It was one of those projects that started out as a small list of amendments to an already existing app. Not a favorite type of project for any team as you don't have a lot of room for professional creativity but you have to spend a lot of time figuring out the existing code.

Omega-R is a company of young and sporty professionals that got intrigued by an interesting project and healthy ambitions of the customer so we decided to take Running Trainer on board.

Running Records, LLC is an American company that develops various workout programs and wanted to take their existing mobile app to the next level.

Their app idea was to allow users to choose a running program based on individual body shape and goals they would like to achieve. All included programs were created by a professional certified running instructors.

As a result of our in-depth review of the client's app, our task got expanded to:

• updating and improving functionality of iOS version
• developing Android version
• creating a website that would showcase and promote the app.
• app redesign.

And all of this information had to be adapted to 9 language versions of the app. This final scope of work inspired our team like the participation in the Olympic games inspires athletes!

There weren't primary and secondary parts in RT development process. Each step was carrying a key role in an overall result. Omega-R design team was the first one to get their hands and minds on the project. Their task was to create a user interface that would not only be intuitive but also would make the use of all in-app features very convenient while being on-the-go.

Existing screens were re-rendered and new ones were created, localized to all language versions of the application: English, French, Dutch, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish.

On an absolutely voluntary basis our team members started to run with the app every now and then to determine the best design concept for the user in real conditions. We feel so proud about that!

As a result, it was decided to enhance the brightness and depth of existing corporate colors, gradients and to remove the extra weight. An idea of applying the theory of upward sloping lines and rapid animation came naturally, because the main function of this sport app was to spark a strong call to action, to get results, to win the race.

Our development team picked up a high pace to do necessary amendments in order to improve overall app performance. We used Parse to simplify the storage of user data and training, Facebook SDK to accelerate users identification. GPS / Accelerometer provides fairly accurate results according to the training conditions.

To our surprise, adding animation turned out to be not as simple as we thought it would be. For instance, animation masks of the "Daily Program" and "Session" screens were lagged behind other animation parameters and no matter what we did, it didn't fix the problem.

Application tests were carried out in a real- use conditions. When we tested a GPS map, we tried to accurately remember our route so we'd be able to compare it with the route shown on the map. For a speed tracking tests we ran in a faster pace and then in a slower one. While testing «indoor mode" our team used a treadmill.

Ready to hear the real numbers behind all those workout sessions of Omega-R for this app? 419 897 calories were burned altogether! Don't get us wrong, we developed the app as well. But burning some calories was a good bonus to it!

As a result, all of our client goals were achieved: we completely updated the app, added animation, improved users interface and made workout sessions much more effective. After an entire remodeling of the navigation part the app became more logical and user friendly. The main issue in the past was a complex structure of the menu, in a new version we made it possible to access directly any screen from any place in the app.

In the initial version the same button served for both features: pause and stop. The only difference was how you press the button. We added a completely redesigned workout screen and placed all of the necessary functions separately. Our designers made sure that it would be possible to even customize the workout screens to suit all tastes — different types of alerts, intervals and measurement units.

During our first few weeks with the project, we noticed that it was impossible to see all workout indicators on a screen at the same time. So we brought all available indicators on a single screen for easy visualization during training sessions.

So we added on a new feature, the ability to see all user's stats from workout sessions in graphs, which helps to monitor the progress from session to session. All results are now available on a special screen in the usual form and composition, as well as weekly and monthly statistics.

Creative moments of revamping the visuals got us involved deeper in an app of professional training so we moved beyond design. We added a possibility to copy all of your workout data to an external repository to allow users continue their training on other devices.

And these days, just nearly a month after its release, RT is already showing good results. For example, the site was featured by Awwwards and won a Russian sport project award at Goldensite. It has a four plus stars rating in the App Store and very compelling reviews.

What's next for this project? Apple Watch owners will be able to use RT very soon. Keep up with us to find out the latest updates on this and other projects of ours.

Technologies used: Android SDK, Android Studio, Gradle, Google Play Services (maps, location), SQLite, In-App purchases, Parse, Facebook SDK, Apple MapKit, Apple Health Kit.