The OG running app

I was the lone writer embedded in the UX/design team for the groundbreaking Nike+ GPS app—the predecessor to Nike+ Running and now Nike Run Club.

Our mission? Make running suck less—for runners and non-runners (like me). The result was an award-winning fusion of geolocation + social media that had never been done before, setting the stage for nearly every fitness app that followed.

Pioneering features we brought to life:

• Real-Time Social Cheering – Nike+ GPS could post your run on Facebook (if you wanted it to), triggering actual audible cheers in your headphones whenever a friend liked or commented.

• Power Songs – Designate a favorite track, and it would automatically blast when you needed a motivational kick—like a built-in hype button for your personal records.

• Nike+ Tag – A digital game of tag that turned running into competition, complete with instigating social media trash talk whenever someone slacked.

• Live Voice Feedback – Real-time performance updates mid-run (a first at the time), followed by post-run hype messages from celebs like Tracy Morgan.

Before Apple Watches and Strava, this was the running app that changed everything.