Market Research

Analysing trends in the fitness sector and how rivals are addressing some of these challenges, I began the project by examining what is happening and what is lacking in the current market.

I primarily conducted interviews with three categories of people: trainers (Experts in the field), older adults who exercise for medical purposes and want to maintain their fitness (Target Market), and older adults who undertake physiotherapy exercises for health reasons (Target Market).

Most elderly people have been confined to their homes since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, which has reduced their physical activity.

In the post-COVID era, older adults are increasingly choosing to maintain their physical health and well-being from the comforts of their homes.

Trend

Exercise Anyplace

Trend Analysis: Key health and wellness trends in 2021

Online Training

Due to the effectiveness of online and virtual training, new opportunities will also present themselves now that the pandemic emergency has finally passed. Whether at home or in the gym, customers want to follow their passions. They can have a sense of belonging by exercising with their favourite trainer or in their preferred virtual environment.

Personal Training

Recently, one-on-one training has been more widely available at home, partly because it offers frequent fitness testing together with customised programming centred around the client's goals.

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Telehealth

As tele-health gains popularity, more senior citizens in particular are able to avoid hospitals by including simple-to-use monitoring tools in their video chat sessions.

Competitive Analysis and Positioning Matrix

Key Learnings

The majority of apps available today cater primarily to younger users, ignoring the physical and technological requirements that older people require in order to maintain their health and fitness.

The complex navigation and lack of trust in the workouts, which they are unfamiliar with, make older people uncomfortable with such programs. They also worry about the potential effects on their bodies without expert guidance.

Ethnographic Research

Expert Interviews

Personal Trainer

Gym Instructor

Physiotherapist

"We carefully choose workouts for senior citizens according to their demands, age, weight, and medical issues. We adjust the exercises based on how their bodies respond to them".
"Since each person's endurance, energy level, and goals are unique, we advise individualised training for the elderly".
"We typically advise against elderly people exercising alone because most have bad posture, so we have to watch them closely and provide assistance as needed."

User Interviews

Rajiv Shah
73 years old

"I do not follow any fitness apps or social media accounts because I am concerned that I may choose a workout that is inappropriate for me because it is intended for a younger audience and could cause harm. I so stick with the ones I know or heed the advice of my loved ones."

Karen Williams
68 years old

"Since everyone has a different speed and level of stamina, and it might be difficult to coordinate workout times with others, I prefer to work out alone. While having a personal trainer is ideal, they can be costly and difficult to maintain."

Jody Holt
62 years old

"As part of my recovery from my surgery, I was required to visit the hospital every day for physiotherapy exercises. Due to the hospital's distance from my residence, I used to exercise alone, praying that I was performing the exercises correctly, and I would check in with my doctor every other month to see how I was doing."

James Backstrom
78 years old

"I prefer to exercise only to the extent that my body allows. But I don't know if I'm performing the exercises correctly, so I occasionally overdo it and hurt myself. That being said, occasionally a member of my family follows up with me."

# Insight 1

Hesitant to attempt new activities since there isn't a system or software available specifically designed with senior citizens in mind.

# Insight 2

Prefers working out alone, but occasionally lacks motivation.

Thinks hiring a personal trainer is pricey but while doing so, prefers to be adaptable.

# Insight 3

Wants to communicate with a physiotherapist without a steep learning curve from the comfort of her own home.

# Insight 4

Often assumes exercises and is unsure of his own execution

Defining the problem

Only 24.5% of seniors exercise daily.

The majority of people are unaware of the best kind of exercises for them. Because they are concerned about hurting themselves, they remain in their comfort zones.

Approximately 75% of senior citizens assume that diet and exercise are beneficial to them.

Muscle and joint pain is frequently the result of improper or excessive exercise, which impairs their health and range of motion.

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Since there aren't any apps, services, or goods specifically designed for them right now, they rely on advice from friends, relatives, and social media.

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The majority of apps and online video courses don't provide consumers with personalized feedback or instructions on where and how to improve throughout workouts.

Challenge

How might we assist the elderly in maintaining their physical well-being from the comfort of their own homes, taking into account their unique needs, age, and medical history?

User Persona

User Journey

Brainstorming

Moscow Chart

Based on the market research and Interviews conducted, I classified user pain points and goals to key insights.

Feature Ideation

Data-Centric Organization: Features to Tasks

I came up with a design criterion and ideated on different features the system ought to have to meet this requirement. I then categorized and whittled down the functionality to the essential functions that the app had to offer.

Solution

StepUp is a fitness system designed specifically for senior citizens that offers tailored recommendations and regimens according to their age, degree of fitness, and health issues.

Additionally, it assists in putting them in contact with global physiotherapists, live and recorded classes, games, and personal trainers.

It also makes use of a body tracker to provide users with accurate, real-time feedback to help them improve their movements and make sure they are exercising correctly.

System Stakeholders

Elderly Users

Personal Trainers

Physiotherapists

Ecosystem Of Products

Strategy

StepUp App

Facilitates senior citizens' easy access to a global network of personal trainers at a lower cost, all from the comfort of their own homes, as well as a huge network of physiotherapists.

They may easily tailor their workout regimen to suit their requirements, hobbies, and goals thanks to the entertaining fitness games and videos that are available to them.

JOSH (Personal Digital Fitness Coach)

Emotional Connection and Response

Josh acts as an interactive companion personal fitness trainer, guiding senior citizens through their exercise regimen by expressing emotion with voice, sounds, gestures, and subtle body language.

The design makes use of AI for body tracking and movement, which enables seniors to monitor their health, exercise, and comprehend their own body language. The system learns from the user and adjusts to suit their demands and way of life.

User Scenario

Low Fidelity Wireframes

I began creating paper prototypes todecided test their utility. I validated my ideated features with paper prototypes. These were the main characteristics that were created since I thought they would be beneficial to them. As older people find it easier to consume content on larger screens, I made the decision to create an iPad interface.

Onboarding Process

Finding a Trainer and scheduling an appointment

Following the video set on the schedule and meeting with Trainer

Following the video and Meeting with Trainer

Viewing your activity progress and browsing through expert suggestions on health

User gets a notification to collaborate and plays game with a friend via the app

To stay motivated, users can trade their points for freebies or give to charities after reaching their goals.

User can earn points by achieving target goals and trading it for coupons or donate to cha

Micro Interactions Feedback

Three out of five individuals found it difficult to locate the skip option if they choose not to complete the onboarding process.
They preferred to do the fitness test on TV since they found the iPad version to be confusing.
They thought the onboarding process took too long and would have preferred it to go more quickly.

They preferred it if, after the onboarding process, the system recommended a trainer based on the data they had entered.
They found it difficult to just recognize icons, and if they were unable to do so, they preferred to have a written text behind the icon.
They couldn't figure out how to store a specific trainer profile or retrieve it at a later time.
They also encountered difficulties and found it difficult to make reservations for specific trainers' schedules and time slots.
Because they could see the trainer clearly and follow instructions, they chose to meet with them via video call and work out with them on TV.

If they can't make it or if the trainer is having issues, they would prefer to be able to message the trainer via a chat feature.
They wouldn't desire daily visits with the trainer. They would like to know and be informed of the days they will be meeting with the trainer.
They enjoyed having access to blogs and articles regarding their health, even though they would also be interested in learning about nutritious food options or healthy habits.

The ability to view what and how they were exercising alongside the trainer was very convenient for the elderly, but they found the abundance of controls on the screen to be very perplexing.

They enjoyed being able to track their development and observe how they were getting better. However, they would have wanted to have that opportunity to review their progress for each workout and identify areas for improvement right after it was completed.

They enjoyed the social and physical aspects of playing games with others.

They thought it was difficult to redeem and that the mechanism behind it was a little unclear. They thought playing fitness games was a great way to stay motivated, and this complicates things further.

User Testing

COVID-19 made it extremely difficult to perform in-person user testing with senior citizens from a variety of age groups. As a result, I collected input by conducting user testing both in-person and virtually via Zoom.

In person user testing - Age 55

In person user testing - Age 60

Zoom call user testing - Age 78

Key Learnings

Not everyone owned an iPad, and some wanted to use a mobile device to track their overall progress even while they were not in the house.

They liked to watch videos first, see if they enjoyed the exercises and momentum the platform provided, and then proceed to work with a trainer.

The provision of discount vouchers for shopping was perceived by them as contradictory and as detracting from the whole experience.

They frequently struggled to choose and try activities because they were unsure of how they would affect them, and they were perplexed about which ones to choose depending on their needs.

High Fidelity Wireframes & User Tests

By using ‘Principle’ to create a clickable prototype, I narrowed down my emphasis to the important questions about the experience. I had six people go through the identical thing, and I watched them interact and ask questions. I created an experience that is better suited to a mobile interface for ease of handling and usability anywhere, based on comments from prior users.

Users felt confused if they were clickable and preferred to have some visual element to it.

Instead of scrolling through, users preferred to view the summary of all user activity at once.

Because they didn't know what the TV icon meant, users would rather preview the video before scheduling it.

Users had trouble understanding where to add their lessons and the distinction between my schedule and the AI Schedule

It was difficult for them to spot the icon and get to the schedule page.

Because of its similar outlook, many mistook the message for a reminder.

Due to their small size, the dates are difficult for users to click and choose.

Key Features

Using the App

Tailored to each user's specific needs

Based on the data they entered during the brief onboarding process, our senior users can receive tailored exercise recommendations based on their age, fitness level, and medical problems.

Connect with Trainers and Physiotherapists from home

Seniors can now choose to exercise and work out under supervision from the comfort of their own homes thanks to the ease with which they can locate, assess, and connect with trainers and physiotherapists anywhere in the world at a far lower cost.

Trainer-Generated Timetable

It assists in providing recommendations to senior citizens regarding the kind of exercises to perform per their individual goals and the best times of day to help them pace themselves and perform the appropriate exercises at the appropriate times.

AI Coaching and Body Tracking

Get advice and recommendations from physiotherapists, trainers, and "Josh," an AI digital fitness coach who is familiar with their body movements and habits. It offers suggestions on how to get better so they may be sure they are performing the exercises correctly.

Using the TV

Obtain quick performance feedback for improvement

The elderly can now readily assess their current level of performance and identify the body parts that require improvement through future exercise regimens.

Physical Wellbeing - Fall Prevention

This function allows "Josh," their fitness coach, to track and connect to 911 or their loved ones in the event that an elderly user falls during exercise, sustains serious injuries, or is in danger.