Jeshwanth Srinivasan
Student work · 2019

RAM Racing: Legacy Program

A service design studio for a Chicago race organizer that wanted runners to come back. We did field research at packet pickup and on the course. We proposed a repeat-runner program and a race timeline.

Studio project. Not a shipped commercial product.

Contribution
Research, ideation, UX design
Type
Service design, UX design
Tools
Illustrator, Principle, InDesign
Client
RAM Racing, organizer of the Hot Chocolate and Mag Mile races in Chicago
Team
Jeshwanth, Prapthi, Adithya, Diane

Context and brief

RAM Racing had two problems.

  1. Runners didn't come back. Many ran a race once for the experience and skipped it the next year.
  2. Data went unused. RAM collected a lot about its runners but had no way to use it.

Field research

  • Shadowing

    We ran RAM races ourselves.

  • Observation

    We worked the stands as volunteers.

  • Intercepts

    We ran a booth at packet pickup. Runners sorted cards to show what a loyalty program should include.

Wide view of a race expo hall at packet pickup, with booths and runners across the floor.
Packet pickup at the race expo. Runners come here days before the race, so it was the right place to talk to them.

What runners told us

  • Anticipation

    “I feel anticipation at the start of each race, which builds up into excitement.”

  • A distinct race

    “RAM is really good at setting up a noticeably different race experience.”

  • Reward

    “I love to be rewarded for whatever I have achieved.”

  • Motivation

    “I am always looking for ways to be motivated to run more often.”

Pain points

We mapped the service from sign-up to after the race. Three problems kept coming up.

  • Separate platforms

    Each race had its own platform, and one race could have several sources of information. Nothing tied them together.

  • Few in-race cues

    Mile markers and one race clock. Without their own device, runners couldn't track their race.

  • No reward for loyalty

    A five-time RAM runner got the same experience as a first-timer.

Problem statement

Build a relationship that brings runners back to RAM. Use the race data RAM already has to make each return feel personal.

The Legacy Program

The RAM Legacy Program connects RAM’s races into one system. Repeat runners earn perks, both physical and digital, as they run more races. Their own race data shapes what they see next. The goal was public recognition, a personal sense of progress, and an identity built around running with RAM.

One touchpoint: the race timeline

A race route map of Chicago with start and finish markers and runner photos pinned along the route.
A shareable race timeline. Photos of the runner are pinned to the time and mile marker where they were taken. It works because it belongs to one runner and one race.
A runner profile screen with a pace chart across races and per-race stats in circular badges.
A runner profile with pace across races and stats for each one. Here, unused data becomes something runners want to see.
“It was great. I want this thing to exist now.”
Three-time Hot Chocolate runner, after a prototype session

Proposed next steps: prototype the service at a live race, and explore connecting training apps to RAM.

What I take from it now

  1. Bringing people back takes identity, recognition, and data working together. A poster won't do it.

  2. Talking to runners at pickup beats a scheduled interview weeks later.

  3. A timeline is only useful if it's shareable and specific to that race.