RYZE
Embark on a fitness journey that's not just about breaking a sweat, but also about breaking barriers and reaching new heights.
RYZE is a platform that connects users with personal trainers and supportive community of others that share similar fitness goals. Meet, train, and share with others that will cheer you on.
The Final Product
Project Overview:
Responsive Web Design:
Homepage & Onboarding
6 weeks
Research, User Flows, Wireframing,
UX research, Branding, UI Design,
Prototyping
The Challenge:
Online fitness sites encounter challenges with their homepages and onboarding processes, including the risk of overwhelming users with too much information, the complexity of personalization during onboarding, and the need to establish trust in trainers and community support.
The Goal:
Create an inviting and intuitive digital entry point that seamlessly guides users towards personalized fitness journeys, encourages direct interaction with trainers, and facilitates connections with like-minded users. Simplifying design, emphasizing what sets RYZE apart for other fitness websites, and maintaining a user-centric focus are key to ensuring a positive user experience.
Design Process
1
2
3
4
5
6
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Testing
Going Forward
Iterations
Empathize
Empathy Map:
To gain a deeper understanding of the users' emotions, motivations, and pain points throughout their fitness journey.
Says
“Going to the gym is such a hassle.”
“I’ve tried exercising but I always get discouraged when I don’t see any results.”
“I always get tired of doing the same exercises, then I just lose interest.”
Thinks
There should be a easier way way to exercise
I want to exercise with a clear plan and goal
Personal trainers are way to expensive
Does
Too busy to fit in exercising regularly
Signs up for gyms/fitness site but quits after a few months
Only tries one generic fitness program
Feel
Disappointed in being unhealthy, and wants to make a change
Worried about being judged, while exercising at a gym.
Overwhelmed with making such a huge lifestyle change.
User
Personas:
Create a more targeted, engaging, and user-friendly experience that caters to the unique characteristics and preferences of their diverse user base.
Personality
Fun and outgoing
Optimistic/Hardworking towards her goals
Bio
Jennifer is a busy pre-med student who attends classes throughout the day and works retail in the evening. She had tried many times to exercise consistently at local gyms but finds them intimidating and unsanitary.
Goals
To maintain a balance of mental and physical wellness.
Find an easy and convenient way to exercise between classes.
To have a supportive/positive fitness journey.
Frustrations
“It’s just too busy at the university gym. I’d rather exercise at home.”
“I’ve tried many times to workout at home but just give up because lack of motivation.”
“I feel so awkward exercising in front of people.”
Personality
Quite shy but friendly.
Loves tech, very familar with online solutions
Bio
Jeremy is the eldest son of an immigrant family. He has accomplished all of his academic and professional goals through time and devotion. His next missions is to get his health in order. He’d like to get that “beach body” everyone desires.
Goals
To increase his muscles mass and lose some weight.
Get a good workout from the comfort of his apartment.
Set and achieve his long-term fitness goals.
Frustrations
“I don’t need an entire gym, to achieve my goals.”
“My past workout partners have had a different fitness goals than me.”
“I know how to exercise I just need a sense of accountability.”
Define
The Problem:
The onboarding experience of fitness websites often face challenges, including:
Uninspiring Design
FitFusion
Their homepage is a prime example of a “cliche” dated fitness website. Actual users of the program are missing, only leaving fitness influencers to convey relatability. Presenting real people, real users offers transparency and allows potential users to visualize themselves using the program.
No Visibility of Trainers
Obe Fitness
The section devoted to featuring the program’s variety of experienced trainers is used to show only one trainer. This leaves the user to guess the quality, methodology of the other trainers.
Lengthy Onboarding
BetterMe
The onboarding for the BetterMe platform consists of a staggering 27 questions. The questionnaire becomes quite intrusive when it asks about non-fitness related daily activities and even asks about which body part “needs the most attention”. Although collecting that much data may be helpful, it seems quite excessive.
The Solution:
The homepage and onboarding experience of RYZE addresses some of the key failures of fitness websites.
Modern Design
RYZE Fitness
The brand colors are offer broad appeal to men/woman and different age groups. The use of real users provide a tangible connection for visitors, making the fitness journey more relatable, authentic, and attainable.
Visibility of Trainers
RYZE Fitness
The variety of trainers and their exercise modalities are on full display. Users are able to see exactly the quality of trainers the platforms provides. From rehabilitations work to powerlifting users will find a suitable trainer for their fitness goals.
Concise Onboarding
RYZE Fitness
Onboarding only consist of 5 questions. Only essential data is gathered, greatly reducing the drop rate of potential users. Since Ryze’s focus is to facilitate trainer and user interaction, all other necessary information can be gathered during the first meeting.
Ideate
Competitive Audit
poor
fair
good
Product Offering
Pricing
Target Audience
Branding
User Experience
User Interface
Live classes and library of diverse exercise modalities.
Specialized in audio-based workouts led by trainers
Brings together on-demand workouts and meal planning
Subscribe and access thousands of video and audio workouts .
Fitness app for custom workouts, and nutrition
$$
$
$$
$
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Women who desire low resistance training
Those looking for fitness motivation through audio
Individuals who desire low-intensity workouts along with meal planning
Those seeking a variety of programs along with tracking
Mainly men focused on heavier resistance training and meal prep
Branding:
RYZE is a motivational brand name that would illustrate “taking on the day”. We rise (RYZE) in the morning and start anew. The brand colors/logo evoke overcoming and achieving your goals. Within the logo itself, it mimics the bright orange sun slowing rising above a dark horizon/moutainscape.
Wireframes
Design
Lo-fi Prototype:
The UX onboarding user flow was kept minimal and quick compared to other fitness platforms. The use of clear language, prominent call to actions, and clean interactive elements help to reduce cognitive load. From start to finish the onboarding is purposely linear in order to for a smooth and seamless experience.
Mockups:
With the transition into hi-fi the brand colors, iconography, and typography were established. The overall UI was geared toward a very clean, active, and fun feel.
Hi-fi Prototype
Going Forward
Impact
Overall, the onboarding for RYZE Fitness has come out even better than I had initially expected. During UX testing users shared that the design was intuitive to navigate through, more engaging with the images, and demonstrated a clear visual hierarchy. I would like to return to this project and iron out any elements what may be lacking visually or pain points that have been overlooked.
Reflection
I learned that even being an avid gym-goer for over a decade doesn’t necessary equate to what a majority of users would desire from a fitness site. I should have put further effort in researching the negatives that come with online fitness programs earlier on in the design process. I realized so much after interviewing and talking with potential/previous online fitness users. Their frustrations were not as obvious as I had initially thought. In the future, I plan to rely less on my own assumptions but rather hear it from many others that have experienced it.
