GymChums
An interactive app designed to pair gym-goers together and motivate each other to stick to their workout routines.
Role
Timeline
tools
Team
Overview
Have you ever set a New Year's goal to work out more but never accomplished it? You are not alone. Many people struggle with staying motivated and consistent with their fitness routines, especially when going to the gym alone. That's why we created Gym Chums, an interactive app designed to pair gym-goers together and help motivate each other to stick to their workout routines.
User Research
To gain a better understanding of users' struggles and what can motivate people to go to the gym more and stay motivated, we conducted both user interviews and surveys to gather opinions on gym motivation and gym apps.
User Survey
During the user interview phase, we used Google Forms to collect insights from both gym-goers and non-gym-goers. The survey had two different sections with slightly different sets of questions, depending on the participants' experience with going to the gym. We distributed the survey through academic/club Discord servers, personal Instagram stories, and text messages to friends, and received responses from 23 individuals between the ages of 19 and 25, including 10 females and 13 males.
Some trends we see from the User Survey
How comfortable are you with sharing your gym progress online with others?
Only 2/15 shares their progress on instagram close friends list and most do not care to share publicly regardless of their gym experience level.
How likely are you to use an app to track your workout progress
15/20 people don’t use apps to track their work out and they are not really looking for an app to help them track their progress.
User Interview
After conducting the user survey, we plan to have one-on-one conversations with additional individuals to gain a deeper understanding of their motivations for going to the gym and their experiences with social interactions in a gym setting.
Some trends we see from the User Survey
Would you like to go to the gym?
All of our non-gym goers, 6/6 wanted to go to the gym.
Peers encourage people to start going to the gym. Easier to start working out when you have a friend.
Having a gym partner is great for all levels of fitness.
People like to keep their progress to themselves. Frequent gym goers are more aware that post workout posts can be misleading. Even gym newcomers have mixed feelings about workout progress pictures even leaving them feeling annoyed.
Three Key Insights
Wants to go to the gym, but hard to keep up with the consistent gym routine
Build connections with gym buddies to facilitate a healthy comparison
Need some privacy, do not like sharing progresses
We had our users react to roles to be split up into 2 locations physically in the room as well as online through Discord. Our users were then tasked to react to their interests roles and meet someone from their gym location who had similar interests. The end result of the task would be a selfie of a newly formed gym-buddy group who would motivate one another.
Our solution
In testing our assumptions on people's motivation in going to the gym and better understand the social interaction between gym goers, we conducted 2 rounds of testing by using the Discord Channel.
Prototype 1
In the first round of prototyping, we decided to focus on 2 main features of the GymChums experience, which are locations and interests. Using Discord, we created a server with 3 sections:
location 1-chat
location-2 chat
the Create & Share feed
Likes & Trends
"I like being split up based on location so I don’t need to walk across the school to find buddies.”
“Sharing pictures wasn’t as scary because I'm familiar with the people around me so I see how this would entice regulars at a gym”.
“I think it would be better to lock the channel because it is so easy for other gym-goers to come in and interrupt”.
Key Takeaways From Prototype 1
1. Users like gym location specific channels and they liked being split up by interest groups.
2. Current prototype lacks of facilitated interaction between newbies and frequent gym-goers.
Prototype 2
Based on the feedback we received from our first prototyping session, we made some changes in our second prototype to facilitate interactions and socialization between users.
In the second round of prototyping, we aim to learn more about the interactions between users while also iterating on our previous interactions from the first prototype round.
Some of the changes we made include:
1. Creating locked private channels to enhance the experience for users, allowing them to only see what they can access and who they can chat with based on location.
2. Establishing private chat channels for selected interests at both locations to facilitate more personal interactions. Lastly, we restructured the roles in the server, allowing users to be displayed as a gym newbie or a regular gym-goer to help them talk about their fitness experience and goals more strategically.
Private Channels Based on Location
People from different locations will be placed in private channels accordingly. Individuals working out in the main gym can only interact with others in the Main Gym. Similarly, individuals working out in the Rimac Gym can only chat with others in that location.
Private Text Channels Based on Users' Interest
Private channels are created within each gym location; individuals with similar interests are grouped together on the same team.
Unlike the previous prototyping session, we have decided to focus on a new feature called Daily Prompts to facilitate social interactions between users. Here is the second prototyping process:
Step 1: Interact with the Daily Prompt
In In the Public Feed: Please respond to or answer the prompt
Step 2: Choose Your Role On Discord
Users can select their role in the Discord server, and the bot will then randomly assign them into teams based on their locations
Step 3: Make A Workout Plan Together
Create a workout plan of the day with the help of frequent gym-goers! Discuss goals and schedules with each other
Step 4:Schedule A Event With Your Partner
Schedule a private event for the next meetup, or post a public event held at your gym
For this round of testing, we tasked users with first completing a Daily Prompt that appeared on their home feed to familiarize them with commenting and reacting on Discord. We then asked users to select their roles and engage with their newly formed gym group. Within their groups, users would schedule and create workout events publicly or privately to motivate and hold each other accountable.
After completing this round, we received overall positive feedback and observed numerous interactions on the server. Some key takeaways include: Users who enjoy posting publicly and those who prefer to observe both appreciate the daily prompts activity as it facilitates interaction for both groups, stating it's a "good conversation starter." Additionally, people appreciated the prompts and templates in gym-specific feeds for scheduling workout sessions. Private group chats based on interests were enjoyed by users as they felt more interactive and provided spaces for discussing fitness goals.
Information Architecture
Before developing the final prototype of Gym Chums, we conducted a thorough examination of all potential user interactions on the app. To effectively organize and structure these interactions, we created an information architecture. This process helped us map out the various features and functionalities of the platform and understand their relationships to each other.
Final Prototype
In response to the feedback we received from our first prototyping session, we made some changes in our second prototype to enhance interactions and socialization between users.
Final Prototype
Based on the positive feedback received from testing, it is clear that there is interest in our app. Therefore, we aim to complete our prototype and design a fully functional app ready for immediate use.
Currently, we plan to conduct usability testing with our Figma prototypes to gather feedback from users about any potential problems or concerns they may have while using the app.
Key Takeways
Focusing on different perspectives. Our team attempted to empathize with all users - not just the consumer. We created three user flows - for three different perspectives.
Better user flows: Focusing on three different perspectives within the same app challenged us to understand the pain points for a better user friendly interface. This gave us a broad overview of the relationship between gym goers and non gym goers. All interfaces have to be synchronized with each other.
This project was a valuable opportunity for me, providing the chance to collaborate with a highly skilled team and gain hands-on experience in a real-world setting. Throughout the process, I developed my UX research skills, delving into the intricacies of understanding user needs and preferences.
A soft skill I significantly improved during this project was my storytelling ability during presentations. Mastering the art of conveying complex information in a compelling and accessible manner became a focal point. This skill not only enhanced my ability to communicate design decisions effectively but also contributed to creating a more engaging and impactful narrative for our project.