Teammates
Sole Designer
Role
Daniel Kim (Product Designer)
Duration
6 Weeks
Tools
Figma
Marvel
Miro
CONTEXT & GOAL
Promoting Engaging Conversations While Increasing Engagement and Retention
Elevate is a mobile health tracking app designed to connect users with friends and family, promoting accountability and supporting fitness goals. The app now seeks to inspire meaningful interactions through messaging, driving engagement and encouraging repeat usage
Messaging
Encourage messaging that goes beyond casual exchanges
Engagement
Cultivate interactions and experiences that actively drive user engagement
Repeat Usage
Create an engaging experience that encourages users to consistently return
CHALLENGE
Designing for Community: Aligning User Needs with Fitness Goals
SOLUTION
Aligning Key Features with Business Objectives
Three key features offered a solution for encouraging messaging that goes beyond casual exchanges, cultivating interactions that drive user engagement and promote consistent use: group chat, challenging friends, and joining a community
Group Chat
Enabling users to participate in group chats encourages conversations beyond surface-level discussions, promoting engagement and driving frequent usage
Challenge a Friend
Friendly rivalry helps users stay accountable in their fitness journey while also providing motivation and a sense of connection with friends in different locations
Join a Community
Joining a community or group encourages users to connect with one another while providing a supportive environment to explore new activities or sports
EMPATHIZE
Health & Fitness: Engagement & Retention Rate
Health and fitness remain a popular trend, offering abundant data on retention rate and engagement. Key insights highlight the importance of personalization, wearables integration, and gamification to enhance motivation and minimize app churn
Retention
The health and fitness category has a lower retention rate than the average, highlighting challenges with engagement compared to other mobile app categories
5.7%
The average worldwide retention rate by Day 30 across 31 mobile app categories as of 2022
— Businessofapps
3.7%
The retention rate for the health & fitness category in the third quarter of 2022
— Businessofapps
Engagement
Minimizing friction in the onboarding process and user flow reduces drop-offs, while wearable devices provide an additional point of interaction to improve engagement
Onboarding
To reduce churn, prioritize a smooth onboarding process, not just the product or service
— Forbes.com
Wearable Devices
The global fitness app market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 20.87% during 2022 - 2027
— IMAR Group
Motivation
In-app messages and push notifications enhance user retention by guiding and reminding users to achieve their goals. Gamification promotes an enjoyable experience and motivates users
Make them feel special
In-app messages increase user retention by 3.5%, yet only a third of the market use it for mobile engagement
— PerformanceIN
Gamification
Motivating users to achieve goals for an immersive experience is a growing trend in 2023
— Forbes.com
EMPATHIZE
Industry Leader App Reviews
According to app reviews from industry leaders, users expressed a strong preference for Apple Watch integration with mobile apps. They also demonstrated a keen interest in features that allow them to challenge friends and share their progress
NIKE Run Club: Running Coach
NIKE Run Club: Running Coach
4.8 / 5
Ratings & Reviews
Fitlist: Gym Workout Log
Fitness Tracker & Planner
4.7 / 5
Ratings & Reviews
Map My Run by Under Armour
GPS Running & Workout TrackerFitness Tracker & Planner
4.8 / 5
Ratings & Reviews
SYNTHESIZE
Aligning Business Goals with User Needs
Combining business goals with user needs helps create actionable objectives that are both business and user-centered. Research on engagement and retention, along with reviews of the top three competitors, provided valuable insights into user needs and preferences
Business Goals
The three primary business goals were reiterated to provide a clear vision of the project's objectives: encouraging messaging with genuine conversations, driving user engagement, and increasing repeat usage
Messaging
Encourage messaging that goes beyond surface-level exchanges
Engagement
Cultivate interactions and experiences that actively drive user engagement
Repeat Usage
Create an engaging experience that encourages users to consistently return
Engagement & Retention Research + Competitor Reviews
Desk research on engagement and retention, along with competitor reviews, highlighted two trends: a 20.87% annual growth in wearables driven by demand for seamless Apple Watch integration, and rising interest in gamification, with users seeking ways to share progress, challenge friends, and connect socially
Wearable Devices
The global fitness app market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 20.87% during 2022 - 2027
— IMAR Group
Gamification
Motivating users to achieve goals for an immersive experience is a growing trend in 2023
— Forbes.com
SYNTHESIZE
JTBD: Designing Solutions Around Accountability, Community, and Apple Watch Integration
All concepts, ideations, and potential solutions will be based on three core pain points — accountability, community, and Apple Watch integration — ensuring that the product effectively addresses the most critical user needs
I want to challenge and share with friends, to make exercising more enjoyable, while ensuring accountability
When I start my fitness journey, I want to interact with people with similar interests so that I can learn and feel inspired
When I exercise, I want Apple Watch compatibility to record accurate data to track my performance
DESIGN
Exploring Concepts Through Sketches
Various concepts were explored through quick sketches, serving as an essential step in the ideation process. This phase focused on exploring content, features, and information hierarchy while experimenting with layouts and interactions to establish a solid foundation for the product's design
DESIGN
Tailored Features to Address Business Goals and User Needs
Specific features were developed as solutions by aligning business goals with user insights, directly addressing JTBD (Jobs To Be Done) statements, and ensuring the product effectively met both user needs and business objectives
I want to challenge and share with friends, to make exercising more enjoyable, while ensuring accountability
Challenge your friends
Encouraging friendly competitions and rivalries are ways to make a challenging habit more enjoyable. Challenging a friend is a unique feature to drive users to message each other specifically through Elevate
In-app messages & push notifications
In-app messages keep users motivated by reminding individuals to reach their goals in a personalized way and push notifications alert users with challenges to re-engage with the app
When I start my fitness journey, I want to interact with people with similar interests so that I can learn and feel inspired
Community
Communities or groups offer users a space to connect with others who share similar interests, share progress, and learn about specific activities or sports. Platforms such as Reddit and Facebook groups served as great examples that serve a similar purpose
When I exercise, I want Apple Watch compatibility to record accurate data to track my performance
Wearables
Wearables not only track physical activity but also engage users by encouraging friendly rivalries and gamifying the habit of staying active, effectively addressing user needs
DESIGN
Refining Design Decisions Through User Insights
High-fidelity prototypes were used for usability testing with five participants who are physical activity on a weekly basis. This test aimed to evaluate functionality, identify pain points, and gather actionable insights to enhance the user experience
Creating a group message
60% (3 out of 5) of participants preferred having the option to create a group message within the friends tab
Challenging a friend
60% (3 out of 5) of participants were able to identify the challenge button within messages
Joining a community
Moving the Community icon to the navigation bar helped users to complete the task with ease
WHAT'S NEXT
Evaluating the Impact of New Features on User Retention and Engagement
Once the new features are implemented, the goal should be to achieve a market retention rate of 3.7%, increase consistent engagement, and continue testing with active users to assess whether additional features need to be introduced or replaced
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A Demand for Apple Watch Integration and Social Connection
Apple Watch integration is consistently sought after by users, along with a strong preference for connecting with others by sharing progress with friends and local groups