Multisport GPS Watch
Embedded display UX/UI design
In 2020, Wahoo launched its first multisport GPS watch, ELEMNT RIVAL.
We sought to bring the simplicity and ease of use successes of Wahoo’s bike computers to triathlon, running, gym workouts, and more.
I joined Wahoo in 2017 and started working on ELEMNT RIVAL, under the Head of Design. I was promoted to Head of Product Design upon its release.
He created the vision for the product and defined it, and entrusted me with the following features.
What follows is a selection of pieces I designed under his direction.
For reference, I also wrote a Medium article explaining the design ethos behind ELEMNT RIVAL. It represents the sum of his efforts and mine. Designing ELEMNT RIVAL
ELEMNT RIVAL was different from our bike computers in many ways, but mainly that it was worn all day (and mostly not while working out).
I designed these four watchface options and ten widgets. Each face can be customized with 0-3 widgets and a chosen tint color.
Another important function of modern watches is displaying notifications from the phone, as well as system notifications.
I designed notification previews (half-screen during workouts as to not obscure workout data, fullscreen out of workout) and a method for users to read and clear notifications.
Workouts can be divided into laps: either manually or automatically based on time or distance.
I designed this popup, which appears upon completion of a lap to inform the user of a few key metrics of that lap. Those metrics are determined dynamically, depending on the workout type (running vs
cycling) and sensors connected.
I also designed this lap list, which is a workout page and is added to the page stack after the first lap (so it never appears for users who don’t care for lapping). It’s a scrollable record of all the previous laps.
During pre-launch user testing, we received feedback that some users were having trouble seeing the workout data fields.
We had no room on our workout pages to spare: we were using every pixel possible to get the font size as large as possible.
We created a new mode that users could choose to enable that hides data field titles when they’re not needed, which allows the data field content itself to grow in size. (Data field titles appear again when cycling through pages, after unpausing, and more.) This mode may not be the most visually appealing, but it’s not meant to be. It’s functional; solves a problem.
Data field titles visible
Data field titles hidden
With a few developers during a hackathon, I designed a small feature which allows the user to control audio playing on their iPhone.
It lists the app name, track name, artist, and progression through the track. The user can pause, resume, progress to the next track, and adjust volume.
For the launch of RIVAL, we needed to add features to the companion app, which previously had only served bike computers.
As the ELEMNT companion app now housed many workout types aside from cycling (running, triathlon, gym, swimming, etc), the ability to sort and filter workouts is an important tool for analysis.
A user may sort by workout type, device, and date range.
Shortly after the release of ELEMNT RIVAL, I was promoted to Head of Product Design. I was then responsible for ELEMNT RIVAL and its companion app (in addition to all other hardware at Wahoo and a second companion app for other uses).
I then set direction and design features at a high level, then pass them to a fantastic junior designer (whom I managed and mentored) for detailed design.
For the next two+ years, I defined these features, then directed the efforts of a junior designer to see them through to completion and implementation.
- Planned workouts: directing a user through a formal structured workout.
- A significant expansion to an athlete’s analytics in the companion app
- Track running: A specialized workout profile which allows the user to snap lap distances to multiples of 100m.
- Race running: A specialized workout profile for racing which allows the user to snap recorded distances to on-course mile markers.
- Find my phone (from RIVAL) and find my watch (from the phone) to help the user locate each device from the other.
- Work/Rest: A very easy-to-use in-workout timer.
- HEADWIND integration: Controlling Wahoo’s smart fan from RIVAL during indoor workouts.
- A visual refresh of the watch to improve legibility and better match the evolving brand.