Project Type
Capstone project for B2C app, Waterfall process with numerous design sprints during the design and prototyping phases.
Duration
Winter and Spring 2021
Tools
Figma
Illustrator
Photoshop
Zoom
Google Forms
Google Docs
Google Drive
My Role
Research
System Design
Product Design
Prototyping
Project Management
Skills
Desk Research
Competitive Analysis
Target users needs, motivations and behaviors
User Surveys
User Interviews
User Testing
A/B testing
Personas
User Journey mapping
User flow/Screen flows
Ideate solutions
Moodboards
Information Architecture
Organization Structure
Branding
Design
Prototype
User testing
Team of One
UX/UI Designer & Researcher - My role was to research competitors, preform user research, and analyze the research. Conduct interviews and A/B testing. Ideate, design, create user flows, and wireframes. Organize information architecture and site map. Design and create a high fidelity prototype. Preform user testing and figure out next steps.
The Problem
According to the Health and Human Services, “Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day,” and
“More than 80% of adults do not meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle strengthening activity."
“More than 80% of adults do not meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle strengthening activity."
Physical activity has many health benefits. So, why is it so hard to stay motivated to be physically active?
- Many people don’t see the benefits fast enough.
- They perceive other activities as more enjoyable.
- They get bored.
- Many people don’t see the benefits fast enough.
- They perceive other activities as more enjoyable.
- They get bored.
So how do we change this?
The answer to this question is what I went in search of.
Problem Statement
Many people want to be more active, yet they lack motivation. Many people have tried fitness apps that use data or in app rewards as motivation. However, they still do not motivate users enough to continue an active lifestyle.
Many people want to be more creative, but they lack knowledge, skills and tools to be creative. Also, many people want to improve their mind body wellness, but they need a tool to help them achieve their goals.
Research Goal
Through my research my goal was to understand what forms of motivation people use to live an active lifestyle and what rewards they use, or would like to use as motivation. Also, for people that want to start an exercise routine what creative ways would help motivate them.
Through my research my goal was to understand what forms of motivation people use to live an active lifestyle and what rewards they use, or would like to use as motivation. Also, for people that want to start an exercise routine what creative ways would help motivate them.
Target Audience
- My target users are people that want to be more active, start or continue an exercise routine.
- People that have used other products to motivate them to be active, but the techniques used did not work.
- People that want to be more creative.
- People that need motivation in a new way other than just setting a goal and achieving it, such as in the form of creative rewards.
- People that have used other products to motivate them to be active, but the techniques used did not work.
- People that want to be more creative.
- People that need motivation in a new way other than just setting a goal and achieving it, such as in the form of creative rewards.
- People that want feedback that is more personal, useful and motivating in a unique way.
I was able to narrow down my target audience by research, surveys, and user interviews. My research showed there is a big market for fitness applications. However, many are falling short with motivating users to keeping going and reaching their goals.
Timeline
The Process
Research
To come up with a solution I started by conducting research for existing products that attempt to motivate users through rewards and feedback. I completed a competitive analysis to find any pain points or areas the existing products were missing. I also used this competitive analysis to see what was working for other products. I searched reviews and ratings for this data. I made special notice of reoccurring features that received positive reviews. I also had a few assumptions I was hoping to validate or toss out. To see the full competitive analysis click this link.
I also spent time conducting research on technology and the capabilities that exist currently with wearable devices. I sort of went down a rabbit hole finding information about wearable devices and how they can capture movements of the body and recreate them in 3D images, as graphs, and as sound points like music. It was all very fascinating and helped me understand that my initial idea was something that could actually be created.
Additional research included statistics and previous collected data on people's activity. I found that a lot of people think that in order for physical activity to make a difference they need to do it for hours every week, but most people are unable to commit much time to being active. So, they either never try or quit early on. I also found that the majority of people do not spend time working out simply because they assume it will be boring.
I also researched what colors are motivating, and the psychology of how colors affect people and their moods or emotions. Through this research I found that green and blue are the most calming; yellow and orange are the most motivating. However, too much orange can cause anxiety.
From there I created a user survey to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. This survey had a great response rate. Here is a link to the survey.
I also preformed user interviews to find more detailed information. At the end of each interview I completed a type of A/B testing of images and asked users which images they found pleasing and motivating. These images included different types of graphs, layouts of data, and a variety of UI elements. I also asked about how colors and music affect their motivation, specifically towards activity.
Quantitative Findings
Some of the information I found was not surprising, however there were some interesting findings. Through research I found that most people sit for about 8 hours a day, if not more. This was one of my assumptions that was validated. From my survey I found that 98% of respondents answered that they sit for 8 - 10 hours a day.
Another insight I found interesting was that even though 54% of respondents said they feel they are a self motivating person, however none of them said that they are motivated by themselves. It was always outside motivators, such as other people or events that motivated them.
Qualitative Findings
With the A/B testing scenario in my interviews I found some insights, such as people always found it easier to determine which images were more motivating. While on the other hand, the majority of people had a harder time deciding which images they found more pleasing.
When I inquired about what they liked and disliked about activity trackers they use, many just said they use them to count steps and calories burned. And, if it did not show calories burned, they wanted that feature. Also, the devices that did not show a BPM / Heart Rate users wanted that feature. Even though most users wanted to have calories burned calculated as a feature in their device/app, everyone I interviewed said they are active, because of the mental and physical well-being it brings. Many said they notice it lifts their mood. These are powerful insights.
Most people that keep an eye on their activity history said it never helped to serve as a tool for motivation, it was just data to them. All respondents said music is always more motivating, especially when working out.
Respondents said that to receive a check mark for any amount of activity each day was more motivating than seeing just data for that days activity, or showing how close they came to their goals. However, it was still motivating to see how close they came to their goals. When asked which is more encouraging a daily check mark for any daily activity or a graph showing how close they got to their goals, all interviewees said they liked the idea of having a goal and said they would want to see how close they came to it or if they met their goal. But, if they did not reach their goal everyday, it may become discouraging. So, getting some sort of reward such as a check mark for doing any daily activity would help encourage them more.
Through my research I found that many people have tried fitness apps that use data or in app rewards as motivation. However, they still do not motivate users enough to continue an active lifestyle. Those I interviewed expressed they got bored with the same old rewards that the apps repeatedly used. Interviewees said that it would be easier to make new goals and want to reach them if they had a reward that increased or improved along with their efforts.
Also, many said that the pandemic has made it harder to stay active or become active mainly do to lack of motivation.
User Journey Map
I created a user journey map to help me understand the user's pain points, which in turn helped me to see a solution more clearly. With my solution I created a second user journey map. This second journey map allowed me to see the benefit my solution could bring to users, especially with helping to keep them motivated.
Pain Points
- Looses motivation when goals are missed.
- Hard time seeing progress without having data show achievements.
Opportunities
- Encourage perseverance to continue working to reach goals.
- Motivate with interactive data in the form of art creations.
- Use customizable art creations as a tool to encourage an overall active lifestyle.
I collected all this data, organized it and then ideated on solutions.
My Solution
Create an app that collects the users daily activity or workout with a wearable device and uses the data to create an editable data visualization art graphic or audio creation / music to help motivate the user to keep moving.
The user can choose to collect data from one workout, or an entire day of activity. They can filter the collected data by dates or activity types. Once they choose their filter they can create a data visualization art graphic or audio music track. All creations are saved in the app. The music is free to listen to as often as they wish. The art graphics are free to view in the app, and they can purchase a print for display.
The intention is that the user would display the art print to be used as additional motivation. The user can edit the art in the Art Editor and make a beautiful graph they find pleasing. Also, the user could listen to the music during a workout, or anytime they need motivation. Just like with the art the user can edit the music in the Music Editor. Hopefully, the user will see that the more often they are active they will get better results with the data that is used to create the art and music.
The intention is that the user would display the art print to be used as additional motivation. The user can edit the art in the Art Editor and make a beautiful graph they find pleasing. Also, the user could listen to the music during a workout, or anytime they need motivation. Just like with the art the user can edit the music in the Music Editor. Hopefully, the user will see that the more often they are active they will get better results with the data that is used to create the art and music.
This app would require two devices. A wearable smart device, like an Apple Watch to collect the data and a tablet or laptop for the creation part of art and music.
Concept Evolution
After all the research I had ideas for a solution. I thought about a concept for a device that could be attached to a wrist with a band like a watch, but could also be attached to a swimsuit and be waterproof so that users could wear it while swimming. This idea could be a good possibility, but I decided not to include this option in my prototype for numerous reasons. One, is that if the device is not worn up against the skin it can not collect BPM, or calories burned. These two specific data collection types were very important to users, so I wanted to make sure to included them. Second, I was not able to verify that a device could be created to collect all this data and be water proof, while still being cost effective to produce and reasonably priced to keep the price down and be marketable.
My original concept was to just have time/duration, distance (miles, steps, kilometers), BPM/heart rate, and GPS. But, after conducting research and finding that users want calories burned as a feature. I decided to include that was well.
More findings showed that most users only saw their activity history as data to look at and not as motivation to keep moving, I wanted to change that. To do that I decided that in order to create art or music it would be best for the user to choose a date or a date range. They could also choose to use activity type as a filter, or they could combine the date, or date range with activity types. This would hopefully help them see the power in continuing their activity, while giving more variety with the music and art graphs. The more they are active the more data they will have to use to make beautiful art or awesome music. Especially the music, since every respondent said music is motivating.
Towards the end of my prototyping I had an "aha" moment. I know that people think differently and I wanted to make sure that I made my product usable for everyone. So, I added a second starting point to the flow of making art or music. This would provide numerous ways of starting the process and will create a more pleasurable experience.
Ideation
I started the ideation process with personas. I identified three personas that encapsulated the users I wanted to target.
Persona 1: Needs overall motivation.
Persona 2: Mostly needs create motivation.
Persona 3: Requires overall motivation and to spark their creativity.
Next, I sketched out an organization structure on how I thought the app would work. I decided to focus my design on an Apple Watch for the wearable device that would capture the users data and an iPad for the creative part of the app. I knew that the screen for the Apple Watch would be too small to do any editing or creating and that it would even be too hard to complete the editing or creation process on a smartphone. A tablet size would be the smallest screen size that could offer the space required. My thought is that there could be a laptop version of the app as well, which would be the same as the tablet.
From there I collected screen shots of UI elements and put them on a mood board. I also included colors and other images that sparked my creativity for this product.
Before I started designing the look of the app, I wanted to figure out what I wanted to offer in the art and music editors. For the music editor, I wanted to include common music editing abilities, such as pitch, tempo, normalizer, and balance. I also felt it was important to offer suggested genres that the sound points would convert to, but the user could also choose no genre if they preferred. I also wanted to have the ability to remove or repeat a section of the music.
I wanted the art editor to be simple, but have ways of making the graphs different enough. I did this by offering many styles of graphs as a starting point. Then the user could change the hue, saturation, or brightness. To make the graphs even more fun to look at I wanted to offer a few additional effects that could be applied to create a certain look.
Visual Design
I started with making user flows to see what screens I would need. Since a user would first need to do activity to collect data, which would be used to make art or music, I made the user flow for the Apple Watch first and the iPad second.
Apple Watch User Flow - Activity
iPad User Flow - Make Art or Music
My next step was to create an organization structure on how the app would work. Not all the screens will be available on the Apple Watch device, so I needed to make sure that I kept that in mind.
Active Art App Organization Structure
Once I had the sitemap finished, I started designing for the Apple Watch first. I always start with the smallest screen first, because it is easier to build out then build down. Plus, I had never designed for an Apple Watch or wearable device that is as small as an Apple Watch. So, that created new difficulties for me. But, I love a challenge and I was excited to see what I could come up with. I like drawing out ideas on paper making paper prototypes. I came up with multiple design ideas for each screen, just letting the ideas come and putting them down on paper.
From there I moved into branding, such as colors, font families and styles. I created some of the main UI elements that I knew I would need to use. Then, I went right into creating high fidelity prototypes. Because of my research I had originally chosen a turquoise as the primary color and a medium blue as a secondary color. I wanted the colors to motive and energize, but in a calmer way. However, after using the colors in the Apple Watch I was not completely happy with the look, but I stuck with it hoping it would grow on me. Once I got to the iPad prototype I very much disliked the colors. So, I completely changed the colors. I chose a teal as the primary and an orange / yellow as the secondary. I also made numerous gradient variations.
The button styles I had originally made for the Apple Watch screen I felt did not look right on the iPad. So, I looked for inspiration and really liked the glass look of some apps I've seen. So, I tired recreating that look and loved it. Since, Apple Watches are shown with dark mode, I stuck with the same look for the iPad.
My prototypes have evolved numerous times over the design process, especially from the wireframe versions, but that is always expected.
As soon as I had the main prototypes for the Apple Watch and iPad I moved onto the onboarding flows for each.
Apple Watch User Flow - Onboarding
iPad User Flow - Onboarding
Once I had the first iteration of my prototype, including the onboarding flows, I went back and made numerous improvements. I continued to repeat this process numerous times, sometimes making large improvements, and other times just tweaking some UI elements. Then, I moved on to user testing.
User Testing
I conducted user testing and found a few areas that could be improved upon. One area I improved was the onboarding flows. I had made the app so intuitive that I did not need such an in depth onboarding. I also redesigned some of the iconography and simplified the wording in numerous places.
Since this is app is such a new concept and many people do not use music editors, I found through user testing that one feature of the music editor would be more helpful if I provided an information icon where the users could learn how to use it. After reading the short informative pop up all users said that it was easy to understand and use.
Because, I never want any user to be confused about any part of using this app I added additional information icons where I felt a user might need help.
Apple Watch Prototype
iPad Prototype
The Outcome
Challenges
Designing for an Apple Watch was challenging for a few reasons. One, is that I never designed an app for an Apple Watch or other similar wearable devices. Second, is that it is a very small screen. It was hard to fit everything I wanted to on the small screen and make it look good. An additional obstacle was making sure the button area was accessible with a 48 pixel by 48 pixel press area. I also had a bit of difficulty making sure that the text was large enough to be accessible. Another obstacle was making sure the buttons were large enough but did not take up too much screen space.
One thing that I always keep in mind is readability and accessibility. A few times I had to make changes to my design guidelines to make the contrast between the text and background WCAG compliant. There were a couple times the contrast did not pass AAA or AA standards, so I had to make the necessary changes.
Also, I found it challenging deciding on the content and naming / labeling conventions. I have assumptions on what I think things should be, but other people may not see it or understand it the say way. I did not want to chose the wrong words, I wanted them to be clear and easy to understand. To help make things as clear as possible I included icons with text in many areas. However, I found the same struggle of not wanting the icons to be unclear as to what they are supposed to represent. In the end, in most areas, I included both text and icons.
Another thing I found difficult was being a team of one with creating a product from concept to prototype. I know I have personal assumptions just as everyone else does. I tried my best to overcome them and not see things with tunnel vision. I feel that working with a diverse team would have been beneficial.
Reflections
I learned many things, but the most important thing I learned is that if I put in a lot of effort into my project, it will reflect in my results. Meaning that if I spend a lot of time researching and ideating I will always make improvements. Even when I was happy with the look and information architecture of my site, I would go back and try something else. Sometimes it helped and made it better, other times it did not, but it was always a learning experience. The reason being learning what not to do is just as important as learning what to do.
I also learned how to design for a very small screen, such as an Apple Watch. It was quite a challenge, but a good one to learn. Additionally, onboarding is something I did not have a lot of experience with, so I learned more about how to make it informative, yet not overwhelming for users.
The last thing I would like to mention that I learned was how to be even more efficient in Figma. I was told I am already fast with prototyping, and with this project I learned a few new keyboard short cuts and ways to make my process even faster.
Next Steps
There were a few features I would have liked to build out more, if I had more time. The first one is the Art editor. In there I would have liked to have additional styles of graphs that are more different styles of art, such as impressionist, realist, and modern.
Some of the flows I would have liked to complete are the payment processing, ordering an art graph print, setting a graph as a wallpaper, setting a section of a song as a ringtone, and sharing the art and music on social media.
After adding those flows and features I would like to do more user testing to see what areas could be improved upon.
Thank you.
