Nike SNKRS
Summary: My team and I aimed to create a better sense of community for users and encourage positive interactions on the Nike SNKRS app. We were assigned the responsibility of integrating a series of predetermined features.
Please note: I did not work for Nike, this project was strictly academic.
Objective: Conduct user research and ideate effective solutions to help users better interact with each other on the platform.
My Role: UI Designer, UX Designer & Project Manager
Deliverables: Data Synthesis, Journey Map, User Flows, Wireframes, Style Guide, Usability Testing, Sketches, High-fidelity Prototype
Research
Surveys
The target audience for this project is "sneakerheads", or those who buy and collect shoes. We also surveyed some people who might be described as "average buyers" of Nike products.
Key points:
Participants ranged from 14-51 years of age.
Our audience looks for authenticity, brand, comfort, and rarity.
How many pairs of shoes they own. (6-175 pairs.)
How much they are willing to spend on shoes. ($125-$675)
What types of social media they prefer to use. (Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, and Facebook.)
Uses for sneakers include walking, basketball, gardening, running, and skateboarding.
Interviews
We were able to conduct 5-6 interviews with participants from our surveys.
Key points:
When it comes to buying shoes, we found our participant's research in the following ways:
They consider buying shoes athletes are wearing
Conduct their own research
Go to influencers
Websites
Friends
Online communities or Sneaker Con (event space for sneaker enthusiasts)
Content respondents would like to see in a community app include:
Categories of posts, like reviews and legit checks, so you can filter to the kind of posts you want to see.
Digital collection in the profile, where you can register all your sneakers and see other people's collections.
Collections & upcoming releases
Reviews and coupons from local running stores
Video on how shoes are made
Video of real-world scenarios shoes are used for
Content on how to give back to the community
Persona Archetypes
After conducting surveys and interviews, we concluded that personas would serve as an effective tool to steer our project in the right direction.
Once we synthesized the gathered data, the team identified several shared characteristics among our participants, leading us to create three personas that embody potential users.
As a designer, referring to these personas significantly streamlined my role by providing clear guidance on where to place the new features and how they could function and serve these archetypes.
Throughout the design process, we consistently utilized these personas as points of reference, allowing us to maintain a user-centric approach.
Journey Map
In order to gain insights into customers’ discovery and interaction process with the product, the research team developed a Customer Journey Map by utilizing the information gathered from surveys and interviews.
Sketches & Wireframes
Sketches - Where Design Meets Data
The design process began with the creation of low-fidelity wireframe sketches. This approach facilitated rapid iteration and exploration of multiple design options.
Throughout the process, we consistently referred to our data for making informed design decisions.
For instance, we took into consideration users like Jay Smith, a reseller who primarily uses the app to stay updated on the latest shoe releases. Given that the current app's primary function is to provide access to these releases, we recognized that making the main page into a 'social media feed' format could potentially frustrate this type of user. It would require them to dig deeper to find the latest drops.
To ensure a seamless user experience without disrupting the app's core functionality, our design team determined it would be best to find alternative placements for the 'feed' and 'profile' sections within the app's layout. This approach accommodated the desired changes while maintaining the app's primary focus.
Mid-fidelity Wireframes
During this phase, the design team and I finalized the layout of most pages in Figma, building upon our initial sketches.
Given more time, we would have further refined these designs and conducted user tests.
The purpose of these designs was to facilitate a collective visualization and evaluation by the team, allowing us to transition from sketches to mid-fidelity representation. As a group, we iterated a few minor things while progressing toward high-fidelity designs.
Style Guide
Our Approach
As our objective was to integrate the new features into the existing Nike SNKRS app, we aimed to maintain consistent branding with slight modifications to align with the app's real-life counterpart.
To expand the color palette, we retained the app's existing colors while introducing orange as an additional color. This addition enhanced the app's visual variety by incorporating an analogous color to red.
For font selection, the team recognized the significance of adhering to the Apple Human Interface Guidelines (AHIG) to ensure consistency with iOS standards. Furthermore, we created iOS top and bottom frames as part of our design system assets within Figma, enabling us to maintain a cohesive design approach throughout the project.
Hi-Fidelity Prototype
Summary
As we proceeded with the prototype, we adhered closely to our style guide, ensuring that it somewhat resembled the existing real-world app, as per the project requirements.
Throughout this stage, the UI designers and I consistently referred to our research, which provided valuable insights and boosted our confidence in building this prototype.
Collectively, the team firmly believes that the final product, if implemented into the real-world app, would generate higher user interactions, expand the user base, and foster increased brand loyalty for Nike.
By addressing the problem statement, we anticipate that these metrics will contribute to cultivating a sense of community within the app, encouraging positive user engagement, and enhancing the overall user experience.
User Testing
The Plan
The team conducted moderated user testing involving a group of 5 individuals, comprising friends, family, and classmates. The testing sessions were conducted either virtually or in person, depending on the participant’s availability.
To encourage exploration, we instructed the users to begin their interaction from the home page and then engage with the profile, feed, and messaging features.
The primary objective of the testing was to identify any pain points, confusion, or issues encountered by the users while using the app. This valuable feedback helped uncover areas for improvement and address any potential usability challenges.
Results
Pros:
One participant knew where the community buttons were right away.
User comment: “Overall, it was easy to navigate and had an organized and helpful layout.”
One participant had a very smooth experience and felt the orange symbol makes sense when viewing one’s collection.
Cons:
A couple of participants were confused when given the task to browse Discover and Community tabs.
One User’s first instinct was to click on the search bar in the right-hand corner.
One participant expressed interest in seeing scrolling.
One participant somewhat struggled to locate and select the User’s Profile.
Suggestions:
One participant suggested categorizing shoes in the collection section, which might make this section easier to navigate.
On the home screen, featured shoes should contain a seamless white background.
Have recent posts at the top of the profile.
Provide a friends list section to find friends more readily.
Conclusion
What Did I Learn?
This project marked my second experience working collaboratively with a team. Building upon my previous project, I aimed to enhance my communication and negotiation skills within this new team dynamic.
As the project manager, I faced the challenge of managing a team in which some members frequently missed class sessions. This setback was particularly significant as each team member held roles primarily centered around UX research and UI design.
To solve this problem, I communicated openly with the team and equally distributed extra tasks among myself and the other team members who were available.
This experience served as a valuable lesson, emphasizing the importance of effective communication, teamwork, meeting deadlines, and more.
Despite the frustrations, the project proved to be fast-paced, challenging, and enjoyable. Collaborating with a new team and operating within the given project constraints provided a clear sense of direction. Ultimately, we felt a great sense of pride in the final result.
What Would I Iterate?
If I were to revisit this project, my primary focus would be improving the accessibility of the app to ensure that individuals with mental and physical disabilities can effectively use it.
Additionally, I would conduct additional user tests specifically targeting certain features. This would allow us to refine the user experience and provide maximum value to the users. Ultimately, these efforts would align with our problem statement to make sure everybody can be a part of the Nike SNKRS community.