Project Overview

Client:

Personal Project

Lifeform function:

Research and Design

Area of Study:

Interaction Design, App Design, Fitness

Targeted Goal:

Design a Fitness app with tracking and Blog capabilities.

The Problem

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of individuals embraced online classes via platforms like YouTube, transforming their living rooms into makeshift gyms. The ability to engage in home-based workouts, access fitness and wellness knowledge, and monitor one's physical well-being became essential for a substantial portion of our society.

The Solution

In light of this context, there is a promising opportunity to create a fitness app that empowers users, catering to their specific needs and desires.

Design Process

The design process for this fitness app will be a systematic journey through Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation.

In the Inspiration phase, we will gather valuable insights through user interviews and conduct a competitive analysis to understand the existing landscape.

Creating user personas will help us empathize with the target audience. In the Ideation phase, we will translate these insights into actionable design concepts by developing user stories, user flows, and low to mid-fidelity wireframes.

Finally, in the Implementation phase, we will bring the ideas to life with a high-fidelity prototype and conduct usability tests to refine the user experience.

The primary goals in this endeavour are to design solutions that make it easier for users to book gym classes seamlessly and to create a solution that integrates seamlessly with users' gym-related information, including membership details and payments.

This holistic approach will ensure that the fitness app not only enhances the workout experience but also streamlines administrative tasks, ultimately delivering a more convenient and enjoyable fitness journey for users.

Inspiration

User Interview

To understand the user perspective and needs, two qualitative interviews were conducted with gym practitioners.

The key insights gleaned from these interviews revealed a strong desire among interviewees for features that provide enhanced convenience and information.

They expressed a keen interest in having the ability to check class vacancies in advance and a more user-friendly booking system for classes they intend to attend.

Furthermore, interviewees saw the potential for the gym app to become an all-in-one solution, allowing them to not only track their own fitness progress but also share valuable information with their gym's personal trainers and nutritionists.

This collaborative approach would enable more precise and tailored training and nutrition plans.

Lastly, the interviewees exhibited a curiosity about health and fitness, indicating a need for easy access to comprehensive information within the app.

Competitive Analysis

A comprehensive competitive analysis was conducted, focusing on two direct competitors: Zepp Life (formerly MiFit) and Fitness Hut.

Zepp Life

Zepp Life, formerly known as Mi Fit, is an app with a clear goal: tracking biometrics for health and fitness. There are several positive aspects to this app. The homepage efficiently displays all essential features, making navigation straightforward. Initiating a workout is a user-friendly process, and the active workout page provides relevant information such as workout duration, calories burned, and a map of the exercise route. Additionally, the profile page is easy to navigate, displaying information about connected devices, goals, and settings.

However, there are also some areas where the app faces challenges. The active workout page can be somewhat challenging to use while in motion due to the small button sizes, which may affect the user experience for those engaged in physical activities. Furthermore, a potential improvement could be the introduction of a dark mode, especially useful for nighttime sports like hiking, enhancing usability and reducing screen glare in low-light conditions.

Fitness Hut

Fitness Hut, designed with the primary goal of managing gym memberships and scheduling classes, offers several positive features.

Users can access detailed information about available classes and schedule evaluations, gym sessions, while also having the capability to view prescribed training and create personal training lists.

The inclusion of a tracking feature that can be utilized both inside and outside the gym enhances its versatility, and the implementation of a dark mode contributes to a comfortable user experience during nighttime or low-light use.

However, the app does have its share of challenges.

The interface design appears somewhat inconsistent, with buttons varying in size, and icons not providing the desired user intuitiveness. This could potentially lead to usability issues.

Additionally, a notable limitation is the app's inability to connect with smart devices for tracking purposes, which could be a valuable feature for users seeking a more comprehensive fitness monitoring experience.

Personas

Two personas were crafted for the app design process, drawing upon insights gathered from both the Deloitte European Health and Fitness Market data and the valuable input provided by the interviewees.

These personas serve as archetypal representations of our target user groups, allowing us to tailor the app's design and features to meet the specific needs and preferences of these distinct user segments.

Ideation

User Stories, flows and Low-Fidelity Wireframes

User stories were developed to define user flows, incorporating the personas and insights gathered from the interviewees.

Utilizing the user flows as a foundation, it was created low-fidelity wireframes.

This crucial step not only established the fundamental structure of the app but also delineated the visual touchpoints that enhance the user experience.

Implementation

Prototype and Features

Prototype Link: https://www.figma.com/proto/boPxrZo7CIwZudKUIVxe0P/Gym-App-Case-Study?type=design&node-id=17-185&t=mlkW1vECl7X5M4RG-1&scaling=scale-down&page-id=0%3A1&starting-point-node-id=76%3A506&mode=design

Usability Tests

To conclude the design process, a high-fidelity prototype underwent rigorous usability testing involving three users.

Their invaluable feedback played a pivotal role in refining the prototype and provided essential insights that would guide the app's future development.

Notably, users expressed a strong interest in having the app's statistics integrated in a way that connects with their gym's trainers and nutritionists, recognizing the potential for more precise and tailored fitness plans.

Additionally, a suggestion emerged to incorporate a live counter on the home screen, allowing users to gauge gym occupancy in real-time, aiding in their decision-making process about visiting the gym.

These insights serve as a foundation for further enhancements and improvements in the app's functionality and user experience.