Spinning Up the SoulCycle App
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Spinning Up the SoulCycle App |
Locking in the Ride: Boosting Confidence with a Simple Confirmation
Overview
The SoulCycle app serves as a key digital touchpoint for users who want to book classes, track their ride history, and purchase SoulCycle attire. However, I noticed an area where the user experience could be enhanced, particularly in generating new user confidence.
My Role
UX Designer
Goals
Analyze existing app
Identify pain points
Propose a redesign that improves new user confidence
Phase One: Research
Tools
Figma
Pedaling Through the UX Potholes
The impetus for this redesign stemmed from a personal experience while trying to book a SoulCycle class with coworkers.
After selecting a class and choosing our preferred bikes, we noticed a lack of clarity in the app’s interface. There was an easy to miss confirmation prompt to reassure us that our bike selections were secure, which left us feeling uncertain and uneasy. Most of us were looking for an intractable confirmation pop up.
Riding Into User Insights
During my research, I discovered that SoulCycle app users fall into two main categories: seasoned riders and newcomers. From the perspective of new users, a common pain point emerged—uncertainty around whether their selected bike was successfully confirmed. This lack of confirmation led to unease and a diminished user experience.
To further investigate this issue, I conducted a field study with four new users. Each participant echoed the same experience, expressing that they were unsure if their bike selection was secured, reinforcing the need for a clearer confirmation process within the app.
Meet SoulCycle Enthusiast: Emily
Shifting Gears: A look at the Competition
In order to better understand how local competitors operate, I conducted a thorough analysis of both the CycleBar and Barry’s Bootcamp apps. By downloading and interacting with these platforms, I explored their booking and selection processes. A key finding was that both CycleBar and Barry’s require users to confirm their bike/station selection, offering an extra layer of reassurance during the booking process. Analyzing these competitors provided valuable insights into how SoulCycle could improve its user experience by incorporating a similar confirmation step while maintaining its high-end design aesthetic.
From Sign-Up to Spin: Emily's App User Flow
Emily begins her journey by opening the SoulCycle app and selecting "Find a class." She navigates through options such as class times, instructors, and locations, ensuring they meet her preferences. Once she selects a class, Emily proceeds to reserve her spot and choose her bike. However, Emily encounters a key pain point—there’s no confirmation that her bike has been securely reserved, leaving her unsure if her selection was successful. This uncertainty interrupts her smooth booking experience.
Phase Two: Design
Design Solution: Enhancing Confidence with Simplicity
After conducting thorough research, it became clear that users primarily needed one simple solution: a clear confirmation that their bike selection was secured. To address this, I streamlined the design process by skipping low-fidelity wireframes, as the solution was straightforward. This approach allowed for faster execution, focusing on adding a confirmation step that would enhance user confidence and improve the overall experience without complicating the design.
Wheels in Motion: The Wireframes
Phase Three: Re-Test?
The Perfect Palette: UI Design in Motion
In the UI design, I continued with the established SoulCycle color palette for consistency and brand alignment. The vibrant yellow (#FEE000), a signature color throughout the app, was used to maintain brand recognition and energy. For the confirmation pop-up message, I utilized the existing blue (#0D52E3), carried over from the drop-down confirmation, to ensure visual clarity and a sense of trust. Helvetica, the primary font used in the app, was kept throughout the design to maintain a clean, modern, and familiar user experience, staying true to SoulCycle’s aesthetic.
No Post-Redesign Usability Testing
Due to the simplicity of the solution and the direct nature of the user feedback, I chose not to conduct usability testing after finalizing the redesign. The primary issue—lack in confidence for bike selection—was well-defined through initial research, and the straightforward addition of a confirmation step directly addressed the users' pain points. Given the clarity of the solution and the minimal changes required, further testing was deemed unnecessary at this stage. However, usability testing could be considered in future iterations to refine the overall experience for any additional issues.
