developing the initial screens, it became clear that the original plan of implementing community pages in a second iteration, should instead be part of the first iteration. By implementing this now, the app is more robust and will draw a larger, more committed audience of users. Below is the white-boarding session for the Community Pages flow and a sample of the Hi-Fidelity Screens.
Prototype
To experience the Sassy Biker Sisters app prototype, click the image below.
Usability Testing Findings and Resulting Enhancements
Overall feedback from the initial usability testing was very positive. The primary discovery was that without the additional features of “recommended rides” and “sponsors” on the map, it felt lacking to the testers. For that reason, I added the two features (recommended rides and sponsor pinpoints) that were originally planned for the second iteration in order to produce a cohesive product. This enhancement will also provide better marketing for podcast sponsors. Additional findings can be read in this Usability Findings Document.
Outcomes and Lessons
The Sassy Biker Sisters app is fully designed and ready to begin development. My client is pleased with the end result and excited to see it come to life! As for me, this project has been very fulfilling. Using research, thorough communication and lots of design time to mold this app from an idea into the product it is now has been a thrill. Upon review, I am glad we took the time to do both user testing as well as usability testing. During user testing we found that what many users want is an app that includes both recommended rides, as well as a social feature to meet new friends and grow relationships. Without this information we would likely not have pushed to include the Community Features aspect, which, upon usability testing were a highlight of the app. Using a thorough UX approach the Sassy Biker Sisters App will be a very unique and highly sought after experience for women who ride. I look forward to watching it move forward into the real world to help bring this community together through their similar interest.