Context & Challenge

Runkeeper brings in millions of new users each year, but we were seeing a steady drop in activation. Fewer than a quarter of people were completing their first run, and by week three, most had already dropped off.

The challenge:
How do we help new users get started, and actually stick with it?

Our goal was to find where people were getting stuck early on, and design something that made it easier (and more motivating) to build a running habit in those first few weeks.

Approach & Process

We kicked things off by getting aligned on what success looked like: better activation and stronger engagement from new users. Then we took a closer look at the current experience to figure out where people were dropping off.

🎧 Research & Discovery

We talked to users and dug into past data to see where things were falling off. One thing became really clear, most people joined Runkeeper with a personal goal in mind, but almost no one was setting that goal in the app during their first week.

That felt like a big missed opportunity. If we could help users set a goal right away, we could give them direction, build early momentum, and make it easier to turn that first run into a habit.

So we focused on reworking onboarding to bring goal-setting to the forfront, helping people start faster, stay motivated, and stick with it longer.

Solution

Once we were all aligned on a goal-first approach, we got to work. Through brainstorming and sketching sessions, we came up with three different ways to make goal-setting feel easier and more approachable.

We built prototypes for each concept and tested them with users. The feedback came through quickly and clearly, helping us understand what worked, what didn’t, and which direction had the most potential.

The final design kept things simple. It streamlined onboarding and introduced friendly prompts that helped users set goals that felt doable and motivating right from the start.