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A beta-stage disc golf app gets a fresh perspective through a strategic UX audit focused on accessibility, usability, and growth.
I met the founder of Pure’d at a disc golf convention while he demoed his new app, designed to help players connect and schedule rounds. As he walked us through the features, I noticed a few areas where the user experience could be tightened, particularly around accessibility and usability. I offered to conduct a quick UX audit and share my feedback, a professional gesture driven by mutual enthusiasm for the product’s growth. The app launched in beta and was live in the App Store. After our conversation, I took additional time to thoroughly explore the app to ensure my feedback was well-informed and actionable. The goal was to identify key friction points and opportunities to improve the overall experience.
Since I wasn’t part of the original design process, I approached this as a top-level heuristic review. I walked through key user flows such as sign-up, profile setup, connecting with other players, and scheduling games. My focus was on usability, inclusivity, and interface consistency. I compiled my findings into a structured email, offering context, rationale, and actionable suggestions for each issue.
To make the feedback clear and implementable, I categorized each suggestion by user experience theme and included rationale for each recommendation. The following section outlines the most impactful recommendations and the founder’s direct responses.
On the preference screen during sign-up, users can only determine if a field is required by clicking into it. This lack of clarity can create friction and delay the onboarding process.
Enhance the sign-up experience by clearly distinguishing required from optional information. Group “required details” at the top of the form, and place “optional” fields below. When requesting necessary details, include a brief explanation to help users understand why the information is needed. This approach promotes transparency and helps users quickly assess the time and information commitment during setup, supporting a smoother, more user-friendly onboarding experience.
“I like the idea of calling out required fields and supporting those fields with an explanation.”
User location is currently determined by the “home course” address, which can be misleading for connecting locally.
In the Connect section, I observed that the location of the player is labeled as the "home course" address. What if this showcases the user's city or town instead? This modification could streamline local connections by allowing users to connect based on their physical proximity rather than a specific course, enriching the potential for meaningful interactions.
“This is one of the biggest pain points being addressed. I intended to have the user’s Zip Code, entered during onboarding, determine their City/State and distance from rounds. Not sure what happened, but the zip code field doesn’t serve a function, and as you noticed, it uses the ‘Home Course’ for user's location, which is problematic. The solution will likely involve selecting your Country, City, & State during onboarding.”
Current age verification is insufficient, risking underage users and inaccurate demographic data.
Elevate security measures by incorporating a Date of Birth (DOB) or, at a minimum, the birth year during the sign-up process. This not only ensures the safety of minors using the app but also provides valuable insights into the diverse age groups engaging with your platform.
“This is a great call. Apple’s App Store defaulted Pure’d to ‘4+’, which is much too low. We’ll be bumping the age rating in the stores, and verifying age during onboarding is wise.”
Gender options are limited to Male/Female, excluding nonbinary users and skewing demographics.
Would you consider adding a nonbinary option for gender selection? This not only respects individuals outside the Male/Female spectrum but also enhances your ability to accurately track user demographics. Furthermore, introducing this option may contribute to a decrease in instances of users selecting "prefer not to say" due to the absence of a suitable choice. It's a small yet impactful step towards a more inclusive and informative app experience.
“I’m for it. Thanks for bringing the ‘non-binary’ option to my attention!”
Skill levels lack explanation, which may confuse new or casual players.
Including brief explanations for each skill level would be particularly beneficial for newcomers or casual players who may not have a rating yet. This thoughtful addition not only aids them in understanding the skill levels but also ensures a welcoming and supportive environment for users at all experience levels.
“Good call. I think this could be accomplished when addressing the improvements to onboarding.”
No clear feedback confirms to users when connection requests or messages are sent.
It would greatly enhance user experience if, when sending a "connect" message, there was a clear indicator confirming the successful delivery of the request. Likewise, for messages, a prompt stating that the message has been sent would offer users immediate assurance and clarity of their communication efforts.
“I like this improvement a lot. There are many messengers I can pull inspiration from.”
“Delete account” and “logout” buttons lack clear color distinction, risking user errors.
Employ a red color exclusively for the "delete account" option, highlighting its irreversible nature. For the "logout" action, opt for a distinct color that complements the screen's aesthetics, ensuring a clear visual hierarchy and user-friendly design.
“Using colors to establish visual hierarchy was considered but I didn’t think about using color to communicate possible actions or the permanence of an action - this is great.”
Notifications for accepted game times are hard to locate, causing user confusion.
Is there a notification feature for accepted game times? I observed that when I create a game time, it appears under "my rounds." However, when I asked Jeff to check, he had to search through notifications or messages. This could be cumbersome, especially with numerous notifications. Having a direct reminder feature for scheduled rounds would streamline the process and enhance the overall user experience.
“This was a bit of an oversight on my part. I assumed (wrongly) that anyone who joins a round can filter using ‘my rounds’ but I was wrong. I think having any round a user has joined show up when they select ‘My Rounds’ is a good solution, and adding a ‘Round Details’ link in a round's ‘Group Message’ will provide another route to access this information.”
The navigation label “Improve” may not clearly convey the page content.
The term "improve" on the navigation bar doesn't quite align with my perception of the page's content. I believe using "Resources" or "Learning" would be a better fit, especially considering the nature of the articles and blog posts. In my view, "improve" suggests activities like workshops or trackable skills tests. Adjusting the terminology could provide a more accurate representation of the page's purpose.
“This one I’ll have to think about. I’ve marketed ‘Connect. Play. Improve.’ very heavily and I like that our core sections match our core messaging. If ‘Improve’ as a section title isn’t resonating with users then a change is in order (time for some user research!)”
The audit had a direct impact on the product roadmap. Several suggestions were incorporated into the next app update, while others were added to the development queue. The founder noted that the feedback validated existing concerns and uncovered new opportunities to improve the experience, particularly for first-time users. Though this was an informal engagement, it served as a meaningful UX contribution during a critical post-beta phase.