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Fitness TogethAR

Fitness TogethAR is an innovative fitness application leveraging Augmented Reality (AR) technology to provide real-time feedback on workout techniques. Designed with accessibility and user convenience in mind, the app addresses common fitness challenges, such as improper exercise form, lack of confidence, and time constraints. Its features include personalized workout plans, AR overlays for form correction, and gamification elements to enhance user engagement, making it an ideal solution for beginners and busy individuals seeking effective home workouts without equipment.

Project Details

Role

  • UX Researcher

  • UI Designer

Tools

  • Adobe Photoshop

  • Adobe Premiere Pro

  • Figma

  • FigJam

  • Microsoft Office

Timeline

January 2024 - April 202

Platform

Mobile Application

Problem Statement

The modern fitness landscape faces critical challenges, particularly for beginners and those with busy schedules. Many individuals struggle to maintain workout consistency, citing barriers such as time constraints, lack of guidance, and fear of injury due to improper form. Existing fitness applications often fail to bridge these gaps, offering limited interactivity and inadequate form correction features.

Solution

Fitness TogethAR addresses these issues by integrating AR technology to deliver personalized and interactive fitness experiences. The app analyzes users' workout techniques in real time, providing corrective feedback through AR overlays to minimize injury risks and build confidence. A curated workout plan tailored to user schedules ensures accessibility, while gamification elements like progress tracking and rewards enhance motivation. By focusing on user-centric design and leveraging cutting-edge AR capabilities, Fitness TogethAR empowers users to achieve their fitness goals efficiently, effectively, and safely, even from the comfort of their homes.

Table of Contents

Primary Research

To design a solution that truly addresses user needs, comprehensive primary research was conducted, including surveys and interviews, to gather insights into the target audience's fitness habits, pain points, and expectations from a fitness app. The research focused on understanding users' workout satisfaction, confidence levels, and openness to technology-driven solutions.

Key Findings

  1. Workout Satisfaction:

    • 73.34% of respondents rated their satisfaction with workout frequency and quality as 3 or below on a 5-point scale.

    • This highlights a significant gap in achieving consistent and satisfying fitness routines.










       

  2. Concerns about Injuries:

    • 60% of users expressed fear of injuries due to incorrect forms, especially those new to fitness or without access to professional trainers.

    • Beginners reported this as a major barrier to initiating or maintaining a workout routine.










       

  3. Confidence in Form:

    • Only 33.3% of participants felt confident in their form when working out alone, while the majority sought guidance to avoid mistakes.

    • This underscores the need for an interactive and reliable tool for real-time feedback.

  4. Trust in Technology:

    • 86.7% of users were open to trusting a fitness app that could provide real-time feedback on their form using advanced technologies like AR.

    • This willingness indicates a strong market potential for integrating AR as a unique value proposition.

  5. Preference for Equipment-Free Workouts:

    • A significant portion of users expressed interest in workouts that require no special equipment, aligning with the constraints of home workouts or limited-access environments.

Personas Derived

Proto Persona:

  • A student with limited fitness knowledge, time constraints, and a fear of injury due to improper techniques.

  • A part-time worker seeking quick, effective workouts that fit into a hectic schedule.

  • An international student with no access to gym equipment, aiming for cost-effective, equipment-free fitness solutions.












     

Insights and Implications

The findings highlighted an urgent need for a solution that:

  • Provides personalized and accessible fitness guidance.

  • Builds users' confidence by addressing safety concerns with proper form feedback.

  • Aligns with users' busy lifestyles through flexibility and convenience.

These insights guided the development of Fitness TogethAR’s core features, including AR-driven real-time form correction, personalized workout plans, and gamification elements to enhance engagement and adherence.

Workout Satisfaction
Injury Concerns

Secondary Research

The development of Fitness TogethAR was informed by in-depth secondary research focusing on technological trends, user behavior, and market opportunities. This research provided foundational insights into the feasibility of using Augmented Reality (AR) in fitness applications and the growing demand for digital fitness solutions.

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Key Findings

  1. Technological Feasibility:

    • AR technology has advanced significantly with frameworks like:

      • ARKit (Apple) leveraging LiDAR technology for accurate motion tracking.

      • ARCore (Google) supporting markerless AR capabilities.

    • TensorFlow MoveNet, an AI-driven pose detection model, offers real-time tracking of 17 key body points. Its "Lightning" and "Thunder" variations cater to applications requiring low latency or high precision.

    • Applications like Prayoga already utilize AR for real-time yoga pose feedback, validating the potential for similar fitness use cases.
       

  2. Market Demand for AR Solutions:

    • According to Statista, mobile AR users have grown from 1.4 billion in 2023 to 1.73 billion in early 2024, indicating a massive user base primed for AR applications.











       

    • Studies reveal that 85% of gym-goers also perform home workouts, with 27% relying solely on at-home fitness solutions. This highlights a need for versatile tools catering to both home and gym settings.
       

  3. Barriers to Fitness Adoption:

    • A Les Mills survey found that the top barriers to exercise include:

      • Lack of time (50% of respondents).

      • Lack of confidence in exercise techniques (20% of respondents).

    • These barriers resonate strongly with Fitness TogethAR’s target demographic and further validate its purpose.










       

  4. Competitor Analysis:

    • Existing fitness apps such as Virtuagym and Active Arcade lack the depth of AR integration for injury prevention and form correction.

    • The saturation of generic fitness apps presents a market opportunity for a distinct offering combining AR innovation and gamified engagement.
       

Implications

The research underscored that leveraging AR in fitness is not only technologically feasible but also highly desirable among users. It also highlighted the gap in the market for personalized, equipment-free workout solutions that address injury concerns and boost user confidence. These insights shaped Fitness TogethAR’s features, emphasizing real-time AR feedback, accessible design, and user-centric gamification.

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Design Process

The design process for Fitness TogethAR followed a structured, user-centric methodology inspired by Lean UX principles. By combining primary and secondary research insights with iterative prototyping and testing, the project aimed to create a solution that effectively addresses users’ pain points while maintaining technical feasibility and innovation.

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1. Methodology

The Lean UX approach—Think, Make, Check—served as the foundation for the design process:

  • Think:

    • Conducted user research to understand the target audience’s needs, behaviors, and pain points.

    • Defined hypotheses about user behavior, such as how AR feedback would improve confidence and reduce injuries.

    • Developed a Lean UX Canvas to align business goals with user needs and assumptions.











       

  • Make:

    • Rapid prototyping of app features, focusing on key functionalities such as personalized workout plans and AR feedback.

    • Created low-fidelity wireframes to validate early design concepts, iterating toward high-fidelity prototypes.

    • Designed interaction flows and interfaces that prioritized simplicity, accessibility, and engagement.

  • Check:

    • Conducted usability testing to evaluate the prototypes, gather user feedback, and identify areas for improvement.

    • Refined the designs iteratively, incorporating insights from testing to ensure alignment with user expectations.
       

2. Key Stages of the Design Process

a. Ideation and Conceptualization

  • Generated ideas to solve identified problems, focusing on features like:

    • Real-time AR feedback for form correction.

    • Personalized workout plans tailored to users’ schedules and fitness goals.

    • Gamification elements, such as progress badges and social challenges, to encourage user engagement.

  • Used How Might We (HMW) questions to structure ideation:

    • How might we make real-time form feedback engaging and motivating?

    • How might we gamify the workout experience to enhance user retention?

b. Wireframes and Prototyping

  • Created wireframes to outline the app's user interface, focusing on clarity and intuitiveness.

  • Developed prototypes demonstrating:

    • The AR feedback mechanism with real-time form analysis.

    • The onboarding experience with a personalized login and workout goal setup.

    • Gamification through visual progress trackers and achievements.

c. Visual Design

  • Adopted a clean and minimalistic aesthetic to avoid overwhelming users.

  • Used bright, motivational colors to create an engaging and positive user experience.

  • Incorporated large, intuitive touchpoints for ease of navigation, especially for users interacting mid-workout.

d. Interaction Design

  • Ensured seamless interaction between the user and AR features:

    • Real-time skeletal overlays for form feedback.

    • Audio-visual cues to guide users through exercises.

  • Designed flexible user flows for different fitness levels, accommodating quick workouts or detailed sessions.










     

3. Usability Testing and Iteration

Initial Testing:

  • Evaluated prototypes with tasks like setting up a personalized login and using the AR workout assistant.

  • Key metrics assessed:

    • Task completion rates (100% for key features).

    • Time taken to complete tasks (e.g., 113 seconds for login setup).

    • User feedback on clarity and satisfaction.

Key Findings from Testing:

  • Users appreciated the real-time AR feedback for boosting confidence during workouts.

  • Minor confusion around navigation highlighted the need for clearer instructions during onboarding.

  • Users desired more customization options for workout goals and gamification rewards.

Iterations:

  • Refined navigation paths and added tooltips to improve onboarding clarity.

  • Enhanced personalization by integrating a preferences menu for workout frequency and AR customization.

  • Adjusted the AR overlay design to emphasize clarity and ease of understanding.
     

4. Final Outcome

The iterative design process resulted in a refined prototype for Fitness TogethAR that aligns with user needs while leveraging cutting-edge AR capabilities. The app design seamlessly integrates features like real-time feedback, personalized plans, and gamification to create an engaging, user-friendly fitness solution.

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Prototype
Development

The prototype of Fitness TogethAR was developed to demonstrate key features and validate the app’s functionality and user experience. It encompassed low to high-fidelity designs, focusing on core interactions such as onboarding, AR feedback, and personalized workout plans. The iterative process emphasized creating a user-friendly interface while ensuring the seamless integration of AR technology.












 

Key Features in the Prototype:

  1. Personalized Onboarding:

    • Users set preferences, fitness goals, and schedules during a guided login process.

    • Visual feedback helped users tailor their experience (e.g., selecting workout frequency and goals).

  2. AR Form Feedback:

    • Real-time skeletal overlays provided visual cues for correcting workout form.

    • Audio-visual feedback guided users in maintaining proper technique.

  3. Workout Customization:

    • Users could choose equipment-free exercises tailored to their fitness level.

    • Gamification elements like progress bars and badges were integrated to enhance motivation.

  4. Community Features (Mockups Only):

    • Included a mockup for a community feature to promote social accountability and engagement.

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Lo-fi Prototype

Hi-fi Prototype
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Hi-fi Prototype

Usability Testing

Extensive usability testing was conducted to evaluate the prototype’s effectiveness, identify pain points, and refine the user experience. The tests involved diverse participants reflecting the app’s target audience, including students, part-time workers, and fitness enthusiasts.

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Testing Tasks:

  1. Task 1: Personalized Onboarding

    • Objective: Evaluate ease of use in setting up a profile and preferences.

    • Instructions: Users completed a personalized login with mock data (e.g., setting fitness goals like “muscle gain”).

    • Results:

      • Completion Rate: 100%

      • Average Time Taken: 113 seconds

      • Feedback: Users found the process intuitive but suggested adding more visual cues to explain goal-setting options.
         

  2. Task 2: Using AR for Exercise Guidance

    • Objective: Assess user confidence and satisfaction when interacting with the AR form feedback system.

    • Instructions: Users followed instructions to perform and correct a push-up using AR overlays.

    • Results:

      • Completion Rate: 100%

      • Average Time Taken: 85.8 seconds

      • Feedback: Users appreciated the real-time visual feedback but requested clearer audio instructions to complement the visual overlays.







         

Key Findings from Testing:

  1. User Confidence:

    • 86% of users reported increased confidence in their exercise form after using the AR feedback feature.

    • Users highlighted the accuracy and clarity of skeletal overlays as a standout feature.

  2. Satisfaction with Gamification:

    • 80% of participants found gamified elements (e.g., progress bars, badges) motivating.

    • Requests included adding leaderboards or challenges for enhanced engagement.

  3. Onboarding Improvements:

    • Users appreciated the onboarding process but suggested adding tooltips for advanced goal-setting options.

  4. Technical Feasibility:

    • Participants with older smartphones noted latency in AR feedback, emphasizing the importance of optimizing the app for low-performance devices.
       

Future Iterations Based on Testing Results:

  1. Navigation Enhancements:

    • Simplified workout categories with clear icons and labels.

    • Added a search bar to locate specific exercises quickly.

  2. Onboarding Tooltips:

    • Included brief explanations for advanced goal-setting features.

  3. Improved Audio Feedback:

    • Augmented AR form correction with precise audio cues to improve accessibility for visually distracted users.

  4. AR Optimization:

    • Began exploring lightweight AR frameworks to reduce latency on older devices.
       

Insights:

The usability testing confirmed that Fitness TogethAR effectively addresses key user pain points, including confidence in exercise form and accessibility of workouts. Testing feedback guided critical design iterations, ensuring a more intuitive and engaging user experience. These refinements pave the way for broader user adoption and satisfaction.

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Discussion and Conclusion

Discussion

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The Fitness TogethAR project presented an exciting opportunity to explore the intersection of emerging technologies and user-centric fitness solutions. By leveraging Augmented Reality (AR), the app addressed key user pain points, such as lack of confidence in exercise form, fear of injury, and the time constraints of modern lifestyles. The iterative design process, guided by Lean UX principles, ensured the development of a prototype that was both functional and aligned with user needs.

Key strengths of the project included:

  • Addressing a Market Gap: The app targeted a niche in fitness solutions, focusing on AR-powered real-time feedback and equipment-free workouts—features that set it apart from competitors.

  • Robust Research Foundation: Comprehensive primary and secondary research provided insights into user behaviors, preferences, and technological feasibility.

  • User-Centric Design: The integration of personalized onboarding, gamified elements, and accessible workouts created an engaging and empowering experience for users.

However, the project also revealed areas for growth:

  • Execution Limitations: While the conceptual framework demonstrated potential, the prototype faced technical challenges, such as optimizing AR performance on older devices.

  • Form Analysis Complexity: Ensuring precise form correction remains a critical hurdle. Exploring advanced machine learning models or refining AR skeletal overlays may enhance accuracy in future iterations.
     

Conclusion

The Fitness TogethAR project demonstrated the potential of AR technology to revolutionize fitness experiences. Combining user feedback with cutting-edge innovation, the app created a solution that empowers users to work out confidently, safely, and effectively, regardless of their environment or fitness level.

The results of usability testing confirmed the app’s ability to boost user confidence and engagement. Iterative design enhancements improved the onboarding process, navigation, and feedback mechanisms, addressing key user concerns. While the project successfully achieved its goals, future work will focus on:

  • Expanding AR Capabilities: Enhancing real-time feedback precision with AI and machine learning.

  • Community Features: Introducing social accountability tools to further motivate users.

  • Scalability: Optimizing performance for a wider range of devices to ensure inclusivity.

By addressing these opportunities, Fitness TogethAR can continue evolving into a comprehensive and transformative fitness solution, paving the way for a safer, more engaging, and accessible workout experience for users worldwide.

© 2024 by Mihir Poddar. All rights reserved. Designed with care by Mihir Poddar

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