Overview
Very few individuals mastered the consistency game and are disciplined enough to turn exercise into a long-lasting habit. What stands behind the motivation to work out frequently and how to embrace new routines into a busy lifestyle. Playground X challenged to create a platform for sports-oriented individuals to help them achieve their fitness goals and master consistency.
The Challenge
How might we provide sports-oriented individuals with a comprehensive tool so that they feel motivated and empowered to change their habits toward an active lifestyle?
User Goals
Increase the regularity of workouts.
Achieve the desired body shape.
Increase motivation to exercise.
Clarity about workout effectiveness.
Business Goals
Reach as many target market users as possible.
Help the user meet the instructor and vise versa.
Create a unique experience to eliminate competition.
Hypothesis
People will exercise more frequently if that will be more convenient.
Most people are "left in the dark" when it comes to accurate fitness results analysis.
People lose motivation when exercising alone and without guidelines.
New training equipment could motivate to workout.
Here is what we found after the interviews
At the interview stage, I aimed to find out more about the potential user by asking open-ended questions and testing the Hypothesis to learn if any of my assumptions have a place in real life.
For the interviews, I chose ten people age 21 to 50, with completely different lifestyles and social statuses, sharing similar goals and beliefs. During the first round of interviews, I discovered the real desire that stands behind those similar goals. Every one of the interviewees desperately wanted to achieve happiness and feel content in their own body. For someone, it was as simple as attending that class twice a week; for others, it is achieving their full potential in weight training. But the genuine desire was to feel good about themselves.
Patterns and Learnings
Some complained about a lack of energy. " I can't push myself to exercise after a long day at work." or "I'm so tired after five pushups." - What they really struggle with is poor time management and unrealistic expectations. The first case could schedule the workout before work, early in the morning as an example. The second case could start with three pushups with knees on the ground and build-up resilience slowly.
“I'm exhausted”
A high percentage of interviewees admitted that they know exactly how they want their body to look like. Some were influenced by the perfect body shapes on social media, and others found inspiration in friends' or relatives' achievements.
The tendency of comparison to others
Weather conditions affect the mood and desire to exercise.
External Factors
Traveling limits the exercising routines; therefore, some people admitted that it's hard to maintain a workout schedule. Those who work out at home said that it is distracting and that they wish to have the equipment.
Limited space and equipment
75% of interviewees admitted that signing up for long-term classes is scary and can be a deal-breaker as they don't know what to expect. Fear of the unknown doesn't make it exciting but quite the opposite.
“Going through research to find classes is time-consuming, and signing up for a studio is a commitment that I don't want to take.”
Most people admitted that they feel lost when exercising without guidelines. 8 out of 10 chose a class setting over a solo workout.
“I feel so lost when i exercise by myself”
The hypothesis statement was supported by 7 out of 10 interviewees.
“Usually, I can't wait to try out my new gear”
Persona
Fitness level: Advanced
Location: Toronto, Canada
Education: Bachelor in Media
Occupation: Marketing specialist
Status: in relationship
Age: 27
Julian Lima
Pain points
Lack of time | procrastination.
Hard to maintain a high energy level.
Not excited to exercise.
Feel bored when exercising alone.
Behavior & attitude
"Safety first", disciplined, dreamer, hard-working, adventurist, "Do it".
About
Plays football, a traveler, lives an active lifestyle, career focused.
Personality
Introvert vs Extrovert
Passive vs Active
Analytical vs Creative
Activities & interests
-Spinning
Football
Music
Running
Podcasts
Self-development
Politics
Solutions
Find a Class
"Convenience" is the name of the game.
Find classes near you and attend new classes anytime, anywhere.
Habit Tracker
Switch from autopilot, improve consciousness.
Track where your energy goes, and create new habits that will help to achieve fitness goals.
Shop
New sports equipment, new you.
Shop new workout gear. Get ready for class or redeem your rewards.
What it solves?
The feature of finding a class anytime, anywhere allows an easy access to all available classes near by. This provides a level of convenience that was designed to reduce the number of iterations when signing up for a class. Motivation comes and goes; therefore, the opportunity of redeeming motivation "here and now" should become easily accessible.
Convenience
The"find a class" features connects the instructor with the student solves not only the user's goals of finding a suitable class but also the instructor's goal of increasing class attendance.
“Killing two birds with one stone”
Meeting like-minded people is another way of increasing motivation. The "go with the flow" method works. People are more likely to commit when they know others are expecting them to attend the class.
Social aspect
Some interviewees admitted that it is often very boring to attend the same classes, at the same location, with the same people. Ninety percent agreed that they would prefer to experience a new setting every now and then, which becomes possible with the "find a class" feature.
Change of scene
Research shows that individuals are more likely to be excited to exercise if they know they will be using something new. Wearing a new workout set or using a new yoga mat. The "Shop" feature is designed to empower users by providing new equipment but also by giving out rewards if a goal was reached.
New stuff. New me.
As Einstein once said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Embracing new habits is critical when aiming to achieve a completely new outcome. This is where the "habit tracker" steps in to help the users form new habits and increase awareness.
Building new habits
Testing and Learnings
To test the possible user flows, I have used the Figma App to allow a realistic App browsing experience to the user. While each one of them was interacting with the flow, I watched them and analyzed how they navigate through the App and the time they spend on each screen.
The beginning of the flow was friendly to use until the calendar section, where it became overwhelming and confusing. That section was replaced by a different layout later.
Overwhelming Calendar
The filter option was limited; therefore, the users had questions about the classes' suitability during the session. According to the questions they would ask, I could understand what information should be added.
Limited filter selection
All users scrolled through the carousel of pictures. It showed their interest in the visual display of the class.
Useful visuals
The feedback after clicking on some buttons was missing in the wireframing stage.
Missing success screens
Sixty percent of the participants clicked on "reviews" which showed the importance of that section.
Browsing “reviews”
The convenience of location was an essential factor that was prioritized later and illustrated more in-depth.
Find on the map
