Getting physical and digital: Designing a fitness app for Outdoor Voices 🤸🏼
DURATION
2 weeks
MY ROLE
Project Management
UX Design
TEAM MEMBERS
Christina McWilliams
Sujin Kim
Turning physical exercise into physical enjoyment
For this conceptual project, my team and I were tasked with creating a mobile prototype that allows users to attend live and on-demand fitness classes and interact with the online Outdoor Voices community.
CHALLENGE
Outdoor Voices isn’t concerned with fitness performance. They’ve distinguished themselves by focusing on daily movement, fun recreation, and cultivating community. Yet, when creating a fitness app, there are strong conventions that users expect. From the get-go, we had questions about balancing the brand’s unique perspective with user expectations.
OBJECTIVE
Maintain Outdoor Voices’ brand integrity and expand the concept of a fitness app.
Background
Fitness free from performance
During our initial research, my team discovered Outdoor Voices has branded itself as “technical apparel for recreation” so maintaining the brand’s essence of daily movement and fun with friends throughout the app was key.
OV is freeing fitness from performance. Their mission is to get people out there and Doing Things together, to redefine recreation as a part of everyday life.
Finding our target
Because we were creating an app for Outdoor Voices, it was crucial for us to talk to OV’s target audience: millennials with a passion for sustainability, recreation, and community.
Leveraging our network
Through our social networks, we sent out a questionnaire to find people who fall into OV’s target demographics to qualify potential candidates to interview.
Following our curiosity
We were able to speak to 8 different people who take fitness classes regularly and embody OV’s target audience. We were curious about their experiences around fitness classes and apps, achieving goals, and creating community.
“It always feels worth it after I make the effort to get out and get moving… Idk why it’s so difficult to start”
— User
Our User Insights
Gym class anxiety is real!
Our user interviews uncovered a deep need for confidence, connection, and accountability.
🧘♂️ I need direction from qualified instructors to prevent injury and feel confident with my form
👯 I need to surround myself with a group of people with similar goals and interests to keep me accountable
🥋 I feel more supported and motivated when working out in a group setting with people who are at the same skill level as me
👏 I want to track my progress so I can easily set and achieve my goals
🔍 I need to know what’s expected of me before signing up for an activity to feel comfortable
🎧 I need good music to work out because it increases my energy
Our Problem
How might we help doers stay accountable while achieving their goals?
How might we foster doers’ feelings of confidence and connection?
Our Solution
Hannah likes being active but has trouble staying committed due to a lack of community & instruction. She needs a way to feel confident & supported while reaching her goal to live a healthier lifestyle.
Outdoor Voices’ new fitness app, Physical Enjoyment (P.E.), provides live and on-demand fitness classes with an emphasis on community and accountability. With certified trainers, fun challenges, and interactive live-classes, doers can feel connected and empowered to achieve her goals.
Sparking real-life connections in the digital world
Just like walking into a class and breaking the ice with others, we prioritized a class poll feature to spark a sense of belonging and community for people like Hannah.