The idea for this product came from a conversation with a personal trainer that was looking to find a way to promote his business. He wanted to create a fitness platform to connect online people with professionals in the wellness industry online. I got together with a friend, who is a developer. We started working on this project by analyzing how the virtual fitness industry is changing during the pandemic.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
People are having difficulties staying engaged in an online fitness experience that is not personalized.
HYPOTHESIS
Developing a platform where users can have “mentors” in the fitness field to whom they can ask questions. The fitness professionals create personal workout plans based on available equipment and make sure the users are exercising with the correct form.
I started defining the main focus of the project by analyzing the user's goal of having a user-friendly online experience combined with the business goal of developing a strong identity in order to attract new customers. I wanted to have different points of view to gain a more comprehensive idea of the objectives.
.jpg)
DESIGN PROCESS
The process began with learning the customer journey through market research and interviews to understand how competitors solve similar problems and users behaviors.
After analyzing the insights, I began conceptualizing the solution and creating user flows and wireframes. From there I started to design and prototype the website, testing the ideas, validating methods, and receiving feedback in order to improve page usability by capturing visual input from users in real-time.
The main focus of the research was to discover how the pandemic changed the online training industry. Also, it was crucial to observe the users’ goals, difficulties, and motivators. Finally, I wanted to understand what keeps users engaged and how to improve the experience.
.png){kind=logo}
CONSIDERATIONS
One of the main goals of the secondary research was to determine the role that AR/VR plays in the online fitness market. The initial idea was to find a way to integrate this technology into the daily routine to help people correcting their form while exercising.
The technology has been used in the industry in three ways:
I decided not to focus on this aspect for the time being as the technology is not able to fully support the idea yet.
I conducted 5 remote interviews and 8 online surveys about online fitness habits and preferences. The sample took into account men and women whose ages ranged from 20 to 50 that are using online apps to virtually workout.
PARTICIPANT #1
" The form is a concern as it's hard to correct it by myself. Also, I need someone to constantly motivate me. "
PARTICIPANT #2
" I spend so much time finding the right class on Youtube. I really would like a structured plan with personalized exercises. "
Based on the research findings, Valerie has been defined as the primary persona that would represent the user archetype for future decision making and the development of the design.
I started empathizing with Valerie by creating two scenarios to see how she would interact with the website. In the first scenario, she’s a new user whereas in the second, she’s a recurring user. In both, I tested her on how she would book a session with a trainer.
.jpg)
Once the key elements to design were defined, I began sketching the pages of the website and translating them later into wireframes.
The wireframes were designed to build the architecture of the website and to analyze the hierarchy of the content that I wanted to display based on my findings.
After conducting concept testing on two versions of the homepage and the logo, the blue color and the name CoachFit resonated more with 70% of the participants.
.jpg)
Coachfit wants to be a classy, dynamic but comforting brand. The color palette conveys trust and stability while the blue-purple shades aim to boost productivity and encourage people to work out more.
All the visual explorations of colors, moods, and styles are expressed in the final responsive design.
.png)
.jpg)
Once the prototype was ready, I conducted 5 remote usability test via Zoom and 10 via Maze. I asked participants to complete a few tasks on the prototype I created in Figma. I wanted to observe how users interacted with and navigated the website.
I implemented the prototype based on the usability testing findings:
TAKEAWAYS
Despite the fact that gyms and studios will start to reopen soon, people have gotten used to online fitness training. They can work out whenever and wherever, creating a very flexible schedule without physical limitations. There’s so much room for improvement in this field, and AR/VR can play a really interesting role in creating a more personalized virtual fitness experience.
.svg){kind=small}