Promoting exercise adherence for novices, and the power of knowledge.
Promoting exercise adherence for novices, and the power of knowledge.
Role: Sole Product Designer (with mentorship from a Senior Product Designer and Chief Design Officer)
Timeline: 6 month-long concept project for my Springboard UI/UX certification
Constraints: Sole designer
Impact: 5/5 users demonstrated a profound comprehension of their fitness data, 5/5 users felt FitNote would drastically improve their exercise discipline
Project Objective
Growing up malnourished and weak due to poor dietary choices and lack of exercise, I’ve wanted to create a service which would remove as many roadblocks to good physical health.
The Challenge
Despite the rise of fitness content, the barrier to entry remains high for novices. So, we must ask where the problem lies, and how engagement and understanding are involved in the lack of adherence.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about a quarter of adults in the United States are physically active. Even with efforts to educate and motivate beginners to exercise, there exists an unidentified roadblock to establish the routine and discipline required for such an activity. This outcome suggests there is a problem with engagement, understanding, and application within the field of physical exercise.
Discovery
Secondary research revealed the importance of self efficacy, goal setting, and types of motivation.
Research showed that self-efficacy, or the belief in one's ability to perform an action, is crucial in maintaining regular exercise habits. Goal-setting difficulties, and lack of intrinsic motivation were also primary reasons for low adherence. Based on these findings, I prioritized creating a service that addresses these concerns by providing assistance to novice exercisers in achieving their fitness goals and simplifying the workout program selection process.
Discovery
Speaking with those who struggle with adherence unveiled further factors to consider such as environment, knowledge, and diet.
Through interviews with five participants, it became clear that three key areas were essential for maintaining a consistent exercise routine.
Synthesis
High levels of energy, wakefulness, and better mood were found to be aspects of exercise unanimously loved by participants.
Through an affinity mapping process, participants' pain points and exercise preferences were discovered. Participants' unanimous enjoyment of increased energy, wakefulness, and better mood provided valuable insights, paving way for common patterns in their responses to be uncovered. These patterns included their exercise history, encountered problems, helpful factors, preferred environments, motivations, habits, and insightful quotes.
Synthesis
How might we help Deniz fit exercise into his busy schedule, so he is happy with his health?
Crafting a user persona helped me reconnect with my target audience and their common struggles. It dawned on me that a wide range of people could be potential users since many share a desire to enhance their well-being and avoid aging. While the persona acts as a reference, it's the shared emotions and perceptions that give it substance. This reinforced the need for a methodical approach to ensure a top-notch user experience with fitness.
Ideation
Asking the right questions directed me towards conceiving as many ideas as possible, no matter how absurd.
I asked, “How might we...”
Help people stay motivated?
Encourage consistency towards a schedule?
Assist exercising within a preferred environment?
These statements focused my service’s problem space and helped me analyze and compile findings into an actionable plan. The Four Categories method allowed me to appreciate ideation, even the unconventional ideas, and provided a high volume of options to narrow down. The selected solutions were primarily from the 'Most Rational' and 'Most Delightful' categories. The ideation process was fun and eye-opening, revealing the potential in the quantity of ideas generated.
Ideation
User stories and user journeys narrowed the focus of my service, ensuring only the aspects most vital to improving physical health remained.
Through the process of developing user stories and user journeys, I identified six primary features that would define my service. My mentor suggested referring back to the user persona and interviews to distinguish which features would aid the user with their friction.
This resulted in the selection of four MVP features that were driven by providing the fundamentals of fitness and nutrition with enough flexibility to ensure compatibility with any lifestyle. I learned that providing fewer high-quality features is better than multiple half-baked ones.
Competitive Analysis
Investigating existing offerings emphasized the importance of creating a streamlined experience for the user.
Through competitive analysis, I learned that similar features across different services can vary greatly in their implementation, from poor to excellent. For instance, MyFitnessPal's use of tabbed interfaces and floating action buttons created a confusing experience, while Jefit was more organized with clearer information architecture. This taught me to be aware of how such features are applied and to prioritize a streamlined implementation to avoid a bloated user experience.
Sketching
The paper prototype focused on an experience with simple language and effective data representation.
Sketching allowed me to visualize possible design elements and the placement of type, and it helped me let go of my perfectionist tendencies by allowing the sketches to be rough and limited. Informed by the previous research and interviews, I focused on conveying the most important information in a visually simplistic and pleasing manner, with the data charts becoming the centerpiece of the sketches.
Guerilla Usability Testing
While users understood the data charts, they found the navigation, type, and iconography to be highly confusing.
Although users easily understood the charts, my lack of experience in interaction design caused confusion with multiple navigation options leading to the same pages. Spending more time analyzing the user experience holistically could have reduced much of this friction during guerilla testing.
The usability testing revealed
The navigation implemented in the sketches resulted in critical user friction during testing
A couple users had trouble discerning the meaning behind the dietary terminology used
The presence of certain icons in the interface created hesitancy among users on how to proceed
Low Fidelity Designs
The onboarding went through a major revision which promoted interactivity, delight, and user retention.
Encountering a roadblock with the onboarding process, I found that the flow was functional but not engaging. To address this, I spent hours benchmarking and revising until arriving at a "fun and functional" design. Implementing changes such as interactivity and visual contrast, I learned that creating a visually pleasing and delightful onboarding experience is key.
It required a delicate balance of keeping the user's attention without causing cognitive friction. This experience taught me valuable insights into the nuances of design, which I am grateful for.
Style Guide
What should one prioritize in their high fidelity designs? My answer? Accessibility and polish.
During the branding process, I created a style guide and logo to reflect an empowering, caring, and effortless brand in FitNote. I learned that designing for accessibility involves accounting for every piece of text and element that contrasts with a background, meeting the WCAG standards.
This made me a more conscientious designer, considering the needs of all users. Additionally, feedback on my hi-fidelity mock-ups highlighted the outdated nature of my original design elements, which relied too heavily on bold outlines, multiple colors within elements, and inconsistent colors between elements.
High Fidelity Designs
The outcome: a user-friendly interface that encourages exercise adherence through applied learnings.
The high-fidelity designs aimed to create a seamless user experience for tracking exercise and nutrition, based on previous research. Navigation was refined to ensure ease of use for anyone, even novices, with the goal of motivating them to start exercising as soon as possible.
The biggest lesson learned was to trust oneself and rely on gained experiences and skills to guide creative actions, rather than being overly critical during the initial design process. It was an approach which caused stress and impeded progress, and in hindsight, it was better to allow for creativity and iterate later.
High Fidelity Test Results - Round 1
Users required further clarity on confusing UI patterns and type, stressing the importance of reducing cognitive load.
The testing session focused on how participants would respond to the presentation of their fitness and nutrition data, and whether FitNote would serve to provide sufficient measures in removing the roadblocks to physical exercise previously described.
The usability testing revealed
A couple participants encountered significant obstacles when trying to modify their exercise plan
Many users struggled with chart averages representing their workout/weight/nutrition data
Some miscellaneous concerns were the daily caloric intake and the context of the timer’s purpose
High Fidelity Design Revisions
The final design focused on minor revisions for a major impact.
Initial user testing of FitNote revealed positive feedback on its design and simplicity. As no notable points of friction deterred the user experience, I had the privilege of iterating on minor points of contention for significant user impact.
Changes to the type and iconography reduces user confusion.
It was evident that users had trouble with typography and iconography on the charts, onboarding, and timer. Changes were made to improve readability and clarity, including adding type for chart averages and daily calorie intake, simplifying the type for the timer, and clarifying the iconography of the 'Change Workout' CTA.
High Fidelity Test Results - Round 2
Multiple rounds of testing proved to be valuable, exposing a separate batch of usability issues.
The second round of testing revealed fewer errors, but highlighted the importance of considering diverse user experiences. While the 'Change Workout' button and charts were well received, certain UI elements and typography still required improvements.
This round of testing demonstrated the need to avoid assumptions about users and their knowledge, as different users may have varying issues. Testing with a small sample size emphasized the importance of accounting for individual user experiences.
The usability testing revealed
Users were confused by the labels P/C/F for protein/fats/carbs on the 'Track Nutrition' chart
Users found the 'Log' FAB confusing and similar to the 'Edit' FAB, causing hesitation and extended completion time, indicating notable friction
Impact
Testing showcased the significant effect user-friendly data visualization and a sleek app design can have on exercise adherence.
Through user testing, FitNote demonstrated the impact of a structured and comprehensive guide in helping individuals navigate the vast and intimidating realm of fitness, providing a clear understanding of the necessary steps for improving their health.
This project holds immense implications, as it drastically reduces the barriers that hinder people from acquiring knowledge and adopting an approach to physical exercise, leading to a significant enhancement in various aspects of one's life, such as improved mental health, mood, and anxiety regulation, as well as better physical stress management.
Lessons I Learned
Experiment to allow growth.
This project underscored the essence of the design process, which is adaptability and experimentation. As mentioned, the first version of FitNote's onboarding process was utilitarian, but lacked flair. Through the guidance of my mentor and a willingness to explore alternative design approaches, I discovered the essential ingredients of an engaging design that encourages user participation.
This encounter transformed my outlook and methodology, as I now recognize the value of remaining open to feedback and iterating designs for the ultimate user experience.
A user’s attention is precious, so don’t waste it.
Through research and interviews, I discovered that users are overwhelmed with the many aspects of exercise, such as nutrition, weight loss, workouts, and time management. This informed my design approach to prioritize conveying only the most important information, which proved effective in user testing. It reinforced the importance of presenting the right information in the right context, rather than inundating users with excessive information.
This project allowed me to develop a deep understanding of how to direct a user's attention and focus within a service, through challenging high-level data analysis and representation.
What’s Next?
Iterate with added, tested key features.
To continue improving FitNote, it is essential to conduct further testing and iteration based on the results of the second round. Moreover, a range of features, including tracking aerobic exercise, monitoring fitness goals, and exploring local recreational facilities, are yet to be implemented, paving the way for an even more thorough and user-friendly experience!
Launch product for real-user data analysis.
This passion project, FitNote, is driven by my personal experiences and an unwavering commitment to its success. I am dedicated to launching this service, regardless of the time it takes, as it will provide invaluable real-world user data to refine and enhance the platform. The ultimate objective is to empower and improve the lives of all individuals who strive to better themselves.
Promoting exercise adherence for novices, and the power of knowledge.
Promoting exercise adherence for novices, and the power of knowledge.
Role: Sole Product Designer (with mentorship from a Senior Product Designer and Chief Design Officer)
Timeline: 6 month-long concept project for my Springboard UI/UX certification
Constraints: Sole designer
Impact: 5/5 users demonstrated a profound comprehension of their fitness data, 5/5 users felt FitNote would drastically improve their exercise discipline
Project Objective
Growing up malnourished and weak due to poor dietary choices and lack of exercise, I’ve wanted to create a service which would remove as many roadblocks to good physical health.
The Challenge
Despite the rise of fitness content, the barrier to entry remains high for novices. So, we must ask where the problem lies, and how engagement and understanding are involved in the lack of adherence.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about a quarter of adults in the United States are physically active. Even with efforts to educate and motivate beginners to exercise, there exists an unidentified roadblock to establish the routine and discipline required for such an activity. This outcome suggests there is a problem with engagement, understanding, and application within the field of physical exercise.
Discovery
Secondary research revealed the importance of self efficacy, goal setting, and types of motivation.
Research showed that self-efficacy, or the belief in one's ability to perform an action, is crucial in maintaining regular exercise habits. Goal-setting difficulties, and lack of intrinsic motivation were also primary reasons for low adherence. Based on these findings, I prioritized creating a service that addresses these concerns by providing assistance to novice exercisers in achieving their fitness goals and simplifying the workout program selection process.
Discovery
Speaking with those who struggle with adherence unveiled further factors to consider such as environment, knowledge, and diet.
Through interviews with five participants, it became clear that three key areas were essential for maintaining a consistent exercise routine.
Synthesis
High levels of energy, wakefulness, and better mood were found to be aspects of exercise unanimously loved by participants.
Through an affinity mapping process, participants' pain points and exercise preferences were discovered. Participants' unanimous enjoyment of increased energy, wakefulness, and better mood provided valuable insights, paving way for common patterns in their responses to be uncovered. These patterns included their exercise history, encountered problems, helpful factors, preferred environments, motivations, habits, and insightful quotes.
Synthesis
How might we help Deniz fit exercise into his busy schedule, so he is happy with his health?
Crafting a user persona helped me reconnect with my target audience and their common struggles. It dawned on me that a wide range of people could be potential users since many share a desire to enhance their well-being and avoid aging. While the persona acts as a reference, it's the shared emotions and perceptions that give it substance. This reinforced the need for a methodical approach to ensure a top-notch user experience with fitness.
Ideation
Asking the right questions directed me towards conceiving as many ideas as possible, no matter how absurd.
I asked, “How might we...”
Help people stay motivated?
Encourage consistency towards a schedule?
Assist exercising within a preferred environment?
These statements focused my service’s problem space and helped me analyze and compile findings into an actionable plan. The Four Categories method allowed me to appreciate ideation, even the unconventional ideas, and provided a high volume of options to narrow down. The selected solutions were primarily from the 'Most Rational' and 'Most Delightful' categories. The ideation process was fun and eye-opening, revealing the potential in the quantity of ideas generated.
Ideation
User stories and user journeys narrowed the focus of my service, ensuring only the aspects most vital to improving physical health remained.
Through the process of developing user stories and user journeys, I identified six primary features that would define my service. My mentor suggested referring back to the user persona and interviews to distinguish which features would aid the user with their friction.
This resulted in the selection of four MVP features that were driven by providing the fundamentals of fitness and nutrition with enough flexibility to ensure compatibility with any lifestyle. I learned that providing fewer high-quality features is better than multiple half-baked ones.
Competitive Analysis
Investigating existing offerings emphasized the importance of creating a streamlined experience for the user.
Through competitive analysis, I learned that similar features across different services can vary greatly in their implementation, from poor to excellent. For instance, MyFitnessPal's use of tabbed interfaces and floating action buttons created a confusing experience, while Jefit was more organized with clearer information architecture. This taught me to be aware of how such features are applied and to prioritize a streamlined implementation to avoid a bloated user experience.
Sketching
The paper prototype focused on an experience with simple language and effective data representation.
Sketching allowed me to visualize possible design elements and the placement of type, and it helped me let go of my perfectionist tendencies by allowing the sketches to be rough and limited. Informed by the previous research and interviews, I focused on conveying the most important information in a visually simplistic and pleasing manner, with the data charts becoming the centerpiece of the sketches.
Guerilla Usability Testing
While users understood the data charts, they found the navigation, type, and iconography to be highly confusing.
Although users easily understood the charts, my lack of experience in interaction design caused confusion with multiple navigation options leading to the same pages. Spending more time analyzing the user experience holistically could have reduced much of this friction during guerilla testing.
The usability testing revealed
The navigation implemented in the sketches resulted in critical user friction during testing
A couple users had trouble discerning the meaning behind the dietary terminology used
The presence of certain icons in the interface created hesitancy among users on how to proceed
Low Fidelity Designs
The onboarding went through a major revision which promoted interactivity, delight, and user retention.
Encountering a roadblock with the onboarding process, I found that the flow was functional but not engaging. To address this, I spent hours benchmarking and revising until arriving at a "fun and functional" design. Implementing changes such as interactivity and visual contrast, I learned that creating a visually pleasing and delightful onboarding experience is key.
It required a delicate balance of keeping the user's attention without causing cognitive friction. This experience taught me valuable insights into the nuances of design, which I am grateful for.
Style Guide
What should one prioritize in their high fidelity designs? My answer? Accessibility and polish.
During the branding process, I created a style guide and logo to reflect an empowering, caring, and effortless brand in FitNote. I learned that designing for accessibility involves accounting for every piece of text and element that contrasts with a background, meeting the WCAG standards.
This made me a more conscientious designer, considering the needs of all users. Additionally, feedback on my hi-fidelity mock-ups highlighted the outdated nature of my original design elements, which relied too heavily on bold outlines, multiple colors within elements, and inconsistent colors between elements.
High Fidelity Designs
The outcome: a user-friendly interface that encourages exercise adherence through applied learnings.
The high-fidelity designs aimed to create a seamless user experience for tracking exercise and nutrition, based on previous research. Navigation was refined to ensure ease of use for anyone, even novices, with the goal of motivating them to start exercising as soon as possible.
The biggest lesson learned was to trust oneself and rely on gained experiences and skills to guide creative actions, rather than being overly critical during the initial design process. It was an approach which caused stress and impeded progress, and in hindsight, it was better to allow for creativity and iterate later.
High Fidelity Test Results - Round 1
Users required further clarity on confusing UI patterns and type, stressing the importance of reducing cognitive load.
The testing session focused on how participants would respond to the presentation of their fitness and nutrition data, and whether FitNote would serve to provide sufficient measures in removing the roadblocks to physical exercise previously described.
The usability testing revealed
A couple participants encountered significant obstacles when trying to modify their exercise plan
Many users struggled with chart averages representing their workout/weight/nutrition data
Some miscellaneous concerns were the daily caloric intake and the context of the timer’s purpose
High Fidelity Design Revisions
The final design focused on minor revisions for a major impact.
Initial user testing of FitNote revealed positive feedback on its design and simplicity. As no notable points of friction deterred the user experience, I had the privilege of iterating on minor points of contention for significant user impact.
Changes to the type and iconography reduces user confusion.
It was evident that users had trouble with typography and iconography on the charts, onboarding, and timer. Changes were made to improve readability and clarity, including adding type for chart averages and daily calorie intake, simplifying the type for the timer, and clarifying the iconography of the 'Change Workout' CTA.
High Fidelity Test Results - Round 2
Multiple rounds of testing proved to be valuable, exposing a separate batch of usability issues.
The second round of testing revealed fewer errors, but highlighted the importance of considering diverse user experiences. While the 'Change Workout' button and charts were well received, certain UI elements and typography still required improvements.
This round of testing demonstrated the need to avoid assumptions about users and their knowledge, as different users may have varying issues. Testing with a small sample size emphasized the importance of accounting for individual user experiences.
The usability testing revealed
Users were confused by the labels P/C/F for protein/fats/carbs on the 'Track Nutrition' chart
Users found the 'Log' FAB confusing and similar to the 'Edit' FAB, causing hesitation and extended completion time, indicating notable friction
Impact
Testing showcased the significant effect user-friendly data visualization and a sleek app design can have on exercise adherence.
Through user testing, FitNote demonstrated the impact of a structured and comprehensive guide in helping individuals navigate the vast and intimidating realm of fitness, providing a clear understanding of the necessary steps for improving their health.
This project holds immense implications, as it drastically reduces the barriers that hinder people from acquiring knowledge and adopting an approach to physical exercise, leading to a significant enhancement in various aspects of one's life, such as improved mental health, mood, and anxiety regulation, as well as better physical stress management.
Lessons I Learned
Experiment to allow growth.
This project underscored the essence of the design process, which is adaptability and experimentation. As mentioned, the first version of FitNote's onboarding process was utilitarian, but lacked flair. Through the guidance of my mentor and a willingness to explore alternative design approaches, I discovered the essential ingredients of an engaging design that encourages user participation.
This encounter transformed my outlook and methodology, as I now recognize the value of remaining open to feedback and iterating designs for the ultimate user experience.
A user’s attention is precious, so don’t waste it.
Through research and interviews, I discovered that users are overwhelmed with the many aspects of exercise, such as nutrition, weight loss, workouts, and time management. This informed my design approach to prioritize conveying only the most important information, which proved effective in user testing. It reinforced the importance of presenting the right information in the right context, rather than inundating users with excessive information.
This project allowed me to develop a deep understanding of how to direct a user's attention and focus within a service, through challenging high-level data analysis and representation.
What’s Next?
Iterate with added, tested key features.
To continue improving FitNote, it is essential to conduct further testing and iteration based on the results of the second round. Moreover, a range of features, including tracking aerobic exercise, monitoring fitness goals, and exploring local recreational facilities, are yet to be implemented, paving the way for an even more thorough and user-friendly experience!
Launch product for real-user data analysis.
This passion project, FitNote, is driven by my personal experiences and an unwavering commitment to its success. I am dedicated to launching this service, regardless of the time it takes, as it will provide invaluable real-world user data to refine and enhance the platform. The ultimate objective is to empower and improve the lives of all individuals who strive to better themselves.
Promoting exercise adherence for novices, and the power of knowledge.
Role: Sole Product Designer (with mentorship from a Senior Product Designer and Chief Design Officer)
Timeline: 6 month-long concept project for my Springboard UI/UX certification
Constraints: Sole designer
Impact: 5/5 users demonstrated a profound comprehension of their fitness data, 5/5 users felt FitNote would drastically improve their exercise discipline
Project Objective
Growing up malnourished and weak due to poor dietary choices and lack of exercise, I’ve wanted to create a service which would remove as many roadblocks to good physical health.
The Challenge
Despite the rise of fitness content, the barrier to entry remains high for novices. So, we must ask where the problem lies, and how engagement and understanding are involved in the lack of adherence.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about a quarter of adults in the United States are physically active. Even with efforts to educate and motivate beginners to exercise, there exists an unidentified roadblock to establish the routine and discipline required for such an activity. This outcome suggests there is a problem with engagement, understanding, and application within the field of physical exercise.
Discovery
Secondary research revealed the importance of self efficacy, goal setting, and types of motivation.
Research showed that self-efficacy, or the belief in one's ability to perform an action, is crucial in maintaining regular exercise habits. Goal-setting difficulties, and lack of intrinsic motivation were also primary reasons for low adherence. Based on these findings, I prioritized creating a service that addresses these concerns by providing assistance to novice exercisers in achieving their fitness goals and simplifying the workout program selection process.
Discovery
Speaking with those who struggle with adherence unveiled further factors to consider such as environment, knowledge, and diet.
Through interviews with five participants, it became clear that three key areas were essential for maintaining a consistent exercise routine.
Synthesis
High levels of energy, wakefulness, and better mood were found to be aspects of exercise unanimously loved by participants.
Through an affinity mapping process, participants' pain points and exercise preferences were discovered. Participants' unanimous enjoyment of increased energy, wakefulness, and better mood provided valuable insights, paving way for common patterns in their responses to be uncovered. These patterns included their exercise history, encountered problems, helpful factors, preferred environments, motivations, habits, and insightful quotes.
Synthesis
How might we help Deniz fit exercise into his busy schedule, so he is happy with his health?
Crafting a user persona helped me reconnect with my target audience and their common struggles. It dawned on me that a wide range of people could be potential users since many share a desire to enhance their well-being and avoid aging. While the persona acts as a reference, it's the shared emotions and perceptions that give it substance. This reinforced the need for a methodical approach to ensure a top-notch user experience with fitness.
Ideation
Asking the right questions directed me towards conceiving as many ideas as possible, no matter how absurd.
I asked, “How might we...”
Help people stay motivated?
Encourage consistency towards a schedule?
Assist exercising within a preferred environment?
These statements focused my service’s problem space and helped me analyze and compile findings into an actionable plan. The Four Categories method allowed me to appreciate ideation, even the unconventional ideas, and provided a high volume of options to narrow down. The selected solutions were primarily from the 'Most Rational' and 'Most Delightful' categories. The ideation process was fun and eye-opening, revealing the potential in the quantity of ideas generated.
Ideation
User stories and user journeys narrowed the focus of my service, ensuring only the aspects most vital to improving physical health remained.
Through the process of developing user stories and user journeys, I identified six primary features that would define my service. My mentor suggested referring back to the user persona and interviews to distinguish which features would aid the user with their friction.
This resulted in the selection of four MVP features that were driven by providing the fundamentals of fitness and nutrition with enough flexibility to ensure compatibility with any lifestyle. I learned that providing fewer high-quality features is better than multiple half-baked ones.
Competitive Analysis
Investigating existing offerings emphasized the importance of creating a streamlined experience for the user.
Through competitive analysis, I learned that similar features across different services can vary greatly in their implementation, from poor to excellent. For instance, MyFitnessPal's use of tabbed interfaces and floating action buttons created a confusing experience, while Jefit was more organized with clearer information architecture. This taught me to be aware of how such features are applied and to prioritize a streamlined implementation to avoid a bloated user experience.
Sketching
The paper prototype focused on an experience with simple language and effective data representation.
Sketching allowed me to visualize possible design elements and the placement of type, and it helped me let go of my perfectionist tendencies by allowing the sketches to be rough and limited. Informed by the previous research and interviews, I focused on conveying the most important information in a visually simplistic and pleasing manner, with the data charts becoming the centerpiece of the sketches.
Guerilla Usability Testing
While users understood the data charts, they found the navigation, type, and iconography to be highly confusing.
Although users easily understood the charts, my lack of experience in interaction design caused confusion with multiple navigation options leading to the same pages. Spending more time analyzing the user experience holistically could have reduced much of this friction during guerilla testing.
The usability testing revealed
The navigation implemented in the sketches resulted in critical user friction during testing
A couple users had trouble discerning the meaning behind the dietary terminology used
The presence of certain icons in the interface created hesitancy among users on how to proceed
Low Fidelity Designs
The onboarding went through a major revision which promoted interactivity, delight, and user retention.
Encountering a roadblock with the onboarding process, I found that the flow was functional but not engaging. To address this, I spent hours benchmarking and revising until arriving at a "fun and functional" design. Implementing changes such as interactivity and visual contrast, I learned that creating a visually pleasing and delightful onboarding experience is key.
It required a delicate balance of keeping the user's attention without causing cognitive friction. This experience taught me valuable insights into the nuances of design, which I am grateful for.
Style Guide
What should one prioritize in their high fidelity designs? My answer? Accessibility and polish.
During the branding process, I created a style guide and logo to reflect an empowering, caring, and effortless brand in FitNote. I learned that designing for accessibility involves accounting for every piece of text and element that contrasts with a background, meeting the WCAG standards.
This made me a more conscientious designer, considering the needs of all users. Additionally, feedback on my hi-fidelity mock-ups highlighted the outdated nature of my original design elements, which relied too heavily on bold outlines, multiple colors within elements, and inconsistent colors between elements.
High Fidelity Designs
The outcome: a user-friendly interface that encourages exercise adherence through applied learnings.
The high-fidelity designs aimed to create a seamless user experience for tracking exercise and nutrition, based on previous research. Navigation was refined to ensure ease of use for anyone, even novices, with the goal of motivating them to start exercising as soon as possible.
The biggest lesson learned was to trust oneself and rely on gained experiences and skills to guide creative actions, rather than being overly critical during the initial design process. It was an approach which caused stress and impeded progress, and in hindsight, it was better to allow for creativity and iterate later.
High Fidelity Test Results - Round 1
Users required further clarity on confusing UI patterns and type, stressing the importance of reducing cognitive load.
The testing session focused on how participants would respond to the presentation of their fitness and nutrition data, and whether FitNote would serve to provide sufficient measures in removing the roadblocks to physical exercise previously described.
The usability testing revealed
A couple participants encountered significant obstacles when trying to modify their exercise plan
Many users struggled with chart averages representing their workout/weight/nutrition data
Some miscellaneous concerns were the daily caloric intake and the context of the timer’s purpose
High Fidelity Design Revisions
The final design focused on minor revisions for a major impact.
Initial user testing of FitNote revealed positive feedback on its design and simplicity. As no notable points of friction deterred the user experience, I had the privilege of iterating on minor points of contention for significant user impact.
Changes to the type and iconography reduces user confusion.
It was evident that users had trouble with typography and iconography on the charts, onboarding, and timer. Changes were made to improve readability and clarity, including adding type for chart averages and daily calorie intake, simplifying the type for the timer, and clarifying the iconography of the 'Change Workout' CTA.
High Fidelity Test Results - Round 2
Multiple rounds of testing proved to be valuable, exposing a separate batch of usability issues.
The second round of testing revealed fewer errors, but highlighted the importance of considering diverse user experiences. While the 'Change Workout' button and charts were well received, certain UI elements and typography still required improvements.
This round of testing demonstrated the need to avoid assumptions about users and their knowledge, as different users may have varying issues. Testing with a small sample size emphasized the importance of accounting for individual user experiences.
The usability testing revealed
Users were confused by the labels P/C/F for protein/fats/carbs on the 'Track Nutrition' chart
Users found the 'Log' FAB confusing and similar to the 'Edit' FAB, causing hesitation and extended completion time, indicating notable friction
Impact
Testing showcased the significant effect user-friendly data visualization and a sleek app design can have on exercise adherence.
Through user testing, FitNote demonstrated the impact of a structured and comprehensive guide in helping individuals navigate the vast and intimidating realm of fitness, providing a clear understanding of the necessary steps for improving their health.
This project holds immense implications, as it drastically reduces the barriers that hinder people from acquiring knowledge and adopting an approach to physical exercise, leading to a significant enhancement in various aspects of one's life, such as improved mental health, mood, and anxiety regulation, as well as better physical stress management.
Lessons I Learned
Experiment to allow growth.
This project underscored the essence of the design process, which is adaptability and experimentation. As mentioned, the first version of FitNote's onboarding process was utilitarian, but lacked flair. Through the guidance of my mentor and a willingness to explore alternative design approaches, I discovered the essential ingredients of an engaging design that encourages user participation.
This encounter transformed my outlook and methodology, as I now recognize the value of remaining open to feedback and iterating designs for the ultimate user experience.
A user’s attention is precious, so don’t waste it.
Through research and interviews, I discovered that users are overwhelmed with the many aspects of exercise, such as nutrition, weight loss, workouts, and time management. This informed my design approach to prioritize conveying only the most important information, which proved effective in user testing. It reinforced the importance of presenting the right information in the right context, rather than inundating users with excessive information.
This project allowed me to develop a deep understanding of how to direct a user's attention and focus within a service, through challenging high-level data analysis and representation.
What’s Next?
Iterate with added, tested key features.
To continue improving FitNote, it is essential to conduct further testing and iteration based on the results of the second round. Moreover, a range of features, including tracking aerobic exercise, monitoring fitness goals, and exploring local recreational facilities, are yet to be implemented, paving the way for an even more thorough and user-friendly experience!
Launch product for real-user data analysis.
This passion project, FitNote, is driven by my personal experiences and an unwavering commitment to its success. I am dedicated to launching this service, regardless of the time it takes, as it will provide invaluable real-world user data to refine and enhance the platform. The ultimate objective is to empower and improve the lives of all individuals who strive to better themselves.