Users’ Engagement — The Strava Art Magic
Recently, I discovered Strava (I know I am late here). Not for their sports activities tracking, which they are known for, but for their users’ art activity.
It sounds amusing, but Strava’s users utilize the app to track their sports and create art via GPS technology.
Imagine running your city’s streets by a planned path, so you can create a portrait of the latest Queen Elisabeth, John Lenon, or even write birthday wishes to your daughter (which one father did — he ran for nine hours to do so).
Like other fitness apps, Strava is an app for tracking physical exercises. But here is the twist. Since 2009 (!), users have created GPS art. Basically, using their app to create a picture of their activity, whether it’s cycling, running, swimming, walking, or hiking.
Though it has existed since 2009, art creation on the app has surged since the pandemic. So much so that now there is a dedicated website and Instagram account named Strava Art.
I often hear how challenging is to follow through in sports. I know it firsthand, but reading Strava users’ comments, I realized that the app’s art activities create commitment and bring fun. Whether the company planned this outcome or not. So instead of biking on a straight path or in circles around a park, users plan their routes based on the art they want to create.
The results? Less boredom, makes running easier, and the creation gives you a result you can see immediately after 50 minutes. “I really don’t care about the miles. Or the elevation. Or the speed. That’s not the point. These aren’t races; it’s all about the shape,” says Lenny Maughan, who has posted art since 2015 (check him @lennymaughan).
The phenomena went beyond the Instagram post one can publish. Users have been selling their artworks as posters, groups like “Strava Art Creator” have been established on the platform, competitions have started, and new records were created (including the world’s largest Strava art — biking through seven countries and 7,237 kilometers).
Linking running with creation is more engaging because you need to develop an original idea, plan it, and execute it — a really satisfying action (and because psychology research show it).
And as for Strava, the company? Well, they benefit from marketing, user engagement, and publicity. They were smart to support users and create even more engagement — one of their campaigns invited runners and cyclists to create the shape of globes and animals to celebrate Earth Day on April 22.
So next time you think about engagement, think beyond the notification. You might find surprises in areas that often are overlooked.
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Reference:
The World’s Largest Strava Art is Finally Finished.
https://cyclingtips.com/2022/08/the-worlds-largest-strava-art-is-finally-finished/
Secrets to Perfecting Your On-the-Run Art
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a32433537/strava-art/
Meet the San Francisco Runner who ‘Drew’ Frida Kahlo From a 29-Mile Run
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a28607673/lenny-maughan-strava-art-san-francisco/
Runners and Cyclists Use GPS Mapping to Make Art
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/technology/gps-art-strava-running.html
