Dark North

An app that feels right at 2am

Northbound’s users plan night routes for cycling and running. We designed the app dark-first, with a single streak of colour guiding the eye to the one action that matters on each screen.

Every interaction was tested outdoors at night, with gloves, at arm’s length. Type sizes, contrast and touch targets came out of those sessions, not a style guide.

Outcome

4.8 stars at launch and a 32% lift in completed routes compared with the previous app.