Competitive analysis revealed that overall, we don’t have too much competition. After analyzing existing gym-related applications it revealed a market with many offering similar features. However, a gap exists in providing cross-platform accessibility, as many are restricted to specific operating systems. Heuristic evaluations of leading competitors have identified notable weaknesses, particularly concerning user complexity. Developing user personas and scenarios has confirmed these findings, highlighting the following user desires: Simplicity- An intuitive, easy to navigate application that minimizes complexity. Accessibility- Cross platform usability, allowing access anytime and anywhere. Efficiency- Quick and straightforward process to find and connect with suitable workout partners. Design sketches and system diagrams have been developed to implement these insights, focusing on features such as enhanced error tolerance and a minimalist interface. These designs aim to create a user-friendly experience that aligns with the identified user needs
Harrison Lloyd
Yash Madan
Tanner Hart
https://github.com/ChicoState/gymbuddy-ux/tree/main/sketches https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lZSy5KIzmMWI4_QzmCZSKXNm9F8FcXVVF850msYCRwI/edit?tab=t.0
Gym Buddy is a platform that helps gym-goers find workout partners based on their fitness goals and schedules. The project addresses a common challenge—many people struggle to stay motivated and consistent with their fitness routines due to a lack of accountability and social support. During this phase, we focused on analyzing competitors, created a structured layout of our design, and ran situational tests through personas and scenarios.
For Gym Buddy, we used various research methods to understand what similar apps have done and how we can make improvements. We employed a combination of research methods: competitive analysis, heuristic evaluation, and persona development. Each method served a distinct purpose in informing our design decisions. Competitive Analysis- Our team identified and selected a few fitness applications that vary in features, user base and platform availability. We accessed each application by uncovering its strengths and weaknesses, quality and price. Heuristic Evaluation- We as a team navigated through various applications performing tasks. We observed a few usability issues and then came up with potential solutions. Persona Development- We designed a few personas and scenarios that we felt would be a great user for our app based on their age, demographics, name, behavioral patterns and challenges. By systematically applying these research methods, we gained valuable insights that informed Gym Buddy’s development, ensuring it addresses user needs effectively.
By looking at competitors, evaluating usability, and creating user personas, we found key insights to improve Gym Buddy. Many fitness apps are great at tracking workouts and giving personalized plans, but they often lack wearable integration and flexible pricing, which we see as opportunities. Our usability review showed issues like confusing navigation, inconsistent design, and unclear task flows, so we went for a simpler, more user-friendly interface. Creating personas helped us understand why people would use Gym Buddy and what features matter most to them. It also confirmed that most of our users will likely be busy individuals who prefer a simple, easy-to-use design over extra features.
After analyzing our findings, we’ve concluded that the demographic most likely to use our product are young adults, i.e., between the ages of 18 and 35. This could account for beginners as well as more experienced gym-goers. Based on what we learned, it’s clear that we need a simplistic design. We need a simple matching system that pairs people based on their fitness goals, schedules, and experience. The app should also be easy to navigate so users can find what they need without confusion. Since we haven’t tested it with real users yet, getting feedback is our next big step to make sure it works well.
The biggest downside to our research so far is that we haven’t been able to get any real feedback from users yet. This has made us have to guess what the user may want instead of hearing it from the users themselves. Due to this lack of feedback, we can’t say for certain what type of demographic would most often use our product. We also relied heavily on competitor analysis rather than original insights, which means we may be missing opportunities to differentiate our platform from others.