Gilbert Rogers

Case Study

Solid GPS Redesign

Overview

Solid GPS is a physical tracker and companion app designed to help motorcycle owners locate their bikes in real-time and protect against theft. 

​While the product offers essential security features, the app's user experience is inconsistent, difficult to navigate, and lacks critical responsiveness during high-stress situations like theft events.

Approach

For this redesign, I evaluated the Solid GPS app using heuristic analysis, competitive benchmarking, and journey mapping. I focused on the user experience surrounding app navigation, brand trust, and users feeling secure with their tracker.

Research Objectives:

  • Investigate information architecture and app navigation.

  • Review effectiveness of both watchdog and emergency mode.


  • Understand the affect that advertisements have on users while navigating the SolidGPS app.

Business Outcomes:

  • Simplify key tasks (like like navigation or emergency mode), users are more likely to understand and trust the product early, reducing app abandonment rates.


  • A more intuitive UI and clearer status indicators reduce user confusion, which in turn lowers the number of customer support tickets, especially around setup and alert handling.


  • Create a reliable, premium feel to the Solid GPS brand.

Usability Testing

We interviewed and tested 5 Solid GPS users to gain an understanding of their experience using both the Solid GPS tracker and companion app. 

The usability test incorporated onboarding, setting up device connectivity, navigating the application to find tracking information, and using the app settings to change how this information might be displayed.

What did we learn?

Lack of Trust

The app is interspersed with pages that advertise other products from Solid GPS - this leaves users with the feeling that their new tracker is a bit disingenuous.

Feeling Insecure

Users found the notification system to be lacking, as it is only email by default. No push notifications, and SMS notifications for an extra cost leaves them feeling that their bike isn't as secure as it could be.

Difficult to Navigate

The users we talked to found many of the settings were not where they expected. This was especially true when it came to settings related to the map, or sharing their location with a friend.

Task Flows

By investigating the flows users need to go through in order to complete certain tasks, we were able to break down their tasks to a granular level, and really focus on where their pain points were in their path.

Comparative Analysis

To understand how Solid GPS stacks up against competing motorcycle tracker apps in terms of features, usability, and overall experience, we did a comparative analysis against 4 other products.

Outcome

Outcome

Our research led us to the conclusion that Solid GPS users struggle with locating key features, experience confusion during high-stress situations, and lack confidence in the interface. Navigation feels unintuitive. Emergency functions aren’t clearly prioritized. Visual clutter makes it harder to focus on urgent tasks.

How might we redesign the app to improve clarity, streamline navigation, and support quick decision-making in critical moments?

Thanks for reading!

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