Crafting Features to Ease Workout Stress
User flow
What does a stress-free workout journey look like?
I illustrate how new features change user behavior.
I redesigned Fitbit’s mobile experience to reduce gym anxiety and support consistent fitness habits, resulting in a 42% decrease in workout anxiety and a CSAT score of 7.8/10.
MY ROLE
UIUX Designer
TOOL
Figma
Miro
TIMELINE
Feb - Mar 2023
Contribution
User Resesrch
UIUX Design
Usability Testing
Research methods
Research methods that led to the problem
50+ Web Articles & Academic Papers
Explored the benefits and challenges of meetups
15 In-Depth Interviews
With 10 international students and 5 American
Competitor Analysis
To identify strengths, gaps, and missed opportunities
Fly-on-the-Wall Observation
To observe cross-cultural behaviors and social dynamics
🫱🏻🫲🏽
Foster social support
Create a safe, encouraging space to reduce anxiety and build belonging.
👥
Partner with similar users
Ease gym anxiety by matching users with similar goals or personalities.
🟢
Enable real-time connection
Boost motivation and confidence through interactive buddy workouts.
🚦
Minimize crowd anxiety
Help users plan stress-free workouts with real-time gym occupancy info.
DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES
TESTING & ITERATION
How can testing shape a better experience?
Initial Testing
Gathered findings from testing multiple wireframe versions.
Testing Insights
Consolidated insights from testing 4 key high-fidelity flows with 5 participants.
What worked well
✔︎ Occupancy Feature Appreciated
✔︎ Workout Buddy Concept Resonated
✔︎ Faster navigation
What could be improved
✘ Unclear Personality Trait Questions
✘ Low Visibility of Progress Indicator
✘ Cognitive Load in Question Wording
✘ Tiny or Hidden Goal-Setting Entry Point
✘ Unclear CTA Hierarchy
✘ Ambiguity Between Two Flows
Final Iteration #1
Separate Questionnaires → Single, Streamlined Flow
Flow 1: Find your tribe questionnaire
Flow 2: Setting goals questionnaire
One questionnaire flow for finding tribe and setting goals
+
Before
After
Final Iteration #2
Homepage Visibility → Pinned, Contextual Feature Entry
Before
Flow 3: Explore community group
Flow 4: Notification for finding workout buddy
Pin "Find Your Tribe" at the top of the homepage, showcasing success rate statistics, and reorganize the information hierarchy
+
After
Final design
4 features designed to empower confident,
stress-free public workouts
Feature 1
Fitness Tribe
A supportive space for sharing experiences and challenges with like-minded users, fostering encouragement, reducing anxiety, and building a sense of belonging.
Feature 2
Workout Buddy
Match users with like-minded fitness partners to reduce gym anxiety and build motivation through shared goals and support.
Feature 3
Buddy Session
Real-time workouts with a partner via Bluetooth to boost motivation and accountability.
Feature 4
Occupancy
Check real-time gym capacity to avoid crowds and plan stress-free workouts.
Impacts in Numbers
4 key features effectively reduced public workout anxiety
-42%
Anxiety
Reduced average anxiety from 4.2 to 2.4 (5-point scale), indicating much lower discomfort in public workouts.
7.8/10
CSAT
SUS score of 58 falls in the ‘OK’ to ‘Good’ range, suggesting moderate usability and opportunities for improvement.
58
SUS
SUS score of 58 falls in the ‘OK’ to ‘Good’ range, suggesting moderate usability and opportunities for improvement.
Introducing
4 Features to empower comfortable and confident public workouts
Research Insights
What users are struggling with?
01
Gym Intimidation
80% feel anxious due to crowded gyms and presence of more skilled individuals.
02
General Workout Anxiety
60% report feeling uneasy or unmotivated about going to the gym in general.
03
Lack of Emotional Support
88% say gym anxiety lessens with social support, yet they don’t currently get it from the app.
Contextual inquiry
6 participants, aged 25–34
Persona
Affinity mapping from primary and secondary research revealed 2 key personas.
Social Anxiety: Fears judgment in public and avoids crowded or unfamiliar gym settings.
Social Accountability: Feels more motivated and consistent when others are counting on them.
Takeaways
Learnings and takeaways
💭
Set aside personal bias
Recognized how my own experiences could cloud objective design thinking.
🧘♀️
Embraced objectivity
Learned to detach from my user perspective and design with clarity.
🫶
Practiced broader empathy
Shifted focus from personal needs to those of diverse users.