Designing Fitness for People
Who Don't Work Out
Many people want to embrace fitness but find themselves stuck at the starting line. Whether they have busy schedules, gym anxiety, or feel overwhelmed by curated social media workouts, the barriers are real. YourFit tackles these challenges by creating a judgement-free space where all levels of fitness can find their footing. By reimagining what a social fitness experience can be, YourFit helps users start their journey exactly where they are, not where they’re told they should be.
ROLE
TIMELINE
TOOLS
DESIGNER + RESEARCHER
JULY 2024
FIGMA
STAGE 01
Empathize with Users
USER INTERVIEWS
6 Target Users Interviewed:
- Difficult school-work-life balance, busy people!
- Have trouble finding what workouts are right for them.
- Don’t like to feel alone in their journey.
- Get current fitness information and advice from
social media.
Unintended Consequences of Social Media:
83% of users say that social media makes them feel distracted and bad about themselves.
- Echo Chambers
- Polarisations
- Misinformation
CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPPING
MARKET RESEARCH
STAGE 02
Exploring Low Fidelity Wireframes
APPROACHING THE PROBLEM + ITERATING
ITERATIONS + USER FEEDBACK
STAGE 03
High Fidelity Wireframes
HOW MIGHT WE...
provide a personalized experience to help users understand their fitness needs?
- Providing an all-in-one workout and meal planning app, because nutrition is just as important in a fitness plan.
- Recommendations based on goals/activities, also providing the ability to explore.
HOW MIGHT WE...
provide a personalized experience to help users understand their fitness needs?
- Detailed onboarding process to create a plan from the get-go.
- Feedback after workouts, understanding how you’re feeling and what to do next.
HOW MIGHT WE...
help users integrate workouts and plans in the midst of busy schedules?
- Ability to sync calendars (e.g. Google, Notion) so app can fit in workouts.
- Focus on short and effective workouts.
- Simplified and customized planning process for both workouts & meals.
HOW MIGHT WE...
help users feel a sense of belonging and confidence in their journey?
- Implementing social communities including friends, groups, and instructors.
- Explore communities based on interests and goals.
- Goal tracking to see progress made.
LEARNING
How Might I Approach This Differently?
Embrace Non-Linear Process
- Multiple rounds of usability testing- with a larger audience.
- Observe, reflect, & make continuously- not just once.
- Don’t be afraid to completely change course. Iterate, iterate, and iterate.
- Be able to define metrics and impact. (Was the problem REALLY solved?)
Consider Beyond the Users
- Consider all levels of fitness.
- Speak to fitness pros, ensure that my knowledge about fitness is accurate (I’m a beginner too...)
- Speak to instructors and coaches, understand what it takes for a successful fitness journey.
- Speak to people who don’t work out at all, how can THEY be motivated?
Deep Dive into User Research
- Behavioral Research:
Observe a day in the life of a busy person and what they do. WHY don’t they have time to workout?
Observe a workout, at what point do they start losing confidence? - Get user feedback from multiple stages. What do they think about the solutions & why.
Accessible Color Theory
- Ensure users with color impairments can still easily understand data & stats that are represented.
- Experiment with colors that have high contrast for better visualization. (red & orange as secondary colors may not be the best option.)
OUTCOME
I presented this study to my IBM Accelerate coach
and cohort, and received the IBM Accelerate
Design Badge!
