Groovetime
Practice Mode for Dance Challenges
Simplifying the way users learn and participate in dance trends
Contributions
Product Design, Interaction Design, User Research
Stackholders
Kwasi Ohene-Adu
Founder
Kirk Agbenyegah
Software Engineer
April Joy
Community Manager
Timeline
2 weeks
Overview
Groovetime is a social gaming platform centered around dance challenges. We saw an opportunity to create a true practice space, something competitors lacked, that would let users build confidence before recording themselves.
My Role
I led the end-to-end design of Practice Mode, from mapping the rehearsal flow to prototyping looping and section controls. I partnered with the founder on aligning the feature to growth goals and worked side-by-side with engineers to ensure it integrated seamlessly into the feed experience.
Problem
Issues
Where's the friction?
Groovetime’s rehearsal flow mirrored TikTok’s limitations. Users restarted often, sometimes mid-dance, because there was no way to loop or slow down. We weren’t offering a true practice space, so participation felt frustrating and unintuitive.
Business Impact
How did it affect us?
Without a better alternative, users abandoned practice or skipped challenges altogether. This limited submissions, weakened community engagement, and slowed platform growth.
| Pain Points | Existing Solutions |
|---|---|
| Rehearsal required restarting entire challenges repeatedly | Groovetime’s initial flow → essentially the same as TikTok’s, with no rehearsal-specific tools |
| No ability to loop or isolate tricky sections | Manual trial-and-error → users repeating dances from the start |
| No simple way to adjust playback speed without starting over |
Objective
User Goals
- Give dancers a simple way to rehearse before recording
- Allow speed adjustment and looping
- Build confidence before performance
Business Goals
- Increase participation in dance challenges
- Lower rehearsal friction
- Encourage sustained engagement
Success Metrics
- Measured uptake of Practice vs Dance selection
- Tracked Practice → Dance and Dance → Practice transitions
- Monitored overall challenge participation & re-engagement
Research
Research Methods
Where's the proof in the pudding
- Mapped Groovetime’s practice flow to capture pain points and inefficiencies
- Spoke with dancers about how they rehearse and where they lose confidence
- Benchmarked fitness, dance, and short-form video apps for practice features
User Insights
- Repetition felt clunky, dancers restarted entire challenges just to fix one section
- Strong demand for looping and slower playback to target tricky parts
- Without a dedicated practice space, many lost momentum and skipped challenges
Market Insights
- Apps supporting learning rely on looping and adjustable speed
- TikTok offered no dedicated practice feature, a chance for Groovetime to differentiate
Impact
Research directly shaped priorities
We focused on looping and speed tools, and created a smoother bridge from practice to performance, laying the groundwork for higher participation and re-engagement.
Design
Ideation
How did we get started?
Groovetime’s initial flow was essentially TikTok’s: trial-and-error, restart-heavy, and not built for practice. Our goal was to break away from that and design a purpose-built Practice Mode. We explored concepts like a dedicated feed button, fine-tune speed controls, and section-based looping for tricky choreography.
Design Decisions
Into the feed of it
We decided that we were going to embedded Practice Mode directly in the feed so users could rehearse without leaving or discarding drafts. Looping and speed adjustments were prioritized based on user research, while visual clutter was minimized to keep the feed simple.
REMOVING THE EARNINGS INDICATOR
Thought
To avoid visual overload on the home screen, we had to decide which elements to cut when introducing Practice Mode. I argued for keeping the earnings indicator, since it incentivized players.
Reality
User research revealed it was important, just not at that exact moment in the flow.
User Testing
Help us validate
Initial tests with our target market validated the need for Practice Mode with the user flows and mockups we presented.
Before we built engineered the mockups, we created quick prototypes in Figma for the users to get a feel of the practice flow.
Later in-app tests confirmed that looping and speed controls reduced frustration, and dancers valued the seamless transition into Dance Mode afterward.
Iterations
First Time Is Not The Charm
We refined controls for clarity: added stronger visual cues for looped sections and simplified speed options into presets. We also improved Practice Mode discoverability while keeping the feed navigable.
SIMPLIFYING SPEED CONTROLS
Thought
I designed granular speed controls, thinking dancers would want precise adjustments.
Reality
In testing, this created friction, users found it slow and confusing to tweak exact percentages. We pivoted to simple preset speeds (0.5x, 0.75x, 1x), which matched real needs and kept the flow intuitive.
VISUAL GUIDANCE NEEDED
Thought
I designed a quick and easy way for users to section off parts of a dance.
Reality
In testing, this worked for the user but we noticed how they were constantly looking to look for a section they wanted. Since we didn't have timestamps, auto-generating visual thumbnails were in easy way for them to find that.
ADVOCATING FOR A PLAY BUTTON
Thought
I pushed for a dedicated play/pause button since it felt like a clear, familiar control.
Reality
After reviewing social media platforms, we noticed that most lacked this element, tapping directly on the video had become the norm.
Results
User Impact
Did we solve our user's problem?
Of 42,000 active users, 42% chose Practice Mode while 46% chose Dance. Importantly, 69% of those who practiced transitioned into Dance Mode afterward. Dancers valued having the flexibility to practice first, then perform.
What was equally eyebrow raising? Among those who started in Dance, 53% entered Practice Mode after, and 76% of them re-entered Dance afterward.
Business Impact
Did the business achieve its goal?
The practice-to-dance loop increased overall challenge participation and reduced drop-off from frustration. Groovetime gained a differentiated feature that encouraged re-engagement and kept users in the app longer.
Lesson Learned
Technically Speaking
We learned that ‘possible’ isn’t the same as ‘usable.’ While TikTok’s Duet technically allowed practice, it wasn’t intuitive. By intentionally designing for rehearsal, we unlocked new engagement behaviors.
Looking towards the future
We can always make it better
Next steps: test progress indicators and gamified streaks to reinforce practice habits, and explore personalized recommendations to further increase participation.
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