A Digital Platform for Stride

Our client had completed some market research previously, but had not yet identified their target demographics. Moreover, because we were designing for a product that technically did not yet exist, we could not interview any existing customers. We were, however, able to use their preliminary findings to give us a sense of direction to begin our research process. We got started by drafting up a research plan, detailing the steps we believed were necessary to (1) hone in on who our target audience was, and (2) understand what common needs they share. We decided that 2 main rounds of research could address these questions effectively within our 3-week window of time.

Second Round

Goal: understand common behaviors, motivators, expectations, and needs of our target audience

Methods:

• Initial interviews to understand common behaviors + motivations (n=5)
• In-depth user interviews (n=10)
• Competitive analysis

Insights

STRIDE’S EQUIPMENT

• To our surprise, the bike’s lack of console and app-based controls were not a significant deterrent for users (including baby boomers)
  • Under the condition that its setup was easy and intuitive to use
• Although users believed the equipment’s 2-in-1 aspect had added value,
  • Many would be concerned with its safety, sturdiness, and whether they had configured it correctly when converting to/from elliptical/bike

WORKOUT MOTIVATION

• Regardless of where or how they are working out, users find it extremely beneficial to track their workout progress, and seeing it visually helps them feel accomplished and stay motivated.
  • Found to be both intrinsically + extrinsically rewarding
• Working out with others or seeing others’ progress is not necessarily about competition- most of our interviewees instead use others’ performance as a reference or a goal for where they should be.
  • Thus, many users believe incorporating social components into their workout routines provides both motivation and support
• Although most of our users typically have specific go-to content they’ll access while working out (e.g., listening to music, streaming shows, etc.), they also appreciate- and even expect– some form of structured workout content (such as pre-programmed high intensity intervals, or even classes) on higher-end fitness machines.
  • Users are also (emphatically) uninterested in creating or posting their own content for others- if choosing to share their progress, they’ll disclose with only a small handful of friends, not social media communities

Design Mandates

Once we had more of a thorough understanding of our target audience, we drafted up our design mandates, which we split into 2 different use cases. Given the breadth of concepts + features that were requested, this was mainly to help us prioritize our focus and time allocation over the rest of the design sprint.

SECONDARY USE CASE

2. Implement features that motivate customers to continue to use the bike (long-term) by:

Providing accountability towards fitness goals through visualizations of progress + achievements

• (Utilizing Stride’s advantage: No console means fitness data is instantly synced + accessible through the app)

Creating the sense of

• Community & support by allowing users to connect & interact with one another
• Structured content through offering pre-determined courses and workouts
• Engagement/fun through gamification elements