C A N N O N D A L E A P P
Team Members:
Eve DeAngelis, Danika Landers, Vince Crossley
tl;dr
The Cannondale app experience has historically been centered around the “wheel sensor” (a device for Cannondale bikes that automatically records the distance and time of every ride via the wheel’s rotation). Frequent firmware updates, iOS limitations, and UX assumptions made the experience unreliable and frustrating for users. This new version of the app allows users to record rides with a simple start and stop button. In other words, there’s no wheel sensor required. This new feature gives our users a more predictable experience with complete control of when their rides start and end, which was not possible solely with the sensor alone. Since its launch in August of 2021, the Cannondale app’s rating has increased from 2.1 stars to 4.6.
The Problem
Disjointed relationship between hardware and app:
Rides captured by the wheel sensor alone required the app to be running in the background.
With no app interaction required in order to begin recording a ride, there was no reason for the user to understand and meet this requirement
Assumptions instead of user input:
Capturing rides with the wheel sensor alone also required the design and engineering team to make assumptions about when a user wanted to start or end a ride. ‘
For example, we made an assumption that if a user’s wheel had stopped spinning for 10 minutes or more they had finished a ride.
Sensor issues and poor data:
The sensor could easily be disconnected during a ride due to conflicts with the firmware’s ecosystem. This understandably led to poor data and user frustration
Non-Inclusive to all Cannondale owners:
Because the app experience hinged upon the wheel sensor, users with older Cannondale bikes, or users who simply did not have a wheel sensor were excluded from the experience
Research
In order to better understand a user’s experience with our app, I wanted to understand where pain points were occurring along the journey. I began by auditing feedback via our app store reviews and CX anecdotal evidence. I then plotted this feedback in the form of direct quotes along the user’s journey. Another important step in my research process was to conduct competitive analysis of similar fitness tracking apps. Direct user feedback and an audit of other apps in our arena helped to inform our goals for this feature.
goals
More symbiotic relationship between hardware and app:
Ride data should be supported by the always-on wheel sensor, rather than rely on it.
This device can also serve as a backup method of recording a ride (rather than a primary method) when, for example, your phone dies or your forget to press “start”
Let the user control what makes one ride:
By manually staring and stopping a ride, the user knows exactly when the ride starts and ends.
We no longer want to make assumptions on what the users wants to consider a single ride.
By doing this, we also aimed to eliminate the confusion when a user stops riding for greater than 10 minutes— causing their ride to reset
Eliminate sensor issues and improve data:
Firmware update that eliminates the bug in which a sensor can disconnect mid-ride while also addressing issues and conflicts with other hardware ecosystem.
This feature is also a great opportunity to transition to FIT file — allowing users to sync their ride data with apps like Strava
Grow the Cannondale Community
Eliminating the need for a wheel sensor allows Cannondale riders without the device to have a great in-app experience
before:
AFTER (ITERATION 1)
In the first iteration of the start-stop design feature, we used buttons containing symbols to communicate how to start, resume, pause, and stop rides. When internal users tested this version of the design, we found they were confused by what the buttons meant. A common piece of feedback we received was that they assumed we integrated music into the app with this feature release — meaning that they thought the play button would trigger music to play. This was a clear signal to rethink the ride screen’s UI to more clearly communicate the buttons’ functionality.
Final RIDE TRACKING user interface
Check out the final flow using this prototype. Since the launch of this feature in August of 2021, the Cannondale ratings in the Apple App Store have increased from 2.1 to 4.6 stars.
two ways to record a ride
Finally, we incorporated a persistent message with an informational modal, to help teach legacy users about the change in functionality.
1. With your phone
Use your phone’s GPS and the new “Start/End Ride” button to map your ride and get complete control over when it starts and ends. You can track rides on any bike.
2. With your wheel sensor
Automatically track your rides with the Cannondale Wheel sensor. Just ride and sync with your app later.
DeSIGN SYSTEM
Before moving on from my job at Cannondale, I took the time to re-design and organize our mobile app’s design system. My goal was to crystalize the work that I’d done during my time there, while setting up the designers and developers for success who would inevitably rely on these assets well after I was gone.