Sprintimer

May 2022 – June 2022

My Role: Brand Strategy, UX, Visual Design, User Research

Project Vision

Sprintimer is an activity app designed for sprint training. It was created to help runners track their runs in greater detail. The user sets their preferred distance or time and the app alerts them with a starting pistol at the start and tracks run time, reaction time, speed, steps, and calories burned.

Challenge: Sprinters need coaches to time their runs or they need to set up complicated camera systems to get accurate times when training alone.

Solution: Sprintimer is an app that uses a smartphone’s gyroscope and GPS to accurately time runs from short sprints to long distances to make solo training more enjoyable.

Why Sprintimer?

There are a lot of great running apps on the market right now, but few are designed with sprinters in mind. Popular apps don’t track short distances at all, leaving sprinters training alone with few solutions. Also, other apps calculate calories burned only by distance and time, which doesn’t accurately represent how much energy is exerted during a sprint.

Sprintimer was designed to be operated on the user’s arm or in their hand. It gives them an audible countdown and starting chime to begin the run and automatically tracks the user’s speed until the desired distance or time is passed.

User Cases

I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I’m designing for and their needs. The primary user group was sprinters training for competition. A secondary user group identified were active individuals who want to incorporate sprint training into their exercise routine.

Initial research revealed that users wanted large buttons, an easy way to select distances and times, and automated controls so they can train alone.

User Journey

Set Run Details → Run → Log Runs

Pain Points

Accuracy: Other running apps are designed only for long distances and are useless for sprinting.
Logs: Users want to keep track of progress and personal records.
Education: Users want to get tips on running techniques and how to use the app.

Competitive Audit

	Runkeeper	Nike Run Club	Photo Finish	Sprintimer
Designed for sprinters			●	●
Single device tracking	●	●		●
Automatic timing				●
Built-in coaching				●

Wireframes

Key Challenge

In developing the app, accurately tracking calories burned during sprints posed a unique challenge. Traditional methods rely on time-based calculations, but sprinting requires a more nuanced approach since faster runs burn more calories in less time. To address this, I developed a custom formula with the assistance of ChatGPT. The chart below was used to validate the formula’s accuracy, ensuring precise tracking for sprinters.

Usability Study Findings

I conducted two rounds of usability studies with runners. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.

Round 1

Users wanted more options for chimes at the start and end of runs

Round 2

Users wanted audible alerts every second
Users wanted higher contrast colors to see app in the sunlight

Solution

Custom Sprint Distances: Set sprint distances in either metric or imperial units, catering to both preferences and training styles.

Hands-Free Operation: Press “Start” to begin the sprint, and the app handles everything from the countdown to real-time tracking, ensuring uninterrupted training..

Audible Start Prompts: Receive an “On your mark, get set, go” prompt through the app with customizable voice options or sounds like a starting pistol or chime, simulating a real race start.

Accurate Metrics: Sprintimer uses your phone’s gyroscope and GPS to measure sprint time, reaction time, top speed, number of steps, and calories burned.

Progress Tracking: Keep detailed logs of each run, including personal bests and performance rankings, so you can track improvements over time.

Solo Training Support: Perfect for solo athletes, Sprintimer tracks all performance data automatically without the need for a coach or extra equipment.

Coach Feature: The app includes a built-in training program that provides sprinting tips, proper techniques, and guidance on how to make the most of the app.

Prototype

An interactive prototype was created, allowing users to select custom sprint distances, track performance metrics, and access the coach feature. Check out the Figma prototype below:

Branding

Sprintimer’s brand colors are inspired by Olympic timing clocks, using bold shades of yellow and black for high contrast and visibility. Clean, modern typography ensures legibility during active use, while large buttons and simple logos focus on ease of use and precision, aligning with the app’s core purpose of enhancing sprint performance.

Takeaways

As an active individual who enjoys both running and data visualization, designing Sprintimer was especially fun. I got to get outside on the track and see how athletes interact with the product firsthand. Working on the app taught me how to conduct user research in the field and incorporate feedback throughout the iteration process.