FireTeam Site Design
Mobile and desktop site design for a veteran-focused fitness startup
Gathering Information
Survey
We surveyed 408 veterans to get their opinions on teams, friendships, and the bonds they share with those they served with.
Key findings:
Respondents keep in touch with people they served with about once a week on average
Overall, respondents rated mental and emotional health as more important than physical health
Identified trust and commitment as the most important factors for successful teams
Respondents preferred direct wording about mental health over euphemisms like "mind, body, spirit"
Persona
Our persona Danny Mendez exemplifies the target user for the FireTeam app: a veteran looking to keep in touch with his former unit while also gaining support and motivation to focus on physical fitness. Danny is a US Army Veteran and school teacher, entered the service at age 19 and returned to civilian life two years ago.
Competitor Analysis
Our team performed SWOT analyses on four key competitors to get a feel for the market FireTeam would be entering and to identify a niche where we could offer something unique.
The competition in the fitness business is fierce with outstanding fitness companies, products, and 36,000 apps.
If FireTeam was a general fitness company, then a startup would be a difficult challenge.
The opportunity we identified:
For 18+ million vets, there is a need for a company that delivers vet-trusted, holistic health, and community building outcomes.
Ideation
Inspiration moodboard on visual direction for the FireTeam site
Moodboard
After gaining valuable feedback from survey responses, the next step was to decide what the best solution was to fit the needs of the project.
Key activities:
Decided what sort of site to create and how complex it would be
Brainstormed with moodboards and color palettes
Chose an initial design direction
Reconsidered direction when user testing exposed problems
Design Process
Wireframes
We created low, mid, and high fidelity wireframes for both desktop and mobile, adjusting each iteration according to stakeholder feedback. The final high fidelity wireframe was used to create our prototype.
User Testing
Conducted A/B testing to discern user preferences, especially for visual design choices
Conducted user flow testing to find problem spots, then corrected them
All tests conducted remotely
UI Design
We designed all wireframes and the final prototype in Adobe XD
We chose a visual style that exuded strength without making the look overly masculine, aimed at an audience of any gender
Results in A/B testing showed a strong preference for military images over non-military, as well as for close-up and emotional images over distant or abstract
We designed the site for both desktop and mobile
Prototype Walkthrough
note: video is without audio
Awards
FireTeam won the 2020 Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition (using our site design)
The top winner receives a grand prize of $15,000, a seat in the newly founded Company-in-Residence program, a three month membership at Capital Factory, access to the LeanStack.com tools and a personalized coaching session with the creator of the Lean Canvas, Ash Maurya plus $5,000 in Amazon Web Services Credits valid for two years; one year of AWS Business Support (up to $1,500) and 80 credits for Self-Paced Labs.