Fitmate | 2021
An all-in-one business platform for independent fitness trainers.
Starting with a social sports coordination and access pain point, compelling expert interviews led us towards something even more substantial - the business side of fitness.
Independent trainers are just the start, but the potential configurability for other business owners looking for all-in-one tools for billing and client management is enticing.
ROLE
UX/UI Designer + UXR
TEAM
6 UX Designers
TIME
9 weeks
TOOLS
Figma, Google Suite, Miro
DELIVERABLES
Stakeholder interviews
Competitive Analysis
User Testing (x3)
Design Sprint
Mockups
Prototypes
Business Strategy
Marketing Strategy
Customer Journey
Brand Book
Project overview
CHALLENGE
Independent trainers spend unnecessary time on administrative processes taking time away from focusing on client needs and increasing their capacity.
SOLUTION
An all-in-one space where independent trainers can find user friendly administrative and marketing tools while connecting with and planning for their clients.
More than one third of Americans (37%) join for livestream workouts at least once a week. Even more (40%) exercise to a pre-recorded fitness video. Americans are forming new workout habits.
(source)
Problem
The last two years have flipped things upside down in many ways. Things we thought we knew are a way of the past and new norms are emerging. Groceries coming to our doors, video chats for every meeting, new ways to connect remotely with friends and family anywhere in the world, and so much more.
Even the fitness industry is providing more online classes and tools to support athletes.
But while trainers scramble to stay competitive and establish their online presence, what is being done to support their growing businesses?
Our team set out to explore just that.
Research
Before we got to that point, we needed to research. Some of the techniques we used were:
Survey (n= 125; languages: 2)
Desk Research
Affinity Diagrams
Competitive Research - Existing and Analogous
Obstacles vs. Motivators
How Might We (HMWs)
Effort/Impact Matrix
1-on-1 Interviews - Athletes and Trainers
Customer Journey Maps
The Pivot
It was through including interviews with trainers, rather than just speaking with the end-user (the athlete), that we discovered their journey was much more complex and ready for improvement.
Customer User Journey (CUJ) | Trainers
Trainers were implementing a wide variety of tools to run their business - video chat platforms, phone calls, social media, spreadsheets, apps, notepads, etc. They were having to excel in all areas of their business promotion and function, whether that was their background or not. Even the most organized of trainers would agree that it is a lot to juggle the business and the client management.
Business model map
We have 4 main stakeholders:
Fitmate
Trainers
Athletes
Sports brands
-
Our brand is delivering trainers easy to use business tools, enhanced plan building, and marketing exposure.
The athletes get an easy way to receive a training plan and communicate with their trainer.
While Trainers are providing Fitmate with training data, referrals and payments for their subscriptions
-
Athletes in return give reviews and payment
Trainers provide easy to follow workouts based on the athlete’s needs and goals
-
With the advertisements for the free version, sport brands provide Fitmate a second source of income
In return Fitmate gives sport brands the possibility to reach people in their target audience
Business model canvas
For our Key Value Propositions we want to focus on the trainers having one place to go for all the tools they need to run their business and grow their brand.
Ultimately, we are trying to give them more time to do what they love and help them provide the best service for the athletes.
Pricing model
We offer a Free option where our users can have a glimpse of our product’s potential.
Our premium plans offer
More seats for their clients
No advertisements
Unlimited social media templates
The option to customize branding
Automated design for their marketing materials
-
Initial Features (MVP)
Payment Tracking
Client Database
Plan building (Athletes)
Plan building (Trainers)
Limited connection to content creators
Free templates/tutorials for brand promotion
Customer Support
-
Next Features (MLP)
Nutrition
Included content creation
Full access to brand promotion tools
Community building
Social Impact
With revenue from subscriptions and advertisements (freemium version only) and total addressable markets of independent trainers in our first two target locations - over 300,000 (U.S.) and 45,000 (Spain) - we are confident that there is potential in this solution and business.
Reflections
Stay nimble
The key learning for me with this project was that even if a great deal of time and effort have been dedicated to what you think you should or could solve, it is more rewarding to stop and pivot than pursue something that you feel less passionate about. Of course this assumes certain luxuries, such as time is not dwindling and resources are not lacking, but ultimately a solution that comes from a user pain point will win out over a hunch or early assumption.
Building blocks
I like the idea of focusing intently on something or a certain user subset, but not losing sight that with a couple of minor tweaks a whole new audience could emerge. Building things in a configurable and scalable way benefits the team and expands the reach of potential customers down the road.