Steps Case Study

Steps Fitness is a fictional gym that considers the unique needs of older adults over 60

Roles

Sole UX/UI Designer:
User research, wireframing, prototyping and usability testing, branding

Technology

Adobe XD

Overview

Concept project for Google UX Design course

I initially wanted to design a booking platform for personal trainers as trainers were losing their businesses during the pandemic. But as I interviewed a gym user in his 60s, I heard him express that he felt like an "afterthought" when looking at gym websites and ads. I wondered if other older adults felt similar and what types of experiences they have with the gym that might be unique. This project is an attempt to explore these issues without ignoring the needs of younger users and create a website experience that might help a variety of age groups feel welcome.

What I learned

Older adults and technology:

-I did not realize that the fastest growing demographic of those going online are those over 65 and that it is more vital now to understand how our designs effect their interactions with technology.
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-Specific criteria to be mindful when designing for older adults (link to details here)

Grasping the Problem

I interviewed and surveyed users between the ages of 20 to early 70s of varying gender, race and economic status.

I also read a few studies and articles regarding older users and fitness statistics.

6 interviews and 30 survey results.

User Pain Points

Participants ages 60+

1. Many local gyms target younger age groups
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2. Hard to know if personal trainers understand needs of older adults

3. Not knowing if they can use equipment properly

Participants ages 20s-40s

1. Hard to know if personal trainers will be a good match
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Users were most concerned about these qualities in trainers:
a. Experience
b. Personality / Training style
c. What their specialty is
d. Results
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2. Being afraid of not knowing how to use equipment and being judged by others

Finding the Solution

See the Solutions!

For Users 60+

1. Greater representation of older adults throughout website
2. If senior programs are available, make sure to include that on the homepage for easy access
3. A list of personal trainers with the option of filtering for senior fitness
4. Accessibility options

For Users 20s-40s

1. Offer detailed information about each trainer through videos and images to communicate personality and training styles
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2. Equipment guide that users can refer to in order to learn how to use each equipment in the comfort of their homes

Realities of the aging population:

I started digging into articles about seniors and fitness as well as their relationship to technology.
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I began to learn of some of the common physical changes that the aging population encounter that may effect their online experience.

Physical Challenges

1. Vision
2. Speech and hearing
3. Cognitive functions: learning & memory
4. Loss of dexterity in fingers

Criteria I tried to keep in mind:

UI Criteria for Seniors

1. Font minimum 24px desktop, 16px mobile
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2. Use high contrasting colors
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3. Create enough space between links and buttons to reduce accidental touches
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4. Buttons should be large - at least 64px width on mobile screens
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5. Icons accompany text to reduce confusion on meaning

6. Page titles should be the same as their respective links
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7. Accessibility options such as including video captions for hearing impaired and ability to resize text

Sketches

Competitive Audit

I performed a competitive audit of 5 gyms in NYC; 3 direct and 2 indirect. I wanted to see the demographics they represent, what they have in common, what each gym offers that is unique and what processes do they take to allow users to book trainers and how they show age diversity.

In this chart, I compared the 4 important features of the Steps website, according to the pain points explored earlier.

Gym

Age Diversity

Equipment Details

Trainer Details

Planet Fitness

Blink

New York Sports Club

Crunch

Harbor Fitness

24 Hour Fitness

Observations

Blink and Planet Fitness have similar target audiences with a range of ages. Representation of older adults are limited.
24 Hour Fitness creates a space for older adults, offering multiple Silver Sneakers classes and a webpage dedicated to their senior fitness programs.
Most gyms do not list their trainers or share details about them. Only Blink had the ability to search and look through each trainer's information.
Most of the gyms have a fair representation of gender and race.
None of these gyms have an equipment guide.
None of the gyms have accessibility settings

Solutions

Home Page

1. Older adults are represented through photographs throughout website, including the hero section which is the first section visitors will see.

2. If there are specific classes for older adults, include that on homepage.

3. All icons are accompanied by descriptions

4. An option for text resizing is accessible at the top right corner

5. Colors are meant to be bright and energizing with enough contrast.

7. Making cancelation of membership easy to find so customers don't feel locked in.

6. Users can search for personal trainers with criteria including 60+ health

Images of trainer profiles should be large and easy to see.

7. Give the visitors a clear picture of each trainer by including an introductory video of themselves and photos. Videos are a great way to see what a person is like, their tone of voice, expressions and how they relate to clients.

8. Include snippets about each trainer's favorite past-times, how they became trainers and what they love about their jobs.

9. Have a filter for 60+ fitness in the trainer search and those who are trained to work with seniors will specify in their profiles.

10. Present before and after shots of clients in the testimonials

11. For those who feel insecure at the gym because they don't know how to use the machines- an equipment guide can be a way they can learn how to use these machines in the comfort of their home.

12. Instructional videos for each machine in the equipment guide. Videos should have an option for captions.