Likes

• The use of an explore page creates an easy way for users to scroll and see friends and followers activity.

• The ability to share workouts.

• Specifically, Apple’s option to create challenges with friends.

Dislikes

• There is no way to message friends in-app. Apple uses a separate app to log messages.

• The UI is confusing when creating and looking at leaderboards.

• Apps are limited to one type of exercise.

Wireframes

From my user flows I designed wireframes that would then be made into a prototype for usability testing. I wanted my wireframes to be simple and minimalistic.

Usability Test

Before I created the high fidelity screens, I wanted to determine what problems users might encounter while navigating through each page. The participants were recruited from the initial interviews, usability tests were conducted via Zoom.

Feedback

• The “explore” and “feed” can be combined

• In “messages” there should be more of a change when switching club chats

• Add a legend to the map

• Add search option for workouts

• Possibly reword “map” to “run”

I took this feedback and applied changes to my high fidelity screens.

High Fidelity Prototype

After receiving feedback from my usability test on my wireframes I created my high fidelity prototype. For my prototype, I wanted the app to be minimalistic but still have pops of color. Fit Buddy has animations to help keep the user visually engaged. Each page was designed so the user always has access to their messages and friend’s “stories.” and page. For the running aspect of Fit Buddy I created a smartwatch prototype as well. After each mile, users are prompted to rate how they felt their last mile went. The results are then logged and seen in the saved routes in the app.

View High Fidelity Link

Evaluation

Final Round of Usability Testing 

The design and animations impressed participants. The navigation was easy to follow, but some participants voiced they “wanted to click on more options.” With more time, I could develop the less important pages that participants were looking to navigate to. Participants commented that the “stories” fiction would keep them engaged, and that they liked how they could quickly see their friends’ exercises. When I asked if seeing these “stories” would motivate them to get active, they each said they would feel motivated. Participants found the addition of a smartwatch to be a key feature, as each of them uses a smartwatch daily.

Conclusion

Fit Buddy keeps users engaged and motivated to stay fit. Users can choose their style of fitness, as well as combine desired exercises. The minimal design combined with the pops of color and animation keeps the users’ attention. The effortless navigation throughout the app keeps users coming back. Whether it is for staying in touch and in shape with your friends or focusing on bettering yourself, Fit Buddy is here for you.

What I learned

Understand Your User

Coming from a health and fitness background, I have a good feel for different workout apps. With that being said, everyone uses workout apps differently. Creating Fit Buddy required me to drop all biases and listen to interviewees and potential users. Hearing each person’s point of view made me realize how diverse fitness apps can be. Some people wanted apps just for running, or just lifting, or just classes. Gathering feedback helped me structure a design plan and create a fitness app that I would use every day.

Next Steps

In the future, I plan to create a more intuitive start function for exercise pages. With more time I would be able to dive deeper into the fitness needs of users, doing this would lead to more engagement and a better experience overall.