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2025

UNT REC SPORTS

MOBILE APP UX/UI OVERHAUL

As UNT invests in the physical facilities of the Rec Center through ongoing renovations, the department's digital infrastructure has been left behind.

To truly deliver a "modern workout experience," the digital and physical must move in lockstep. Now is the time to bridge that gap, ensuring the app is as streamlined and high-performing as the newly renovated facilities it supports.

THE PROBLEM

UNT students and faculty struggle to efficiently access fitness and wellness resources. The current Rec Sports app is cluttered and unintuitive, causing frustration and low engagement.

The goal is to create a seamless digital experience that complements the newly renovated Rec Center and makes wellness resources easy to find and use.

DISCOVER

AUDIENCE​

  • ​Through digital and physical flyers, I gathered 60 UNT Students and Staff who have used the Recreation Center at least once.

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Targeted users include

UNT Students

UNT Faculty

Alumni

CURRENT UX AUDIT

I conducted a personal audit, as well as a quick informal user audit in the survey.​​

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I asked users to navigate to the main function of the app- the digital ID.​

21%

of users found it immediately (1-3 seconds)

43%

took 4-7 seconds, which is acceptable, but displays some difficulty

36%

took 8 seconds or longer

"Navigate To The Digital ID" (From Survey)
How Long It Took (in seconds)

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ORIGINAL DESIGN AUDIT

USER SURVEYS - KEY INSIGHTS

The app is unused and unknown, even by heavy Rec Center users:

61% of users visit the rec center at least once a week​​ have never heard of the app.

The three most important functions any gym app can have:

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  • Digital ID (90)​

  • Fitness/Check in tracking (55)

  • Finding groups, establishing niche communities (33)

Most users will download the app for one main function:

57% of users go to the rec center solely for personal workouts​

  • This means that these users only have one touchpoint: checking in​

76% of the current app users use it only for the digital ID feature

APP HIERARCHY-

  • ​Based on needs (Digital ID) and wants (more community-building functions) of the users, I put together a table of hierarchy to organize all of the features of the app:

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"How often do you use the Rec Sports app?" (From Survey)
Responses (in percentages)

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"What do you primarily use the application for? If Applicable" (From Survey)
Responses (in percentages)

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DEFINE

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LOW FIDELITY PROTOTYPING

Sketching low-fidelity wirefames is one of my favorite ways to ensure a smooth user flow. It helps me remain conscious of how to keep the design simple and intuitive.

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DECISIONS MADE

  • The addition of a bottom navigation bar in order to separate main pages: Home, Explore, Saved/Calendar, and Groups. 

    • These pages cover all of the categories that the users find to be most important, and preserving and reorganizing vital information that the original app had.​

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  • Interactive elements to feel intuitive, and to delight users:

    • A digital ID that resembles an actual student ID. The component has the ability to flip and reveal the scannable barcode in order to enter the recreation center.

    • Weekly calendar that logs your saves, check-ins, and personal fitness progress

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  • Building some resources into the site

    • Information such as the gym's address, phone number, and email do not need to be linked to the UNT website, they can be built directly into the app for simple experiences with as little backtracking as possible. ​

(current flow is [Rec Center Hours] > External Link > [Rec Center Hours PDF])

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DESIGN

HOME SCREEN
Built with user needs in mind.

EXPLORE
To highlight and educate about the community-building offerings of the Rec Center.

GROUPS
To add a community-building element that users have been asking for.

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+PERSONAL CALENDAR
To empower users, transforming the app into a personal health assistant.

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WORKING PROTOTYPE
Tap around and explore the new-and-improved Rec Sports app!

DELIVER

VALIDATE

  • I created a pitch deck and presented the redesign to the Assistant Dean, formerly the Senior IT Support Manager at UNT. He connected me with the app's development team, which happened to be an external vendor, and I delivered the prototype for technical evaluation and potential implementation.

This project allowed me to tackle real campus challenges one user flow at a time. It became a valuable learning experience in designing for real-world constraints, building production-ready prototypes, and pushing beyond my comfort zone.

 

Most importantly, it reinforced my passion for solving meaningful problems and improving user experiences at every touchpoint.

© 2026 NATASHA STURDEVANT

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