Overview

Dance studio software is clunky and limited. Many studios use one platform for managing classes, a mobile app (Whatsapp, Band) for communicating with students and teams, and Gsuite apps for keeping track of customers and class inventory. Transactions (register, sign release forms, and pay for classes) still happen at the front desk due to lack of e-commerce features.

The Suitepeach mobile app integrates all these features, giving studio owners more control, and customers a much better experience.

Studio owners manage classes and instructor schedules, and sales. Instructors can check-in their students, share practice routine videos with their teams. Parents can register their kids for classes, buy uniforms, keep on track of class schedules and recitals, and even watch streaming video if they can’t attend in person.

Scope of Project

- Qualitative User Research
- User Personas, Task and Workflow Analysis
- Style Guide and Design System
- Responsive Web Design for desktop and tablet
- Native Mobile app with group accounts
- Livestream hosting

Research

I interviewed studio owners, instructors, and parents, and created user journeys, flows, and jobs to be done. There were numerous gaps and pain points in the current studio setups, so prioritizing features for the MVP was a process.

Our Go-To-Market strategy was to launch the mobile app quickly with free group messaging for the dance studio, instructors and parents. This enabled studios to get comfortable using Suitepeach without having to leave their current provider. Then we rolled out our premium features, such as class scheduling, sign ups, ecommerce, and live streaming, and offered studios incentives to switch.

Group Messaging

Students and instructors were using messaging apps like Band to communicate around classes and recitals. But this was not ideal due to cost and lack of organization.

We integrated messaging into the SuitePeach mobile app. This enabled studios to send out announcements to students, or communicate with their instructors. It also made it easy for students and their parents to connect with the other students in class, to arrange carpools and such.

Shared Calendars

Parents can view all their children’s classes on one schedule, and synch it with their Google calendar. Instructors can take class roll call on their mobile, marking students on time or late. Studio admins can manage reschedulings or  instructor substitutes from the studio calendar.

Purchase classes, uniforms and gear

Studio admins can create classes and class schedules; assign instructors and prices; and manage registrations. Parents and students can browse, register for classes, and purchase uniforms and gear.

Live stream events

Live video streaming and family sharing allows private networks of families, instructors and friends to share recitals and team competition routines via mobile.