Context: Most users didn't know they could edit tracks before checklist submission. This led to inaccurate tracks being submitted, and users were only able to delete them - causing GPS data to be lost. How might we make it easier for tracks to be reviewed to improve data quality?

Solution: Display track preview on Review screen. Tap anywhere on track map to view details.

Rationale: The species list was pushed down, but the team decided showing the track before submission was more important for data quality. I added a scroll hint on checklists with track maps to mitigate species list discoverability issues.

Context: With timestamped tracks and a working algorithm for calculating unique distance in the app during an active checklist, we needed to decide which distance to display to users. The team was aligned on showing unique distance in the Checklist and Review screens, but it was trickier to decide if both distances needed to be shown in detailed track views.

To what extent do we show both distances?

Solution:

• Use unique distance as primary value, total distance as secondary (eliminates technical jargon)
• Add info button explaining eBird distances for users who need it
• Consistent placement of distance and duration across track details and edit screens to reduce cognitive load and enable component reuse

Rationale: The final solution balanced transparency with guidance towards best practices. Most users didn't need to think about distance at all, but those who wanted to understand the difference, or had been manually editing distance, could easily learn more.

Context: With timestamped tracks, distance is tied to time. When you edit a track, you also edit the duration. The original requirements only specified locking distance, not time.

Usability testing insight: During the in-person usability testing I led, all users successfully discovered how to edit a track. However, the app crashed when a user set distance and duration to 0 on Review - they interpreted this as removing the track, rather than using the delete button.

This insight led me to advocate for also locking duration. If we're preventing manual distance editing to maintain data integrity, locking duration would reduce confusion and reinforce the connection between track, time, and distance. I explored different visual treatments for uneditable fields.

Solution: Lock both duration and distance for checklists with tracks using the existing Review effort fields.

Rationale:

• Maintains data integrity between interconnected values
• Reduced development complexity by leveraging existing design system components
• Preserved existing user mental models