ETHAN SHELBURNE
Data Science
lululemon Community
(Hackathon Project)
Find your flow this fall, discover events, and join the community.
Overview: Reducing uncertainty in community event engagement
Finding and joining community events should be simple, but for many Lululemon members the process was unclear or inconsistent. Our team explored how event discovery, motivation, and inclusivity could be improved to help people connect more easily with the brand’s community offerings. Through a one-week cross-disciplinary hackathon, we combined UX design and data science to surface insights, design solutions, and test new ideas for boosting participation and trust.
lululemon UX Case Study Preview
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Project Type: Academic - Cross-disciplinary Hackathon
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Duration: 1 week
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Role: UX Researcher, UX Designer
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Platform: Mobile and Web, iOS
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Focus: Event discovery, motivation, inclusivity, trust
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Tools: Figma, Miro, Canva, FigJam, Photoshop, HTML/CSS
Meet the Team
A cross-disciplinary team of Data Scientists and UX Designers collaborating to reimagine lululemon’s community experience.
ANISH KARNIK
Data Science
Samaneh Vajdi
UX Design
CASSIE MORRIS
UX Design
Discovery
What’s The Problem?
Why Loyalty Fails
Lululemon members struggle to easily discover and engage with local community events through the app, limiting opportunities for deeper connection, belonging, and long-term loyalty.
Assumptions & Hypotheses
Assumptions
- 1 Motivation is unclear: Users don’t always see the value or reason to attend beyond fitness.
- 2 Event discovery is difficult: Members struggle to find upcoming lululemon community events within the app or outside.
- 3 Non-members may not feel invited: Community events may seem exclusive to lululemon customers.
- 4 Low visibility reduces engagement: Without reminders or past-event highlights, users may forget or not feel encouraged to join.
Hypotheses
- H1: If events are made more visible on the app homepage, then more users will discover and consider attending. point, shoppers will feel more confident at checkout.
- H2: If event cards emphasize social connection and inclusivity, then motivation to attend will increase beyond fitness-only reasons. size”), shoppers will be more likely to trust the guidance.
- H3: If the flow allows easy registration and reminders, then participation rates will rise and drop-off will decreas
- H4: If non-members can see the value of events, then brand trust and potential conversions into members will grow.
How Might We
leverage the Lululemon mobile app to better understand and scale community engagement that transform siloed insights into experiences that build stronger, long-term loyalty?
Quantitative Research
To understand how members discover and engage with lululemon events, we combined survey data with secondary research on community engagement. The findings highlighted how visibility and motivation directly affect attendance.
These insights shaped our design priorities: increasing visibility of upcoming events, simplifying the registration flow, and surfacing the social value of lululemon’s community experiences.
70% reported difficulty discovering events
Most participants noted that finding information about lululemon events was not intuitive. Events were hidden in submenus or discovered outside the app, limiting participation.
60% said motivation depends on social value
Attendees felt more inspired to join when events emphasized community, inclusivity, and connection rather than fitness alone.
45% forgot or abandoned registrations
Nearly half of participants said they intended to sign up for an event but forgot or abandoned the process due to lack of reminders or unclear registration steps.
Design
User Persona: Amanda Springs
Bio
Amanda stays active through yoga, running, and group fitness, which she values for both exercise and connection. She enjoys new experiences but often avoids events when details are unclear or the setting feels intimidating.
Goals
- Stay active year-round
- Build meaningful friendships through fitness
- Find supportive, welcoming communities
- Balance variety with consistency in routines
Frustrations
- Hard to connect at large, one-off events
- Hesitant to join if event info isn’t clear
- Feels less motivated in unwelcoming or overly competitive spaces
Behaviors
- Chooses indoor events in summer + outdoor for winter
- Attends structured classes but tries new ones occasionally
- Finds events on Instagram and wellness apps
- Connects most in small, recurring groups
“I love trying new activities, but if details aren’t clear or it feels intimidating, I usually skip it.”
Effortless Path to Event Discovery
The flow mirrors how members naturally look for and join events, making the experience clear and inviting at every step. From browsing upcoming activities to registering and receiving reminders, each stage was designed to reduce friction and highlight the community value of lululemon’s events.
Solution Overview
I designed a community events experience that makes discovering and joining lululemon events simple, inclusive, and engaging. The solution streamlines event visibility, surfaces social motivation, and ensures members feel supported from discovery to attendance.
- Discover Events: upcoming events are highlighted directly on the app homepage and community tab to reduce friction.
- Browse & Filter: members can sort by activity, location, or time, making it easier to find what fits their lifestyle.
- Event Details: clear descriptions emphasize inclusivity, community, and motivation beyond fitness.
- Register & Reminders: one-tap sign-up with confirmation and automated reminders to reduce drop-off.
- Post-Event Highlights: members see photos and stories that reinforce connection and encourage continued participation.
Outcome: a guided path from discovery to attendance, designed to increase participation, strengthen community bonds, and reinforce lululemon’s role as more than an apparel brand.
learnings
Key Learnings
These are the takeaways I will bring to future healthcare projects.
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Community matters as much as commerce
Members showed stronger motivation to attend events when the social value (connection, inclusivity) was highlighted, not just fitness.
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Simple entry points increase participation
Clear “See All Events” and visible “Learn More” buttons reduced hesitation compared to hidden or multi-step flows.
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Hackathons highlight collaboration
Working alongside data scientists helped validate that design assumptions could be supported by real engagement metrics.
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Rapid iteration beats perfection
In a one-week sprint, quick feedback cycles were more valuable than polished details, getting user reactions early shaped the final solution.
Next Step
Next-Steps
These are the takeaways I will bring to future healthcare projects.
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Community matters as much as commerce
Members showed stronger motivation to attend events when the social value (connection, inclusivity) was highlighted, not just fitness.
-
Simple entry points increase participation
Clear “See All Events” and visible “Learn More” buttons reduced hesitation compared to hidden or multi-step flows.
-
Hackathons highlight collaboration
Working alongside data scientists helped validate that design assumptions could be supported by real engagement metrics.
-
Rapid iteration beats perfection
In a one-week sprint, quick feedback cycles were more valuable than polished details, getting user reactions early shaped the final solution.
