project brief
To develop a digital product that enhances communication through touch.
process
hunt statement
I am going to research how people find out what the most effective exercise are in order to enhance through touch the experience of physical training for beginners.
research
Beginner gives up easily when they cannot see immediate results
I have interviewed two participants and both of them tried exercising regularly before but stop due to:
- They didn’t fully commit and prioritised work before exercising
- They lost motivation quickly as they didn’t have a clear goal.
Key pain points:
- They prioritise work over exercise and did not have a set time for exercising.
- They don’t have a set of program to follow and don’t know what to do, therefore they need a friend or personal trainer to go to the gym with them.
- They don’t know what their bodies are capable of and are worried that they could not handle the high level of physical activity .
- They lose motivation to continue working out after a short time, as they don’t feel like they are making progress.
problem
Beginners want to start developing a habit of regular exercise
Because they want to stay healthy & tone up their body
But they do not have a plan to follow & lose motivation quickly.
ideation
Planning a workout
How might we help user create a personalised work out plan or routine that suits their level?
During the exercise
How might we make exercising easy to start and convenient to do?
How might we provide guidance and correct user’s posture?
How might we visualise their progress / result of exercising?
Keep them motivated in long term
How might we help users priortise exercising over other tasks?
How might we remind users to exercise daily and keep them motivated?
Initial concept statement
Movetivate is a smart mirror and fitness clothing that provides personalised exercise program, visual feedback and guidance via vibration.
EXPERIENCING PROTOTYPING & BODY STORMING
I acted out the concept by sticking paper cutouts on the mirror to recreate different interfaces and attaching a smart phone to my sport leggings to recreate tactile feedback. The problems found are:
- Students might not have sufficient space in front of mirror for exercising.
- Vibration guide fails to provide precise feedback.
- Having to put on the specific smart fitness clothing whenever they want to exercise could be inconvenient.
1st iteration
Smart yoga mat instead of smart clothing, Exercise instead of procrastination
Being able to measure shift of body weight, a smart balance board or a smart yoga mat is probably a more meaningful digital product in the context of body weight training. Notifications is added to remind the user to do exercise daily. It will appear on a set time everyday on the laptop or smart phone, preventing user from “prioritising work over exercise”.
user testing
User feedback
Being a body weight training lover, she thinks having a display on the yoga mat can come in handy for
exercise for facing downwards.
For setting goals, she thinks rather than just selecting body parts there should be more types of goals as
people have different motives behind working out.
For the notification features, she thinks the strategy should be relax not stress. She admitted that realistically
when she is busy she will ignore all the notifications. She thinks exercising should be relaxing rather than a
source of stress and a dull routine .
Overall she feels like most of the functions on the mirror , like selecting exercise, setting goals, and
visualising progress, can be replaced by an app .
2nd iteration
Features added based on feedback:
1. Dynamic display that follow user’s movement:
A display that appears at whatever direction the user is facing. For example, when doing a plank, the display on
yoga mat will turn on automatically. When the user is standing upright, the screen will be projected on the wall.
2. App instead of mirror:
By replacing the smart mirror with the dynamic display and an app, the set up become more flexible and potentially
more affordable.
3. More options for goals:
Other than toning up certain body parts, customisable goals like working out for continuous day and being able to
do certain amount of reps of an exercise will be added.
4. Relax and not stress:
Reminder will only show up when the user is on their phone chilling to avoid overloading them with notifications.
To create a relaxing mood, entertainment of user’s choice can be played on the display. By making exercise a time
for them to relax, it will be easier for them to develop the habit in a long run.
Check out this video to learn more about the concept:
Reflection
The future of smart products is not only about the interface but the whole experience. Through this
project, I explored the tangible element instead of the just the design of the interface, which enhance user
engagement and create a more seamless experience.
The UX process allow me to discover real user need. At first product is fuel by other similar products, but
through user research and prototyping, the design direction changed to fit user needs.