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GRUP iOS app for finding people to play sports with in the Dominican Republic

GRUP is a startup idea for the Dominican Republic, an app to find partners, groups and activities for the sports you play. I designed it end to end for iOS, starting with competitor research.

RoleDesigner
PlatformiOS
Year2021
Stage0 → 1
Three GRUP screens: interest selection, sign up and the profile with my groups and next activity
4

competitor apps analyzed: Nike Run Club, Strava, Fitbit, PumpUp

3

journey stages mapped: join, search, decide

30+

iOS screens designed across 7 flows

TL;DR

Problem
Fitness apps track what you do alone. People who want to play soccer, surf or hike with others still rely on WhatsApp groups and friends of friends.
What I did
Researched four fitness and community apps, mapped the user journey, and designed the app flow and core screens: onboarding, finding partners, groups and events, chat and profile.
Status
Startup concept designed end to end for iOS.

The idea

A lot of people want to exercise with others but have no one to go with. In the Dominican Republic those plans usually live in WhatsApp groups, which are hard to find if you're new and can't be searched. GRUP lets you find people near you with the same interests, join a group, or create an activity and invite others.

1. Competitor research

I looked at four apps people already use to stay active, and at what keeps users coming back to each one.

AppWhat it does best
Nike Run ClubGuided runs, coaching plans and encouragement from friends
StravaTracking, connecting and competing, with social proof around every activity
FitbitOne place for data, trends, goals and progress
PumpUpA positive community and a feed that doubles as a fitness diary

I grouped the findings into six themes: motivation, community support, tracking, social media, the feed, and data and progress. All four track your own activity well. None of them helps you find people to train with, so GRUP focuses on that.

2. User journey

I mapped the experience in three stages, with what people do, what they touch in the product, what they think and how they feel at each step. Some of the thoughts in the map:

  • "This process will be long and boring."
  • "This app is new and doesn't have many people registered."
  • "I want to enter as a guest to see if I'm interested, then I'll register."
  • "I'm going to Jarabacoa this weekend, let me see if there is a hiking group there."

The map flagged a search with no results as the riskiest moment, since a new app starts with few users and few activities.

User journey map in three stages with actions, touchpoints, thoughts and feelings
Journey map with three stages: onboarding, searching for activities or groups, and deciding to join.
Decision

Skip sign-up on the first screen

"Skip for now" sits on the first screen next to sign up with email, Facebook or Google. People who aren't sure about a new app can look around first and register later.

Decision

Empty search results

When a search finds no activity or group, the app shows suggestions and the option to create the activity yourself.

3. App flow

The flowchart goes from the splash screen to three ways in (sign up, social sign up or sign in), interest selection, inviting friends by SMS, WhatsApp or contacts, and the home with search, profile and activities.

App flowchart from the splash screen through sign up, interests and invite friends to the home screen
App flow, including the "skip sign up for now" path.

4. Onboarding

After signing up, people pick their sports from a grid (basketball, tennis, surf, golf, boxing and more) and then find or invite friends. Suggestions show people nearby and how many interests they share. Invitations can go out by WhatsApp, SMS or from the contact list.

Sign up screen with email, Facebook, Google and a Skip for now optionInterest selection grid with sports like tennis, boxing, surf and golf selectedFind and invite friends with a share link, contact sync and people you might know
Sign up, interests and friends.

5. Groups and events

Creating a group takes a name and a privacy setting. Then the organizer invites people with the same tools used in onboarding. Each group has a feed, its events and its members, and admins can make other members admins.

Creating an event is split into short steps: name and date, a location confirmed on the map, then description and category.

Create a group with name and privacyInvite people to a group with share link, contact sync and suggestionsGroup members list with options to make other members admins
Create a group, invite people and manage members.
Event details step: event name and start date and timeEvent location confirmed on a map with a Confirm spot buttonEvent description and category with suggested sportsGroup events list with going, interested and share actions
Creating an event in three steps, and the group's event list.

6. Profile and chat

The profile shows your groups, your next activity and an activity summary, with shortcuts to create a group or an event. Chat keeps conversations with partners and groups inside the app.

Profile with my groups, next activity and activity summaryChat list with conversations
Profile and chat.

7. Design system

I built the UI on a component library in light and dark mode. The palette uses electric violet #4A1CF6, orange #FF6A00 and sky blue #00AEF8 on dark navy. Components include interest tiles, buttons, social sign-in, profile elements, form fields and the tab bar in all its states.

GRUP design system with interest tiles, buttons, app atoms, status bars, menus and form fields in dark and light mode
Components in dark and light mode.
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