7 min readMar 15, 2020

UX/UI Case Study: A Digital Platform for Stride

Elliptical & Stationary Bike — 2-in-1 Exercise Machine

Brief: Our team was responsible for creating the iOS app digital platform that serves as the Stride exercise machine console, user dashboard and resistance controls. We implemented a gamification aspect with an innovative challenges section where users can complete challenges such as “Hiking the Appalachian Trail” with other Stride Riders.

Team: Myself, Sarah Alberti, Steven Schaller

My Role: User research, wireframes, prototyping, personas, UI challenges screens

Research Methods: User research, user interviews, online market survey, supplemental articles; media reports, in-depth interviews with client, onsite visit of working prototype, competitive analysis

End Deliverables: Key screens and wireframes, high-level personas, Interactive prototype; MVP original native iOS application, style sheet and design files, branding/logo design, product roadmap/future iterations

Duration: 3 Weeks

What is Stride

WORKOUTS YOU LOVE IN THE SPACE YOU HAVE.

ELLIPTICAL, EXERCISE BIKE, EASY.

loveyourstride.com

Our client Joseph Prosnitz, a former mega-marathoner, needed a low-impact solution to continue an active lifestyle after difficulties with Crohn’s Disease & autoimmune-related arthritis. He realized:

Runners face huge injury rates
Running participation typically drops at ~40
Most popular low-impact equipment purchases: elliptical + stationary bike

Seeing the value in creating a 2-in-1 elliptical and stationary bike he created the Stride exercise machine.

The Stride machine is currently a working prototype, our client is in the process of raising funds to bring the Stride to the consumer market.

Our Objective

Design an open platform for Stride that supports holistic health and fitness by promoting social and communal interactions

What Stride Needed: A digital platform (iOS native app) that replaces machine console & controls so users can USE the bike

What Stride Wanted: A means to motivate users to CONTINUE to use the bike, specifically, that is:

Social community
Supportive
Competitive, fun, & rewarding
Gamified
Open to content creation and consumption

Stride KPI’s: User engagement, user content creation, and conversion

Project KPI’s:

Positive concept and usability test results
VC funding that our deliverables (prototype) help facilitate

Research & Discovery

Client Meeting

Prior to our first client meeting our group did research on the Stride, www.loveyourstride.com & our client. We prepared our questions and a meeting discussion guide.

Over the course of the meeting we spoke with our client regarding wants, needs and the Stride brand. The machines overall design and functionality, the clients idea of the target customers, the competitive landscape and end deliverables. Our client presented us with a multitude of ideas, possible use cases and iterations of the end product he was looking for.

One of the major differences between the Stride and most of its competition is that the machine doesn’t have a console or any physical controls on the machine itself. All controls & metrics would be displayed on an app. Our client discussed possible platforms, phone, tablet, laptop, smart tv.

Our key takeaways from the meeting were:

Console & Controls — The machine itself had no physical controls or console, the machine would be controlled via an app, possible platforms; phone, tablet, laptop, smart tv.

Support & Community — It was important to our client that we designed a product that provided Stride users a supportive community in order to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Social — The client wanted to incorporate a social aspect into the end product, such as social platform for user generated content.

Research Methods

1st Round

Initial interviews to understand users’ exercise habits & motivations (n=8)
Online Market Survey (n=50)
Competitive analysis
Supplemental articles; media reports

2nd Round

In-depth interviews with client
Onsite visit of working prototype
In-depth expert interviews (n=10)

The Stride bike is a business to customer product. However we didn’t yet have any users of the actual stride bike, so one of the objectives of initial research was to identify our target audience. We knew that our users (a)incorporated exercise into their lifestyle, primarily working out in their home and solo (b)used exercise equipment in their workout routine. We coupled in-person interviews with an online market survey, to understand exercise habits, preferences, motivations, where and how individuals were primarily exercising and why. Through our first round of research we were able to identify our target audience.

Target audience (primary): Ages 35–54 (Gen X’rs); suburban; w/ kids
Target audience (secondary): Ages 55–70 (Baby Boomers); empty nesters

From there we moved forward with more in-depth interviews with users in our target audience. In addition to general inquiry questions behind exercise motivations and habits. We prepared questions for our in-depth interviews that would provide us more focused information regarding our target users needs and wants.

exercise equipment preferences
previously owned equipment, or were considering purchasing
budget and expectations; machine controlled via an app
2-in-1 concept
why choosing to exercise at home
time of day primarily exercising
social were they; streaming content, creating content, posting to social media, interested in others social content

Direct Interview Quotes

No controls — that’s nice because I have my phone with me all the time anyways and with the app I can save and see my progress. Linda, 62
Cool & smart — I like that it’s connected to you. Gretchen, 41
Having a 2-in-1 machine would be great for us, we don’t have space for two machines but we both want one. Jules, 37
I would want reassurance that when I was converting the machine I had done it correctly, and it was safe for use. Matt, 35

The in-depth interviews provided a lot of valuable information. We learned users were exercising at home for convenience. Needed a way to keep themselves accountable and motivated, and they find it beneficial and rewarding to visualize their progress. We also learned our target users were not interested in creating and sharing their own social content.

Additional considerations: Fitbit, Nike Run, Track My Run

Competitor research revealed the market is saturated with exercise equipment, apps, streaming services and products. We complied competitor information on the the most commonly mentioned during our user interviews and survey. Using online research, user reviews and in-person visit to a Peloton studio.

Insights

Personas

Two real-life personas were developed based off real people we interviewed during our research.

Sketching, Ideation, & Concept Testing

With our design principles defined based on our user research we started sketching. We held a design session and each did a round of crazy eights for our key screens. From there we refined the designs, and created low-fi wireframes.

Basic Use Case: Operating the Machine

Secondary Use Case

We invited our client to be a part of one of our ideation sessions. We prepared a short presentation and updated our client on our progress and findings since our last meeting. Using “How Might We” statements and our persona scenarios we held design studio and brainstormed possible solutions to motivate and encourage users longterm usage.