The Drop
Case Study
Web-based Portal | Mobile App
At a Glance
Client
The Drop
The Project
Design, build, maintain and support a subscription product allowing users to pay a monthly fee and then register for discounted drop-in classes at participating gyms.
Services Provided
Quality Assurance
Project Management
5.0 stars
in Apple App Store
Early traction
from both users and fitness partners
The Client
The Drop was a mobile, subscription-based membership that empowered users to “drop in” at a variety of gyms and fitness studios, as well as access exclusive fitness and wellness offers. At its heart, the platform was designed to build a vibrant community around shared fitness experiences. The Drop was a casualty of the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020.
The Situation
When we met cofounders Natalie Sorge and Kati Colby in 2019, they had already created a buzzworthy brand rooted in the power of community. Their loyal Instagram following was highly engaged, and their first merchandise drop had sold out almost instantly. But they were thinking bigger.
Natalie and Kati envisioned an app that would allow members to subscribe, browse local fitness studios, and book classes—all without needing individual memberships to each location. They saw an opportunity to give people flexibility and variety in their fitness journeys, while helping gyms attract new clients.
They also understood a critical part of the equation: for the model to work, it needed to be seamless for gyms as well as users. That meant solving for payouts, booking integrations (particularly with platforms like MindBody), and a user experience intuitive enough to inspire ongoing engagement from both sides of the market.
As with most two-sided marketplaces, early traction was essential. We needed enough gyms on board to provide variety, and enough users to make the platform attractive to studio owners. Fortunately, The Drop’s existing community offered a powerful springboard for early feedback and engagement—an ideal setup for refining the user experience in real time.
All of this came together under the pressure of a tight timeline, with a hard launch date tied to an in-person launch party. While that kind of constraint adds risk, it also offered a rallying point for the team and a shot at the kind of early momentum that’s so critical in a product like The Drop.
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The Solution
Natalie and Kati knew a smooth, connected, energetic experience would keep members coming back.
We performed a UX Blueprint and subsequent development effort, including:
Conducting stakeholder research sessions
Designing key flows for mobile and web
Integrating with Stripe Connect and designing related flows
Building mobile app and web portals
Building an integration with MindBody to transfer class bookings directly to gyms and read their class availability
Building in SMS reminders
Integrating with a variety of APIs and tools
Support and maintenance
The Results Up Close
Results: In the client’s words
“Working with Erin and her team was exactly what we needed when it came to developing our app. We had a quick deadline, and a lot of moving parts (we had to get 25 gyms synced into our system), and not only did we meet our goal, but it turned out better than we could have hoped. They worked alongside us every step of the way with design, UX, and overall functionality – the testing phase was perfect to get it into the hands of potential users and iterate.”
Natalie Sorge
Cofounder
The Drop
Security and compliance
Natalie and Kati knew a secure, compliant solution was critical to achieve trust from members and gyms and comply with payment card industry regulations. That’s why we partnered with them to design and implement appropriate security safeguards so they — and their users — could feel confident.
A listing of our available services is provided below. We do not share specifics of particular clients’ security posture.
HIPAA Compliance
We’re fluent in HIPAA requirements and design our applications to protect personal health information from the ground up.
From secure authentication flows to careful handling of user data, our team is trained to recognize and respect protected health information (PHI) throughout the product lifecycle.
ADA Compliance
We follow WCAG 2.2 guidelines to ensure accessibility is built into every screen we design—not retrofitted later. Our designers and engineers are trained in accessible interface practices, and we routinely test for keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and color contrast to make sure your app works for everyone.
Security
Security isn’t just a checklist—it’s part of our engineering culture. We implement secure coding standards, have every pull request double-peer reviewed, and integrate with trusted identity providers. Our team is trained in secure development practices and routinely collaborates with client IT and compliance teams to meet or exceed enterprise security standards.
What sets us apart
Clients come back again and again because we offer:
Speed of delivery: We offer startup pace, with enterprise quality.
Empathetic UX research: We are skilled facilitators and researchers who will make the process easy for you.
Interdisciplinary collaboration: We emphasize a collaborative approach, bringing together UX, operations, security, compliance, marketing and data teams to quickly iterate on the best solutions.
Onshore development team: We are a fully remote team proudly located 100% in the United States.
Design QA discipline: We QA not only for functionality, but also for smoothness of use and aesthetic beauty. You deserve to be proud of your application.
Security & Compliance rigor: Security and compliance are an integral focus of our training and design from day one.