Product Design | 2014 BFA Thesis
Grit Fitness App
Gamifying your workout and motivating you to get off that couch and hit the gym.
About
The University of Colorado at Denver BFA thesis is the final project for undergrads to exhibit their work at Redline Gallery. Graduating seniors are prompted to explore a semester-long project that focuses on any digital design medium including branding, product, interactive, animation and more.
Role
Product Design: Mobile Game App (UX Design & Research, Interaction and Visual Design)
Deliverables
- Mobile Game Prototype
- Demo Video
- Promotional Material
- Exhibit Display at Redline Gallery
Background
I’m a huge fitness junkie. Going into my last year, I knew I wanted to connect my two passions of design and fitness in some sort of way. I had discussions with friends who both were and were not interested in fitness to try to spark some ideas. The biggest thing I learned from both groups is that there was one driving factor that they believed was needed to be fit, motivation.
Problems
There were three main problems I addressed in this project:
- One out of three adults were considered overweight, primarily those ages 35-55. (2013 study, stateofobesity.org)
- A majority of people who begin working out, end up stopping for various reasons.
- Most people who tracked and logged their workouts didn’t have a sense of achievement. They sought instant gratification in more than just a gym diary.
How might we use gamification in interaction design to encourage people to exercise regularly?
Richard Bartle’s theory of gamer profiles
I conducted a series of surveys with focus groups and individual interviews. In focus groups, subjects were asked about their gym experiences and the use of their mobile phone while pumping iron. Individual interviews helped develop user personas on a gamification standpoint rather than exercise alone. Based on Richard Bartle’s theory of gamer profiles, I conducted an quantitative analysis of the subject’s player type which helped define the gameplay of Grit in order to help meet user goals.
Personas & Job Stories
Consolidating User Goals into Job Stories
Of the 22 participants that I researched, I reached back out to 6 of them to get more qualitative insight. I was able to create personas based on the information I learned. There was a pattern in the responses that helped construct the following job stories based on the Jobs to be Done framework.
- When it’s been two weeks that I’ve gone to the gym regularly, I want to see results so I can measure my success.
- When I get too busy with life, I need reminders to motivate me to go
- When I am at the gym, I need help staying on track of my routine so at the end of workout, I can feel accomplished.
Task Flow Scenario: Day 22 Workout
Confining to the Limitations
A big constraint that challenged me was adapting the design to be displayed at our senior thesis exhibit. Due to timing and limited resources, I had to make the executive decision to scale back the deliverables. I could no longer design and prototype the entire application, instead I decided to focus on one scenario and few supporting experiences to help drive the concept. This allowed me to focus on other areas of my exhibit display and ensuring the scenario I had was solid.
Why 22 Days?
Although there’s been studies to disprove Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s theory that it takes 21 days to form a habit, I wanted to use this number as a baseline for my scenario. I made some assumptions about user’s expectations that helped guide the design hypothesis. I believed that it is around this time that a user might expect some type of results from their workout and that external forces might deter them from their routine.
Process: Storytelling & Product Narrative
Crafting a Greek Story
I explored several classical themes such as ninjas, zombies, wild west and aliens that would help drive the story. While crafting the archetypes I needed, I started identifying them with Greek myth characters. Naturally, I was able to build out the stories in relation to Gods, creatures and heroes from this study. The user would play a hero that wasn’t identified as a specific character. However, they would often times get paired with other heroes and Gods to battles several creatures and villains. The narrative paid homage to several Greek stories such as The Odyssey and The Iliad.
Catering to the Explorer Type
Based on quantitative insights from surveying 22 participants, I was able to determine some key elements in game theory that people found important. I used this list to help guide the storyline and provide interaction elements to drive engagement.
- Pattern Recognition: Ability to know how a game works.
- Collecting: Points, Rewards, Characters, Supplies etc.
- Surprises: Hidden objects, easter eggs, treasures etc.
- Gaining Status: Priority access, Special levels etc.
- Organizing: Building teams, cities, routines etc.
Process: Branding & Identity
Setting the Tone of Grit
Part of my research involved seeking guidance in behavioral studies revolving around motivation and success. I came across Angela Lee Duckworth’s talk about, Grit and fell in love with her theory. She began her study when she became curious to uncover what distinguishes her 7th grade student’s performance. She concluded that there is an underlying trait found in people that help determine their success, called grit. I elevated this methodology in not only the naming for the app, but also what helped guide the art direction.
Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.
Grit is having stamina.
— Angela Lee Duckworth
Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.
Grit is having stamina.
— Angela Lee Duckworth
The Logomark
There are two connotations from the logomark. The lightning bolt represents strength and empowerment. This helps drive the fitness aspect of the product. Also, the lines also represent an upward-moving line graph to illustrate the measurement and growing results aspect.
Process: Visual Design
Hurdles and High Hopes
Anytime I'm asked, what I would do differently in this project, this answers that. I had to make the hard decision to sacrifice visual design time in order to work on the demo video that would support my exhibit display. I wasn't able to implement the moodboard entirely and fell short in addressing standard mobile game UI and patterns. Although I wasn't able to perfect the style and visuals, I'm extremely proud of the experience and concept overall.
BFA Thesis Exhibition 2014
Thesis display showcasing the branding, demo video and promo material.
Me, exhausted and delirious from a long semester. And probably hungry.
Demo video I shot, animated and edited.
Retrospective
There were many, many challenges I faced with this project. There were a lot of moving parts and I didn’t quite realize how much was on my plate until the end. Nonetheless, I was extremely proud of everything I delivered and look back knowing I had learned so much, mainly the following:
- Don’t get locked down in research. I spent more than 50% of my time researching, surveying users and doing competitive analyses. It’s okay if there are unanswered questions, that's why design iterations are so pertinent.
- Building scenarios will help concepting. I felt like I kept hitting a wall when I was sketching out the user experience. I learned after spending many weeks circling through concepts that if I focus on 1-3 task flows, the gaps will fill in.
- This is definitely the path I want to take in my career. Telling stories, crafting experiences and putting user insight above assumptions are just a few of the reasons why I absolutely enjoyed this project. I’m excited to reflect back knowing what I know now, and always finding ways to improve it.