In an effort to improve cross-community engagement and support for Tone It Up (TIU), I created a feature allowing users to cheer each other on in real time during a workout. I also redesigned several screens to better facilitate in-app connections and conversations.
My Role
UX/UI Designer, Visuals, Prototyping, Research, Wireframing
Timeline
March-April (4 weeks)
Personal Project
Background
TIU is a fitness and wellness community for women, founded by women. Its mission is to inspire women to make connections and help them fulfil their dreams with their fitness app. The app provides users with quick, convenient access to their workout programs, trainers, nutritional guides, and most importantly a community of fellow women to help support and uplift them throughout their journey.
Problem
Working out at home is more popular now than ever. Women of TIU who are wanting to lead a healthier lifestyle and get fit can sometimes feel intimidated and unmotivated without the encouragement and accountability of a like-minded group. How might we improve the support and community that the members of TIU need to continue exercising?
Solution
A feature that allows you to encourage other women working out at the same time as you will not only help you support them on their journey but motivate them in real time. Pairing this feature with the revision of specific screens and features throughout the app will better support in-app connection, accountability, and support as well as boost user engagement.
Research
I conducted interviews to better understand women’s motivations, desires and what is currently missing surrounding their fitness experience. There were five participants who identified as female ranging in ages from 26 to 34 years old. These interviews helped me to explore different problems and issues they currently face.
Women felt better not only physically but mentally when they were consistent with their workout routine. They were also more prone to a consistent workout routine when they had a partner to hold them accountable and motivate them.
Key Findings
Workingout regularly not only helps their physical health, but their mental health too
They prefer to workout with a partner or friend
When they have an accountability partner, they rarely miss a workout
Scheduling workouts and planning in advance helps them meet their weekly fitness goals, even if it is a short workout
“Growing up and in my early twenties fitness was a struggle. I could never find something I truly enjoyed. I tried running, I tried personal training, I tried the whole gamut. It wasn’t until later in my journey that I realized the social aspect of working out really drove me. I found this through group classes, through texting friends with similar goals, and even digital platforms when face-to-face meetings aren’t possible. ”
Empathy Map
The following empathy map was created based on the findings gathered from the user research. Katie Bell represented TIU’s key user which was a woman in her early 30’s looking for guidance and motivation to improve her overall health with fitness.
User Flow
Organizing the user flow allowed me to visually determine if the solution was feasible and focus on the user experience. I’ve explored how they cheer on other users, are notified when they have been cheered on or have cheered someone else on, as well as how this new feature smoothly integrates into the existing TIU app.
In Class Participants List
Allowing users to see who is currently participating in the workout establishes a common connection with other women using the app. The users connections currently taking the same class appear at the top of the participants list with a teal ring around the connected user’s profile picture.
Cheering On Other Users
To further promote this connection, users are able to cheer other women on giving them real time motivation and encouragement.
A teal dot appears on the notification bell if the user has received a cheer. Clicking this bell displays the list of fellow women who have sent them encouragement during their workout.
The following screens were chosen because they provided the biggest opportunity to better in-app connection, accountability, and support as well as boost user engagement.
Before: When viewing another user’s profile, non-standard icons were used for the tabs and the Connections tab was grouped with these tabs holding the same visual weight.
After: Displayed the user’s connections at the top of the profile screen so that it is prioritized over the other tabs and replaced icons with labels to remove the guesswork for new users.
Before: The user can’t tell who they are connected with at a glance because the user initially lands on their own engagements/achievements instead of a more community-focused page. The user’s public profile details are hidden in the settings menu and were difficult to update.
After: Landing on the user’s messages highlights this feature and further encourages community outreach. Displaying the user’s own profile information at the top of the screen including connection accounts allows for quick visibility and easy access for the user to manage.
Before: The Program Roster is obscurely displayed taking up valuable screen real estate.
The workout cards are difficult to read with a full bleed image and text on top.
After: Removing the ambiguity and clearly stating the Program Roster call to action allows for quick access to connect with other users in the same program.
Moving the photo from the background of the workout card to the left and text to the right allows for better readability.
Reflections and Learnings
This was a really exciting and fun project for me to work on as Tone It Up is a great company with an inspiring mission to help connect women and fulfill their fitness goals. I immensely grew as a designer from this project and learned the following.
Think about the problem you’re trying to solve
I learned early on that I needed to focus less on the feature-level usage and more on the user problem. When framing your problem statement to be user-centered, this allows for more opportunity to explore broader solutions.
Do Your Research
I leaned heavily on personal experiences, interviews and app reviews to solve the problem at hand. I would have loved to do a deep dive into the app's analytics and research to better understand user pain points. Without intent and research behind your decisions, your solution is just a pretty design and does not solve the user’s problem. And in order to support your design decisions, you must know your audience.
