FitMatch
Confidence in gym-goers increases membership retention.
“FitMatch” Creating a win-win situation for gym users and gym owners by connecting members with a personal trainer.
Project Overview
Problem
High Churn Rate
and Low Engagement
“73% of people who set fitness/weight-loss goals as a New Year’s resolution give them up.”
━ Harris Interactive on behalf of Bodybuilding.com
“Majority of health clubs and gyms lose 50% of their new members within the first six months.”━ IHRSA, 2020
My Role & Methods
UX researcher & UI designer
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Secondary Research
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Primary Research (1: 1 interviews)
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Synchronize Research Data
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Afinity Map
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User Persona
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Ideate & Sketch
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Design & Prototype
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Usability Tests
Objective
Increase User Engagement
and Retention
Increasing customer engagement and retention, as well as club revenue by providing a better gym experience, and improved digital product experience.
Research
- Strategy and Design Move-
Could it be a wrong solution?
Client believes lack of communication between members is the main cause of the high churn rate. My bias as a Gym Goer myself, I had empathy for the target persona. Having been in the context and experienced the problem through casual observation ethnography I had second thoughts about rushing into design.
- Qualitative Research-
Why do people get frustrated at the gym?
To develop a product that better connects the customer and the business, we began the research by understanding user’s frustrations while using the gym.
5 people who have once signed up for a gym membership but ended up quitting their fitness journey were interviewed.
Major frustrations include:
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Lack of training knowledge
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Fear of getting injured
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Loss of accountability
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Unsatisfied Results
Whom are we designing for?
User Persona
design Ideation
- Hypothetical Solutions-
How might we help Robert train smarter and safer so he can feel positive training at the gym?
Improving the existing product through rebuilding a stronger connection between business service and customer needs increases user engagement.
Next, let’s take a look at our design ideation in a user journey map.
A Study finds that 50% of the users quit in 6 months. According to the client, user engagement dropped after 3 weeks.
User Journey - Current Situation - 3 Weeks Quit The Gym
Can we intersect and get them to stay in the gym?
In the ideal situation, the product will be Introduced to the user in an earlier stage of their journey to ensure business service supports the user’s needs in a timely manner.
User Journey - Ideal Situation - Opportunity
Next, let’s take a look how we can support users during their fitness journey.
Two training options, either or ?
Our qualitative research shows that beginners and new gym users often do not take full advantage of the gym’s equipment and services. While personal training sessions are offered at most gyms, the biggest concerns to the customers are the cost of the service, as well as required commitment with a trainer they are not familiar with.
Training Options Pros and Cons
Low Fidelity Screen Sketches
3 Focused MVP Features Developed Based On User Needs
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SCAN AND GO
Kickoff machine workout faster and easier.
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ANSWER FINDS YOU IN A SEC.
Get help right away without leaving your spot.
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CONNECT AND ESCALATE
Your impressive transformation done by safer and more effective workouts with professional trainers.
User Story:
As Robert, I want to know how to use machines so I can achieve better results.
Problem: Lack of training knowledge
“I don’t know how to use the machine.”
SCAN AND GO
Kickoff machine workout faster and easier.
1
Connect with a wearable device (optional)
2
Scan QR code on the workout machine
3
Watch demo video and read instruction
Design and iteration
Three rounds of tests on design and the prototype. Tests are done remotely through sharing a Figma prototype with 5 Interviewees each round.
Usability Issue: Unclear Action Button
In the first two versions, the main action button was given a title that corresponds with the brand name. The title “FitMatch” and “MatchMe” didn’t converse a clear idea of what action this button provides to the users. Testing several iterations of text we ended up going with “Get Help” and it solved the problem.
Improvements
Version 1
Version 2
Version 3
Problem: Lack of training knowledge
“I don’t know how to use the machine.”
User Story:
As Robert, I want to know how to use machines so I can achieve better results.
ANSWER FINDS YOU IN A SEC.
Get help right away without leaving your spot.
1
Tap “Get Help”
2
Talk with a gym staff
3
Chose a trainer
4
Trainer approaches to the user
Usability Issue: Inauthenticity in pre-generated template
At first glance, users expected the chat to be a real trainer, however, we gave them an unsatisfactory boilerplate templated word salad. In the next iteration, we solved it by enhancing micro-interaction that communicates real-time system status, which makes the experience more personal.
We also noticed that users disengaged when realizing talking with a bot. We want to integrate real-human input, such as a front desk staff, directing the customer to use the trainer service. In the next round of test, we should see if the acquisition rate raises.
Improvements
Version 1
Version 2
Usability Issue: Hard To Make Decisions
During the usability test, we noticed a long pause when users are asked to make decisions due to the equal visual treatment on the options. There was not enough information for users to quickly differentiate one option from another.
Improvements
Version 1
Version 2
Usability Issue: Feel Lost and Disconnected
We also noticed users often asked “okay, and now what?” after they are matched with a trainer. They were unsure about what is going to happen next, if they are getting help, or if more actions are required.
We iterated the design by adding a message and a graph showing users that their trainer is approaching them.
Improvements
Version 1
Version 2
User Story:
As Robert, I want to know how to train smarter and efficient so I can see faster results.
Problem: Lack of accountability, Loss of motivation, Unsatisfied result
“I stopped going to the gym because I am not seeing results, and I don’t know what I did wrong.”
CONNECT AND ESCALATE
Your impressive transformation done by safer and more effective workouts with professional trainers.
1
Connect with a trainer and try out a training session
2
Rate the trainer and the training experience
3
Chose a subscription plan
Usability Issue: Low Review Rate
Customer review is crucial for personal training service. In the first version, the star rating and the comment area are displayed in one pop-up message, assuming this helps users complete the task with less steps. However, most users skipped leaving reviews during usability tests. Most expressed not wanting to write comments.
Improvements
Version 1
Version 2
In the second version, the star rating and the comment are separated into different screens. During the second round of tests, most users left star reviews.
Usability Issue: Hard To Make Decisions
During the usability test, we noticed a long pause when users are asked to make decisions due to the equal visual treatment on the options. There was not enough information for users to quickly differentiate one option from another.
Improvements
Version 1
Version 2
