Learn To Skate USA 4+

User interface is very meh

The user interface is very basic, requires a lot of clicking around, and it doesn’t customize/remember you at all.

To add a skill to the practice calendar I have to click 7 different buttons: 1) click on the day, 2) click on the plus button in the corner, 3) click on add skill from library, 4) click on curriculum, 5) click on level, 6) check all of the skills to add, 7) click add to calendar, and then repeat for skills that show up in other levels. That’s like 7*2=14 clicks, not to mention scrolling and multiple skill selection. If the app could just save the fact that I am doing adult curriculum levels 3&4 it would cut that interaction in half, making it so much less awful.

I don’t want to have to scroll and click through every program in the record book when I just want to see something in adult 4 like always, it should have “starred” programs show up at the top of the page as shortcuts, or the record book stays “flipped open” to the program I’m working on.

Next, the page titles at the top take up maybe 1/8th of the screen, and the nav bar also takes up 1/8th of the screen, so it’s really like I’m only seeing the middle bit of my screen as useful window space. Get rid of the page titles to gain back content space. I don’t need the top of the page to say that I’m looking at a tracker, and the bottom of the page to also say I’m looking at a tracker, when it already looks like a tracker!

There are a lot more things you could add, feature-wise. For example, it would be helpful to have a “working on” feature. You could make skills show up in different colors whether you’re not working on them, working on them, or you've mastered them. Making use of color differentiation would be an easy and effective way to make the visual appearance better.

Sorry for the rant but I hope that someone will make this app better cause I want to use it for tracking my skating progress. I’m a college CS major and I’m tempted to start trying to write my own app but it would take me a while to learn iOS development.

Developer Response ,

Hi Lilo_ann! We appreciate your feedback and understand your frustration with the current user interface and experience of the progress tracking. We are working to improve the app to better meet the needs and preferences of our users, and we will definitely take your suggestions into consideration as we continue to make updates and improvements. Stay tuned!

Extremely basic, lots of potential

This could be SO cool and helpful, but it’s way too basic. I was really excited because I currently take extensive notes on my phone about my lessons and progress and thought this could supplement or replace that. Unfortunately, you’re basically able to choose and rate (stars out of 5) the Learn to Skate skills you work on in a day and that’s it. The badges also have a lot of potential but are very low level right now. I’m someone who would do and log things just earn badges. One badge gets awarded for passing a level. I got the app right after I passed a LtS level, entered the info, and still that badge isn’t awarded to me. Maybe it has to be “acknowledged” on my Learn to Skate account but I don’t think that is kept track of by anyone other than me, unless my rink submits that info? If they really expand this I think it could be the “go to” for new skaters with all the skills they didn’t even know existed, especially with off-ice exercises. But I guess if you have a Learn to Skate account, you’re still “lower level” maybe(?) vs having a coach/private lessons/team so the “beginners” don’t care about that stuff as much. I think it should be all inclusive for all skaters whether or not they are in the program, but maybe that’d be better so a US Figure skating app

Developer Response ,

Hi Alaina! Thank you for your feedback on our app. We apologize that the app did not meet your expectations but appreciate your suggestions for improvement. We will take your feedback into consideration as we continue to enhance the app's capabilities and online resources. If there is any way we can assist you beyond the app, please give us a call anytime at 719-228-3408.

Fantastic Team

The Learn to Skate USA team has been so incredibly helpful getting myself and my children all set to skate. They answered every question we had and were so nice!