Garmin LiveTrack
Category
Product Design
User Research
UX Strategy
Date
January 2018 - April 2018
Problem
Garmin sponsored a re-design project for our Experience Studio course at Purdue University. Our team was given the task to redesign the LiveTrack feature within the Garmin mobile app, Garmin Connect.
The existing mobile app's LiveTrack page lacked visual appeal, was difficult to find, and failed to communicate LiveTrack's purpose effectively.
Solution
We created a modern onboarding experience that visualized how to use LiveTrack and described its purpose. We also moved the LiveTrack feature to a location that is much easier to find, allowing new users to more quickly become familiar with LiveTrack.
My Role
UX Designer
My role as UX Designer was to iteratively wireframe potential solutions, conduct online research, prepare research protocols, and provide assistance for any interviews with users. For each phase of research, I was heavily involved in the design and planning.
For user interviews, there were times that I led the interview, and other times where I would assist another UX Designer by taking notes and observing the interview.
What Is LiveTrack?
Garmin LiveTrack is a feature within Garmin's mobile app, Garmin Connect, that allows users to share their location and exercise data with friends and family by sharing a link.
Heuristic Evaluation
GOALS
Better familiarize ourselves with the product
Identify issues and pain points within the interface
TAKEAWAYS
Help Menu has no information architecture, and it contains too much text
There is no clear distinction between LiveTrack and GroupTrack
LiveTrack page design is too minimal and leaves out relevant information
Users have to remember from page to page who they are sharing with
Competitive Analysis
GOAL
To gather information on how similar applications carry out their tracking function
TAKEAWAYS
A common method to familiarize new users with their LiveTrack features is through onboarding
Many fitness apps provide simple methods to sharing locations and ride data
Certain fitness apps allow users to view shared information and location data within the app, which simplifies the sharing experience
Survey
GOALS
Gain insight into how many Garmin device users are familiar with LiveTrack or not
Better understand why people choose to use LiveTrack
TAKEAWAYS
Only 13% of 246 Garmin-using respondents have used LiveTrack
Garmin device users who use LiveTrack primarily use the feature for events and safety
Most users who were aware of LiveTrack but never used it stated their reason for not using it was because they didn't have a need for it
User Interviews
GOALS
Verify the results gathered from our survey
Gain insight into why some Garmin users choose to use LiveTrack and why some do not
TAKEAWAYS
LiveTrack was discovered by word of mouth for most Garmin users
Garmin Connect users tend to open the app once a day, usually in the evening to sync their data
Users primarily use Garmin Connect to track their activity data
Garmin users that don't use LiveTrack don't use LiveTrack because they feel nobody they know want to receive LiveTrack information
Personas
During our interviews, our team identified that there were three user groups that each had their own motivations. We decided to use personas to help identify these groups and align their motivations with their behaviors.
Persona #1: Monica Reyes
Female, 27 years old
Uses Garmin Connect
Uses LiveTrack
"I like how LiveTrack connects me with family and friends. They can cheer me on and know I am safe."
Persona #2: Callum Turner
Male, 32 years old
Uses Garmin Connect
Does not use LiveTrack
"I know what LiveTrack is, but I don’t think anyone cares to know where I am when exercising."
Persona #3: Angela Roberts
Female, 35 years old
Uses Garmin Connect
Does not use LiveTrack
"I have heard about LiveTrack from my running club. I don’t use it because I don’t want to carry my phone during my run."
Prototype: Discovery
Our survey results revealed that 51% of our respondents have not seen or heard of LiveTrack. We recommend that LiveTrack be placed in a high-traffic area of Garmin Connect, such as the My Day page.
Prototype: Incentive
Our interviews revealed that users simply do not have a reason to use LiveTrack. In order to establish an incentive for users to use LiveTrack, we implemented a way for users to engage in group interactions while sharing their LiveTrack data.
Prototype: Comprehension
Our heuristic analysis revealed that Garmin Connect's Help Menu is difficult to understand and cluttered with text. We recommend the implementation of an onboarding experience to help users understand what LiveTrack is and how they can use it.
Prototype: Video Advertisement
This is a video we created to show how LiveTrack's new redesign works. The video visualizes the process of sending and receiving a LiveTrack session. Information about the new features and the onboarding process are also included in the video.
