Why a small UX Flaw make me quit Apple Fitness+
Apple Fitness+ launched with great promise, offering high-quality video workouts led by world-class trainers. However, a seemingly small UX oversight is causing major frustration for users:
The inability to rewind or fast-forward through workout videos.
As a UX designer, I believe this “grain of sand” is hindering the app’s full potential and causing unnecessary user churn. In this article, I’ll delve into the problem and propose solutions to help Apple Fitness+ get back on track.
The Problem
During our free trial period on Apple Fitness+, my wife and I tried a yoga course.. Well, obviously, we are not pros in yoga 😬, and when you ask someone to perform something new… well, it’s very chaotic. You need to understand the positioning, adjust, etc., and when you’re trying to perform the pose correctly, the video continues, and you miss it. We thought, “Okay, no problem, we can rewind and continue” but no, you don’t have access to the “basic” controls like other videoplayer. You can only pause the video 🫠. For us, it’s a nightmare, a very “BUX” (Bad User Experience).
And thankfully, for the sake of our dignity, we are not alone. I have found numerous complaints in Apple Fitness+ discussion forums echoing the same sentiments. Users want the ability to revisit specific exercises or techniques without having to restart the entire workout. The current workaround of pausing and waiting for the correct moment is cumbersome and disrupts the flow of the workout.
As a result, users are abandoning the platform, despite its many strengths. Apple is losing valuable customers due to a fixable UX issue with a high ROI solution.
Evidence of User Frustration: The problem has been highlighted by Forbes since Dec 14, 2020 ! Andrew Williams in his early review of Apple Fitness+ notes:
“When you start a class, you can pause it but not rewind or fast forward”. He acknowledges that while this limitation may be intentional to preserve the structured nature of the classes, it becomes problematic when “plenty [of classes] also encourage multiple replays”.
Proposed Solutions:
- Allow users to rewind or fast-forward workout videos in 10-second increments. This would provide enough granularity to locate specific exercise sections without enabling excessive skipping.
2. Provide supplementary short-form videos demonstrating proper form and technique for key exercises featured in the workouts. Users could reference these standalone clips without disrupting the full workout flow.
By addressing this critical UX issue, Apple Fitness+ can expect to see:
- Increased user retention and engagement as the learning curve for proper form and technique is smoothed.
- Positive word-of-mouth and reviews from satisfied users, attracting new subscribers.
- Reduced customer churn and support inquiries related to playback frustrations.
The ROI for implementing these UX improvements is likely to be substantial, as even a small increase in user retention can translate to significant recurring revenue for a subscription-based service like Apple Fitness+.
As UX designer, I urge Apple to prioritize this UX issue and implement a solution to the problem. Maybe is not playback controls but please fix it.
In the meantime, sorry, but it’s too painful to use it. 🚪
