The above screens show the first time user experience using Spring, a step tracking/music playing app for iOS.
The good bits:
- Spring does not require an account in order to use it. Instead, it is built around the free samples pattern in that it provides limited functionality (tracking workouts but without the ability to save them) and limited time (600 free minutes). The notification of receiving 600 free minutes as a new user also builds in an early success.
- Spring has one of the better examples of an intro tour. There is a clear skip action on every screen. There is a helpful breakdown of the main value proposition and key product features, along with screenshots (instead of abstract imagery). Finally, the intro tour provides information on why a user would want to create an account on the lighthearted suggestion screen at the end of the tour.
- After the intro tour, the app allows the user to interactively discover their exercise rhythm via a brief physical test. More details on this in the “to be improved” section.
- The app also uses a mild form of a setup wizard. There are 3 main steps required to set up the user’s personalized music list: selecting an exercise type, selecting a rhythm appropriate to the exercise, and selecting the location of the exercise. These steps are extremely concise and written in a friendly, clear tone. The end state is a list of artists that the user can review and change. It’s also clear what the final step is: start exercising.
To be improved:
- Spring teeters on using too many different patterns for its first time experience. In some places users may feel bounced around.
- The two instances of coachmarks feel most out of place. While the rest of the onboarding flow is structured around getting someone to set up his first workout, the coachmarks interrupt by pointing out elements that could have been handled otherwise. For the menu icon and the start button, why not simply integrate the text labels onto the screen? And for the like/don’t like/refresh music controls, I might argue that those quickly become self-evident.
- While the idea of having a rhythm analysis as part of the setup flow is great, the way it works may be confusing. First, I will have to admit that I did not fully read the rhythm analysis screen (I simply skimmed, saw the first line about “walk at a steady pace”, and assumed the app would track my steps using the iPhone’s motion sensor). When simply walking failed, I read the instructions again and used the appropriate finger tapping method. Unfortunately, that again failed for reasons unknown. The app should stress-test this portion a bit more and consider removing the need for the user to do two activities at once. It’s possible that it may lead to an incorrect analysis.