CASE STUDY

Mobile App

INTRODUCTION

The Outings mobile app allows users to create their own exercise route for walking, hiking, running, or cycling based on the distance they want to go or the time they have to exercise, where they want to start, amount of sun/shade, amount of traffic, path surface, elevation, amenities along the route, parking availability, and whether it’s dog-friendly or kid-friendly.

GOAL

  • Optimize route-planning for comfort, environment, or personal preferences rather than just distance, speed, and popularity.

  • Allow users to plan a route without creating an account.

ROLE

UX Researcher & Designer

TOOLS

ChatGPT, FigJam, Figma, Figma Make

DISCOVERY

BRAINSTORMING SESSION

I started by capturing some initial ideas on a whiteboard, organized into a few key themes to drive the discovery process:

  1. User Problems and Needs

  2. Core Features

  3. Interface Design

  4. Smart Features & Personalization

COMPETITORS

App

All Trails

Google Maps

Komoot

MapMyRun

Strava

Strength

Hiking discovery

Navigation

Excellent cycling/hiking routing

Running Routes

Route creation for runners/cyclists

Weakness

Limited for neighborhood walks and runs

Doesn't optimize routes for exercise preferences

Complex for casual users

Limited environmental filtering

Focuses on performance rather than comfort

Differentiation

Instead of asking the user "Where are you going?", ask "How do you want today's workout to feel?"

Core user problems:

  • I don't know where to go today. 

  • I don't know if this route is enjoyable. 

  • Weather changes everything. 

  • Safety concerns 

  • Different workouts require different routes.

User needs: 

  • Find a route quickly 

  • Feel safe 

  • Avoid boredom 

  • Match today's weather 

  • Match today's workout 

  • Avoid traffic 

  • Bring the dog 

  • Bring kids 

  • Find parking 

  • Discover new places

MVP features/filters: 

  • Essential Activity (walk/run/hike/bike) 

  • Start location 

  • Distance or duration 

  • Loop, out-and-back, one way

  • Surface 

  • Elevation 

  • Shade 

  • Weather-aware recommendations 

  • Parking 

  • Dog/kid friendly 

  • Route preview

High-value differentiators:

  • Safety score 

  • Scenic score 

  • Quietness 

  • Amenities (restrooms, water, benches) 

  • Route photos 

  • Save favorite route profiles 

  • AI natural-language route generation

PERSONAS

Routine Runner (Primary Persona)

Name:
Age:
Occupation:
Activity:
Experience:
Frequency:

Goals

  • Find a route in under a minute

  • Train for different running workouts

  • Discover new places nearby

  • Avoid heavy traffic

  • Feel safe running alone

Dog Walker

Name:
Age:
Occupation:
Activity:
Experience:
Frequency:

Goals

  • Keep the dog happy

  • Find shaded routes

  • Discover parks

  • Locate water stations

  • Park easily

Frustrations

  • Dog-friendly information is scattered

  • Parking can be difficult

  • Some trails prohibit dogs

  • Hot pavement in summer

Name:
Age:
Occupation:
Activity:
Experience:
Frequency:

Frustrations

  • AllTrails has too many options

  • Reviews are inconsistent

  • Popular trails are overcrowded

  • Hard to judge scenery before arriving

Name:
Age:
Occupation:
Activity:
Experience:
Frequency:

Goals

  • Exercise with the kids

  • Feel safe

  • Avoid difficult terrain

  • Find bathrooms

  • Have fun together

Emily Carter
34
Marketing Manager
Running
Intermediate
4–5 times/week

Jason Nguyen
41
Remote Software Engineer
Walking
Casual
Daily

Sarah Brooks
29
Graphic Designer
Hiking
Moderate
Weekends

Busy Parent

Melissa Rodriguez
38
Elementary School Teacher
Walking
Beginner
2–3 times/week

Frustrations

  • Most fitness apps assume she's exercising alone

  • Playground information is difficult to find

  • Parking is unpredictable

  • Long routes become stressful

Bio

Emily enjoys running before work, but she's tired of repeating the same neighborhood loop. She wants routes that match her training goals while feeling safe and interesting.

Needs

  • Safety

  • Variety

  • Quiet streets

  • Distance accuracy

  • Weather-aware recommendations

Needs

  • Kid-friendly

  • Parking

  • Bathrooms

  • Benches

  • Short routes

MVP Features Used Most

  • Distance

  • Quietness

  • Safety score

  • Scenic score

  • Weather recommendations

  • Save workout profiles

Bio

Jason walks his energetic Labrador every morning. His biggest challenge is finding shaded, dog-friendly routes with water access and avoiding crowded sidewalks.

Needs

  • Shade

  • Dog-friendly

  • Parking

  • Water

  • Quiet

Needs

  • Scenic routes

  • Photos

  • Quiet trails

  • New discoveries

MVP Features Used Most

  • Dog mode

  • Water stops

  • Shade percentage

  • Dog parks

  • Surface type

Bio

Sarah loves spending Saturdays outdoors but hates spending an hour researching where to hike. She wants hidden gems instead of crowded tourist trails.

MVP Features Used Most

  • Scenic Score

  • Route photos

  • Hidden gems

  • Explore Nearby

  • AI recommendations

Bio

Melissa wants to exercise while spending time with her two children. She needs routes that are safe, stroller-friendly, and have nearby restrooms and playgrounds.

MVP Features Used Most

  • Family Mode

  • Kid-friendly filter

  • Amenities

  • Safety Score

  • Stroller-friendly surfaces

Weekend Explorer

Goals

  • Discover beautiful places

  • Avoid overcrowded trails

  • Take photos

  • Explore somewhere new

  • Enjoy the journey

Frustrations

  • Runs the same streets every week

  • Doesn't know which new routes are worth trying

  • Google Maps doesn't know what's enjoyable

  • Strava requires too much searching

JOURNEY MAPS

With the assistance of Figma Make, I created journey maps for each persona. The stages varied by user based on their needs and desires. Each map explores the persona’s actions, thoughts, touchpoints, pain points, opportunities, high-value features, and unique takeaways.

The journey maps helped build user empathy, prioritize features, and establish high-level stages of the process (discovery → onboarding → execution → offboarding) before beginning the design process.

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Designed in Figma. Get started for free to create an account.

DESIGN

USER FLOW

WIREFRAMES

MOOD BOARD & LOGO EXPLORATION

I used AI to generate a mood board and some logo concepts. I knew I wanted the app’s aesthetic to be nature-inspired. My prompts guided the colors and textures to follow this theme.

I did a quick logo exploration and decided on the last one. I made a few subtle changes to the colors and the tagline.

DESIGN SYSTEM

Starting with the mood board's color palette, Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines, and Google’s Material Design 3, I used Figma Make to create a design system for Outings. Figma generated Markdown files I can use when I’m ready to build a site/app, along with a visual reference.

You can toggle between iOS and Android to see variations in typography, spacing, corner radius, icons, components, and elevation between the two environments.

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PROTOTYPES

UX Principles to Guide the Design

  1. Start with intention, not location – Lead with "How do you want today's workout to feel?" and let location become a supporting input rather than the primary one.

  2. Recommend before asking users to search – Present a few highly relevant routes first; let advanced filters refine only when needed.

  3. Explain why a route is a match – Show concise reasons such as "82% shaded," "Quiet streets," "Great for dogs," or "Perfect for today's heat."

  4. Make confidence visible – Make safety, weather suitability, elevation, and amenities easy to compare at a glance.

  5. Learn over time – Every completed route, favorite, and rating should improve future recommendations so the app feels increasingly personal.
iOS →
Android →