We transformed the CrossFit Games app from a seasonal hub into a daily experience with a new Activity Feed centered on WODs and community content. The redesign boosted engagement, retention, and time in-app; setting the stage for personalized, year-round experiences.
Role:
Product Designer
Project Focus:
New App Home Feed
Duration:
2 weeks
Background
Evolving the CrossFit Games App to the CrossFit App
The CrossFit Games app had historically centered around competition season, with engagement dropping sharply afterward. To build lasting value, we began redesigning the app to support CrossFit’s long-term vision: uniting content, community, and daily training into one mobile-first experience.
Problem to Solve
Seasonal App with Limited Brand Value
Outside of the Games season, users found little reason to open the app. With declining web traffic and no mobile-first way to engage daily, CrossFit lacked the digital touch-points needed to build consistent user habits and long-term retention.
Measures of Success
Make the mobile app valuable 365 days a year.
We defined success through measurable increases in engagement and retention.
Outcomes
Stronger Engagement and Retention
Weekly comments on WODs rose +47% post-launch
Time spent in-app during the Games increased +40%
Non-competition time in-app grew 3X (a 200% increase)
Cross-Functional Team Alignment
Design, Product and Engineering Moving Fast Together
We partnered closely with product, content, and engineering teams to deliver an MVP that balanced ambition with feasibility. Shared priorities like fast iteration, CMS-driven flexibility, and reuse of existing UI, helped us move quickly without compromising quality.
Aligning on Contraints
Designing Within a Lightweight CMS Framework
To meet deadlines, and test the feed before a larger tech investment, the new feed leveraged existing CMS fields and UI patterns. This meant no new authoring tools or interactive features at launch; only feed templates and card types that could be supported by current infrastructure.
Iterations & Feedback
Prioritizing speed, clarity, and alignment
With just a two-week turnaround from concept to spec handoff, the design process prioritized speed, clarity, and alignment. We leaned heavily on frequent design critiques and stakeholder reviews to make quick, informed decisions within tight technical constraints. Early iterations focused on transforming the horizontal Games-only feed into a vertical, scrollable Activity Feed, ultimately improving discoverability and hierarchy while ensuring WODs remained the anchor for daily engagement.
Edge Cases & Seasonal Flexibility
Supporting Games Audience at Peak Season Demand
While the redesign focused on year-round engagement, it was critical to maintain a seamless experience during the CrossFit Games — the app’s highest-traffic period and our launch deadline.
I designed a flexible, CMS-driven banner at the top of the home feed, providing a clear path to leaderboards, livestreams, and event updates.
Outcome: During the Games, 50% of users interacted with the banner, validating its effectiveness without disrupting the feed experience.
Outcomes
Stronger Engagement and Retention
Weekly comments on WODs rose +47% post-launch
Time spent in-app during the Games increased +40%
Non-competition time in-app grew 3× (a 200% increase)
These results validated the Activity Feed as a successful first step toward CrossFit’s 365-day engagement strategy.
What's Next for the CrossFit App?
Armed with insights on the content users engage with most, particularly daily workouts, the next phase is to move the Activity Feed out of the CMS and onto a scalable, social platform.
