Boston Will Run

General Description Boston Will Run is a single-page site that lets users share their progress in training for the 2014 Boston Marathon, and collectively see the progress all participants are making in training for the Boston Marathon. The site is meant to be simple and direct, with just a few key elements shown: Total miles all participants have run, how many the individual has run, and a little graphic indicating who has run that day.

It also seeks to replicate the core of the Boston Marathon experience: It is at once an extremely solo activity, but visitors are encouraged to "cheer on" all the participants that day, encouraging both strangers and friends alike. At the end of the day, users are given an email letting them know about encouragements they received, as well as sharing tips, advice, and reflections about the 2014 Marathon.

Technical Aspects: The site was built using Ruby on Rails, the Runkeeper API, and using Sass CSS extensions and JQuery for the front end. We tried to keep it as simple and accessible in execution as possible, but would like to unlock small "easter eggs" in the project as progress continues, such as pixel versions of major marathon landmarks along the route, ways for non-runners to be involved, and other suitable tie ins that help build the Boston Marathon spirit but locally and around the world.

Design: The design was meant to be as immediately obvious, simple, and fun as possible, allow users to quickly load the site up from a regular web browser or on a mobile device and have an optimized experience. We eschewed advanced features in favor of a single page that asked users to either input miles or, with a single click, link Boston Will Run with their Runkeeper Account. We also wanted this site to extend to the real world and beyond the web browser: Participants engage while running, through Runkeeper, and receive personalized feedback such as fan cheers and Marathon training tips via email, extending the app to far beyond the browser.

Editorial Aspects: In looking for ways to memorialize the 2013 Boston Marathon, we combed through hundreds of comments, social postings, and articles, as well as looked at what makes the Boston Marathon special, and clear trends emerged.

It was quickly clear that many were determined, in some form or fashion, to begin training for 2014: The focus was firmly on next year, on honoring the legacy of those who were killed and injured by carrying on in whatever capacity they could.

Not all of these would compete in the highly-selective marathon, but all could take part in some way: Perhaps preparing for a local 5k, perhaps by training for a marathon elsewhere, perhaps just by supporting those who were running.

We also wanted to reflect and celebrate the unique nature of marathon running: It is at once an extremely personal and private event, while also being a very communal experience. We acknowledge that through letting people easily add their individual contributions to a collective sum, and making each mile — not just those from people preparing for the marathon — count, while also encouraging users to virtually cheer on others. While the cheers are anonymous,

Planning: While the project is in a functional form, we would like to devote more design resources in a few areas:

— Building the email notification infrastructure.
— Allowing users to share their run and their site through social features.
— Working with Runkeeper, a Boston startup, to help publicize and polish the project.

This will require about a week, part-time, of developer, design, and marketing resources.

Team Members: David Putney, Digital Designer; Chris Marstall, Creative Technologist; Michael Morisy, Innovation Producer.