Product Design Case Study by Sean Berger
As design lead, I partnered with the product owner to execute Garmin’s vision for a fresh redesign of the existing map feature. Together we defined requirements and iterated on design ideas. I collaborated with teammates in design to define new design standards. I partnered with engineering team members to ensure proposed ideas were technically feasible.
My Contributions
Garmin Connect is a fitness app that helps runners and cyclists with performance training. The map feature allows these athletes to map upcoming workouts and sync directly with a Garmin wearable or bike computer.
“As a runner, I need to plot a 12-mile run in my neighborhood. I want my Garmin watch to navigate so I can enjoy my workout and music playlist.”
| Age | Occupation | Sport | Motivations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | High School Math Teacher | Running | To PR in an upcoming marathon |
“As a cyclist, I want an app that recommends safe locations to ride in my city. I need a product that syncs with my Garmin bike computer.”
| Age | Occupation | Sport | Motivations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Software Engineer | Road Cycling | Social connection with her riding group |
“As a mountain biker, I want to find popular trails to ride while vacationing near Portland.”
| Age | Occupation | Sport | Motivations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Illustrator | Mountain Biking | Physical activity, escape from the office |
This was an important exercise that allowed me to identify design patterns that might be familiar to users. Early design iterations accounted for many of the required features, both existing and new.
This data allows athletes to explore popular areas for specific activities. Pictured are two of the many colors we considered in exploration.
Garmin Connect designers and engineers make up a department greater than 250 full-time employees in the United States. Once the redesign was released, my contributions were individually recognized by the department director and management team – my design work was awarded best individual contribution of the fiscal quarter.
I learned what it meant to mature and excel as a contributor for the team. I cared about the final outcome of our efforts. I matured as a leader – I scheduled meetings, partnered with the team to draft requirements, organized design discussions and revised designs when front-end engineers provided collaborative input.
I wrote HTML, CSS and Javascript for this project to illustrate visual design and interactions directly in the browser. My prototype was then leveraged by the engineering team for integration into Garmin’s production codebase. If you'd like to interact with the map first-hand, here’s a link to my prototype.
I partner with clients to create intuitive design that exceeds expectations. Let's work together to meet your business objectives and ship something that makes your users happy. Message me on LinkedIn to take the first step.