This was my final project for Product School, an eight-week product management bootcamp in San Francisco. I proposed a direct messaging feature for Strava and presented the business opportunity, target personas, wireframe, user flow mocks, metrics, and product roadmap.

1. Strava – Direct Messaging
Functionality
Mariah Morton mariahjacobsmorton@gmail.com (408) 605-1971

2. Activity Tracking Training Log Social Newsfeed Segment Finder
What is Strava?

3. “Private Messages are necessary to
properly administer a club on Strava....
Sometimes an Administrator has questions
for potential/existing members that both
parties may not want publicly viewed.”
Comment from 2 years ago (2014)
“Please, it is so convenient to have to post
on a nonrelated activity to ask a question
or let someone know about a ride. Private
messaging would also let someone contact
riders with questions that they don't
necessarily follow.”
Comment from 2 years ago (2014)
“I stopped my premium membership and
will continue it as soon as there is a private
messaging system available.”
Comment from March 2016
What do Users Want?
Comments aggregated from 410 votes on 141 comments on ‘Direct Messaging on Strava’
thread on Strava Support
“I’m going on a race this weekend and just
looked a few of my competitors (whom I’ve
never met). I wanted to PM them to find
out if they wanted to carpool. Surprised
there is not this ability.”
Comment from 2 years ago (2014)

4. What do Users Want (Continued)?
44%
22%
22%
11%
"If Strava was to add a direct messaging feature,
how useful do you think it would be?"
Very Useful
Somewhat Useful
Not Particularly
Useful
Not Useful At All
Top responses as to “why you
have ever wanted to message
a Strava user who you didn’t have
any contact information for”:
“Race plans”
“Recommendations for routes”
“Coordinating rides or runs
together”
“Meeting times/places for bike
Clubs and events”
Sample of 9 Strava athletes, 89% of which use Strava at least once a week:

5. Business Challenge and Opportunity
Business Challenge:
Strava is challenged to convert users in the free-account tier to a premium account,
priced at $7.99 a month. The majority Strava’s users are in the free-account, while only
a fraction (~1/10*) pay for Strava Premium.
Business Opportunity:
Initiating a messaging would be an exclusive feature for Premium account
membership. In order to allow for communication between account tiers, anyone
could respond regardless of holding Premium or not, would be able to respond to
messages. This is an opportunity to convert more free users to Strava Premium.
*Percentage of Strava Premium holders is an estimation.

6. Target User Persona

7. Wireframe – Premium User Opens Initial
Message

8. Wireframe – Premium User Sends
First Message

9. When someone direct messages me
Mock-Up – Manage Email Notifications in
Settings

10. Metrics
Number of Premium users who open the initial
message
(Approximately 584,000 users*)
Number of Premium users who send first
message
(Approximately 292,000 users*)
Number of messages sent a month
Average response time
% of active users who enable
email notifications
*Rational: There are approximately 14,600,000 users on Strava. In a rough estimate, about
1/2 of these users are active monthly users (7,300,000) and about 1/10 of these active
users are Premium Holders (730,000). Of these, about 80% (584,000) will open the first
message. Approximately ½ of these users (292,000) will send a message.

11. Pre- and Post- Launch Checklist
1) Internal Beta Launch to all employees
2) Write email to all current users explaining
new feature
3) Prepare organic social posts on Strava
Facebook and Twitter social channels
4) Direct message to all users introducing
feature
5) Create blog post on Strava Blog
Pre-Launch Checklist:
1) Paid media to amplify organic press
2) Paid Facebook Newsfeed Promoted Posts
Post-Launch Checklist:

12. Direct Messaging Roadmap Further Down the Line
Web Launch: Direct
Single Messaging
Web Launch: Direct
Group Messaging
iOS/Android Launch: Direct
Single & Group Messaging
May 2016
June 2016 September 2016

13. L
A
U
N
C
H
Roadmap: Web Launch Direct Single Messaging
Wireframe
User Testing to gain feedback
Product
Prototype Prototype RevisionsDesign
Add Messaging to Email
Notifications in Settings
Deploy Beta for Employees
Engineering
April 25-29 May 2-6 May 9-13
Brief marketing on
post-launch
Code
Freeze
Wireframe
Revisions
Apply changes
from user feedback
Coordinate with marketing on post-
launch
Quality Assurance
May
16