The Product
Fitness coaching app exploration for people with limited mobility.
Project Timeline
August 2024
My Role & Responsibilities
Product designer, user research, wireframing, prototyping
The Problem
As people’s mobility evolves, common workout programs like popular apps or workout classes become inaccessible because they do not account for specific mobility needs. If someone loses mobility in their leg due to injury or develops arthritis, they may become unintentionally inactive because they do not have access to programs that meet their specific mobility needs.
The Goal
Create an app that lets users find workouts that fit their specific mobility needs, connect with a coach to build personalized workout plans and support, and empowers users to stay active whatever their mobility needs are.
Understanding the User
User Research
I conducted exploratory research about the experience of people with limited mobility and recommended fitness plans for people with limited mobility. I did this by reading articles, blogs, and listening to interviews. Before doing research I was mostly considering people with lifelong or long term mobility considerations, but as I listened to testimonials I broadened my thinking to also include people with a temporary limitation like someone recovering from an injury.
Pain Points
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When using workout apps it can be hard to tell what mobility requirements are needed for exercises. In my design I provide a search filter for specific mobility requirements and labels that quickly let users know if the workout fits their mobility.
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A user may encounter workouts that could be modified to meet their abilities, but if they do not have that information they are left having to skip that exercise. My design provides modification information and ways to connect with a user’s coach to get personalized support.
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Current workout offerings for users with limited mobility are geared at elderly users. Users who have temporary mobility limitations like being in a wheelchair temporarily due to injury have trouble finding workouts that fit their fitness levels and mobility needs. I designed to be inclusive of a wide range of fitness.
User Personas
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Persona: Riley
Riley is a person who temporarily cannot use her leg who needs a way to stay active while her leg is recovering without using her leg because she does not know how to modify workouts to fit their new mobility needs.
Persona: Gabriel
Gabriel is a 50 year old with arthritis who needs to find a way to do low impact workouts because group fitness classes are too hard on his joints.
User Journey Map
Going through these journeys I empathized with the strain that the extra thought and care for accommodating oneself puts on a user with limited mobility. I felt the burden a user might feel by the amount of guesswork they have to do to find and complete a workout.
My research led me to my goal: create a product that fills that information gap so that someone could find a workout with confidence it would meet their mobility needs.
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Starting the Design
Paper Wireframes:
Home Screen
As I iterated on the home screen, I honed in on connecting users with their coach, their coach’s guidance, and their workout options to immediately connect them to their goals when they open the app.
LoFi Prototype
The Flow
This flow takes a user from the home screen through choosing and completing a workout. It begins when a user clicks on the workout button in the app’s navigation. This action connects them to the on-demand workouts, which a user can then filter. If the user is satisfied with the search results, they will choose a workout and complete each exercise within the workout.
Thought Process
My goal was to connect users with workouts they felt confident met their mobility needs, so I provided features like an extensive search filter and worked in ways for users to get clear information about workouts whether by reading about modifications or connecting with their coach directly.
Filter & Search Screens
Ample filter categories empower users to find workouts they are confident suit their needs
Labels with icons offer quick info about what the workout includes
Workout Screen
Timer for keeping track of exercise length
Exercise cards preview work to come with images, rep count, and set count
Refining the Design
Thought Process
I wanted this app to empower users and accommodate a wide range of abilities.
Color
I used the accent color bright aqua to invoke energy. Imagery is bright and welcoming to help users feel motivated.
Imagery
Images show workouts at a range of modifications like some show lightweight resistance bands while others show a heavy weight so that all levels are represented. The people pictured are younger because in my competitive audit I found that the majority of workout content for people with mobility limitations is geared toward elderly people. While an elderly person could certainly use this app, I wanted to clearly show that this app could be used by younger people to distinguish it from available products.
Accessibility Considerations
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Users are able to filter for what body area they want to use as well as not use. This gives users more ease in knowing they are getting search results that fit their movement needs.
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Each workout has a modifications button that when a user clicks on it, they get a list of ways they can adjust the workout for various mobility and fitness abilities.
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Labels and icons are on workout cards so users can know at a glance if the workout is compatible with their accessibility concern like if the workout is seated-athlete friendly.
What I Learned
Accessibility
As I delved into how individual body types influence workout capabilities and, in turn, how users interact with fitness apps, I reflected on the broader concept that accessibility considerations benefit everyone. While designing with accessibility in mind, I discovered that the features I was creating would also be advantageous for me, someone with a full range of motion. This realization underscored the importance of inclusive design in making fitness apps more effective for all users.
Figma - Auto Layout
Given that the app features multiple cards for displaying workouts and guiding users through exercises, I dedicated time to refining my use of the auto layout functionality in Figma. This focus ensured a seamless and dynamic design that enhances the user experience throughout the app.
Next Steps
User Testing
With the prototype complete, I would start user testing, where I would look to address the following questions:
How long does it take a user to find a workout in the app?
What can I learn from the steps that users take to find and complete a workout?
Are there parts of the user flow where users get stuck?
Are there more features that users would like to see included in the app?
Do users think the app is easy or difficult to use?
Coaching Features
This app allows users to do customized workouts and connect with their fitness coach. I started with the workout features, so next I would build out the coaching features like messaging and building a plan with a coach. Adding in more coaching features will allow users to further customize their workouts to reach their fitness goals.
Videos
On each of the exercises, I would add video demonstrations to add clarity and further empower users to execute workouts.
Let’s Connect
I would love to chat about how we might create more meaningful and user friendly designs like this together! Reach out to me at margaret.macvean@gmail.com.