RESEARCH

USER INTERVIEWS

To kick off the research phase, we began with user interviews, which meant gathering potential users of our platform and meeting with them over Zoom. We felt that hearing from users themselves would set the strongest foundation for a successful design of the platform. The goal of these interviews was to discover any blockers trainers experienced when trying to grow their business, what management tools they currently use, and how they gain clients. We also spoke with clients because we wanted to gain insight into social media based and online classes as well as their thoughts around them.

Key Findings (Client):

After speaking with nine clients, I pulled key insights from each interview, creating affinity maps in Miro, to see if there were any overlapping themes. These were the top insights: 

1. All participants loved the ability to track progress with their current apps, but wanted to form a stronger fitness community, either by forming groups or having their trainer message them directly about upcoming classes. 

2. We also learned that COVID and the inability to go to a physical gym, has left them feeling a lack of social interaction with their fitness community. On top of this, at home workouts were a challenge for all of our participants since they have limited at-home equipment. 

3. Lastly, participants mentioned that they are missing real-time feedback from their instructor during online classes and don’t feel any connection with the group before or after classes. This has been a drastic shift for most clients as they are accustomed to hanging out in the fitness studio with the instructor and other clients.

Key Findings (Trainer):

I also spoke with nine trainers who gave us insights into the current tools they are using to host classes and communicate with clients. These were their top insights:

1. The trainers we spoke with used email and text as their primary communication tools and expressed that this typically works well, unless there is a last minute change. 

2. Every trainer also mentioned the importance of building a community with their regulars and noted that a scheduling tool was not something they needed access to or required - fostering a community is the priority. In regards to using social media platforms, such as Instagram, trainers loved the ability to reach a wide audience, however they felt that the posts were inauthentic. 

3. They also noted that posting all their workouts for free on social media sometimes devalued their brand - why would a client pay for something when they can follow along on Instagram for free?

PERSONAS

Since MANA is a fitness platform that will be used by both clients and trainers, I created two personas. I wanted to keep our users’ insights and pain points in mind throughout the design process and these personas helped keep me on track with meeting their needs.

Meet Aamina Underwood. Aamina is a 30-year old tech recruiter who works from home. She lives in Chicago with her dog Beans. Working out is a big part of Aamina’s life, so much so that she considers being active a part of her identity. Aamina is pretty self motivated, but does miss the external accountability she would receive from her workout buddies that attend regular in person classes with her. On top of wanting a stronger online fitness community, she would love if her fitness apps were more interactive, but still include her favorite features such as tracking progress and setting goals.

We also want you to meet Dane Duke. Dane is a 37-year-old boxing trainer and HIIT class instructor living in LA. When he first became a trainer, his goal was to help everyone move and make his workouts accessible to all. Building a community is the most important aspect to Dane when he thinks about his business. Dane may also make time throughout the day to post on his Instagram about his upcoming classes so he can hopefully connect with more people, but he finds promoting himself exhausting. One of the biggest pain points for Dane is having his clients use multiple apps for things like payment, Zoom to attend his sessions, and texting for communication. He wishes there was one place where he could do it all in one place and have his clients do the same.

DESIGN

BRANDING & MOOD BOARD

Now that we gathered enough insights, data, and feedback from users, it was time to enter the design phase. I started this part of the process by thinking about branding, color, typography, and the overall feeling we wanted to convey across the platform.

When conceptualizing the branding for MANA, I was conscious to choose typography and a color palette that was inclusive. We wanted our brand’s look and feel to encourage growth, community, and making connections. We also wanted the platform to convey energy and a fun approach to fitness.

SKETCHING TO WIREFRAMES

Before going digital, I looked into other fitness apps and competitors to MANA to draw inspiration for the design. I started with hand sketching and then moved into Adobe XD to create hi-fidelity wireframes of key screens for both the client and trainer experience. Part of my scope of work, was to create 5-10 main screens for both mobile and desktop for each persona.

LESSONS LEARNED

I had a wonderful experience working with the two CEOs of MANA on this project. However, I found it challenging to not be on a larger UX team. I had to get creative and reach out to mentors or UX friends for their opinions on my design choices. It was also my first time freelancing and found that I actually enjoyed the flexible schedule. This allowed me to work on other side projects throughout the week and gain other valuable experience outside of this project