Hotspot is a social media app built around the concept of location sharing among ​friends and family. Drawing inspiration from popular platforms like Find My Friends, ​Bereal, and Instagram, Hotspot presents a fresh approach to fostering physical activity ​and community engagement.

Within Hotspot, users have the freedom to select destinations they wish to walk to. ​They can choose from a curated list of recommended stores or explore trending ​hotspots on the map. Once a destination is chosen, the app generates a walking route ​for the user. Upon arrival, users are prompted to capture a selfie, which they can share ​publicly or within their circle of friends.

Each completed trip adds to a location's "hotness," making it visible to other users who ​can explore and view publicly shared pictures from that spot within the last 24 hours. ​Users earn miles for every walk, with opportunities to earn badges for reaching various ​milestones.

Primary Research

Through a series of open-ended questions, we explored various aspects such as participants' exercise routines, hurdles they ​face in maintaining fitness habits, their attitudes towards fitness apps, and their social interactions related to physical activity.

The main aspects of becoming and remaining active for many interviewees came down to the following points:

• Despite not using dedicated fitness apps, participants occasionally relied on wellness apps on their phones to track steps.
  
• Both participants preferred exercising with friends when schedules aligned, but were also comfortable exercising alone ​when necessary.
  
• Planning workouts in advance was a common habit among participants, allowing them to structure their gym sessions ​efficiently.
  
• Social interactions mostly occurred in person between sets, emphasizing the importance of real-time connections during ​workouts.
  
• The data suggests a preference for flexibility and variety in fitness activities rather than a strict schedule that usually ​comes with fitness apps.
  
• Having features that facilitate group fitness activities and provide options for solo workouts could enhance user ​engagement and satisfaction.
  
• Using fitness as a way to foster physical gatherings and social interactions could be a promising avenue for promoting ​active lifestyles.
  

Building off of what we knew from outside research and interviews, we had a solid idea of what features we want to have. We ​made affinity diagrams to organize all of the most crucial bits of information so we can easily reference the reasoning behind ​our design. The team then got to work on sketching and designing the app to work towards a final prototype.

Storyboarding and Sketching

Based on what we learned so far, I made ​a storyboard of a possible user scenario ​with the Hotspot app. I also mapped out ​what the features could look like to ​support the users wants and needs.