Learning from users to build a platform supporting what matters most
This post is part of the FitBees Blog series. Check out our posts on how we are co-designing with our users, what we are learning from our Steering Group or how we are making a difference if that’s more relevant for you.
At FitBees, we have been working closely to engage our initial user-group of 20 people to understand their needs, capture their feedback and co-design features and functionality together. Over several months we’ve been on a journey with each person to gain as much insight as possible by immersing ourselves into their lives, installing sensors and setting-up wearable tech, observing their reactions and behaviours, having open conversations with them (and the connected people in their ‘circle of care’), and asking them to complete diary studies and questionnaires. All this research is then reviewed and distilled so we can create working prototypes for users to test in the next phases.
Looking across our individual user journeys as a set, we’re gaining insights about how people use tech, their current fitness, and social routines, potential health issues they are dealing with, as well as their motivations and possible barriers to meeting their goals or aspirations. With input from our partners and steering group, we are then able to reflect on how the FitBees service can take shape — not just to meet the needs of individual users, but a service that will work as a scalable business model and meet the expectations of ‘buyers’ as well.
Ensuring meaningful contact with our users and building a relationship with them provide stories alongside data. This is particularly important when it comes to understanding motivations and barriers. Even while users are filling-in initial questionnaires, the conversations begin, and we start to build a richer picture of needs and wants that can help us build relevant features. So, what are some of those stories and how are we gaining an overall picture of user needs? Here are a few examples:
One of our users, “Beth”, is very happy to admit that motivation is a core problem. Her day can become dominated by sitting on the sofa — Netflix, TV and gaming becomes a supporting factor of that. But she is motivated by a desire to lose weight (losing weight was one of the most common goals among all our original respondents) and she has already set herself an overall reward if she can achieve her goal — to go swimming with dolphins. Beth has tried Zumba before but does not like to exercise in rooms with mirrors.
What we have learnt is that in situations where she has been motivated, a strong factor is that she felt she was supporting others. In one example, over lockdown she supported her sister to keep going when they both decided to learn how to knit. Motivating others is something that our Steering Group recognises. It is known that people can feel more empowered to help others rather than themselves. Being there for someone else provides a sense of self-worth. From stories like these, we know that the social aspect of FitBees is as important, if not more important, than fitness content. As a result, we have connected Beth with another FitBees user who have similar interests in dance-type exercise, and they are ‘buddying-up’ for some online classes together.
Another user story also confirms this desire for social connection. After stopping work because of a serious injury, “Jenny” has lost her social circle as well as the daily fitness she gained from a job that involved walking for most of the day. Family members have become more concerned about her being out and about on her own and are requesting that she reduces her movements. But Jenny knows this is limiting her sense of freedom as well as her physical activity. Family members are calling frequently to check on her, which is not always welcome. In this situation, Jenny sees the FitBees technology as a means to stay connected to family members and share with them information she chooses about her activity in or out of the home. The desired outcome would be a sense of reassurance for her family and an increase in freedom and independence for Jenny — this is currently being tested to assess what the appropriate level of detail should be provided to the family, without invading the participant’s privacy.
In terms of her own physical activity, swimming is something this user enjoys, but after the injury, getting into a pool presents some difficulty. On a visit to the local leisure centre, Jenny explained that she could not use the ladder. She was offered the use of a hoist, but then experienced a “very embarrassing” 15 mins where staff fumbled with equipment that they clearly had little experience of using. As a result, Jenny has not been back but would return if someone else went with her. This is where FitBees has the potential to connect nearby users by signposting to local activities and helping to organise and prompt people who can attend together with increased confidence.
These user journey stories give us indicators of where the real problems lie and what barriers our users are facing when it comes to physical activity, and therefore it helps us to understand where FitBees can really add value. These problems do not tend to be related to an unmet desire for home fitness content or a lack of appreciation of the benefits related to physical activity — both mentally and physically. It is about having the confidence to face difficulties or changing circumstances and new environments, social connection with likeminded others, clear signposting to content, classes or groups, personal information that can provide reassurance or a motivational boost to keep going, and a back-up community that appreciates the needs and challenges of the elderly and those who require additional support.
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Would you like to become a FitBee?
We are looking for people who are willing to participate — to talk with us, try our technologies, test our ideas, and give us honest feedback and suggestions so we can learn what does and does not work for you.
You do not have to be fit and active already, but ideally you need to be able to stand and walk around in your home unaided. You might already do some physical activities, you might move around very little and would be interested in doing more, or you might really dislike the idea of exercising. Whatever your starting point, we would like to understand more about your daily routines and how our service might help people like you to be more active and more connected.
Collaborate with us
We are looking to speak to organisations who are willing to participate in our Steering group and are representing and/or supporting older people, people with disabilities and those from ethnic minority background. We want to hear from organisations willing to share feedback about the barriers to physical activity, try our technologies, test our ideas, and give us honest suggestions so we can learn what does and doesn’t work for under-represented groups.
Contact Us
Join us at: https://tendertec.org/fitbees/ or drop us an email at contact@fitbees.org
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