Timeline
May 2023
My Role
UX Designer / Researcher
Student Project
CONTEXT
Filling a market gap for postnatal fitness apps
The UX case study focuses on developing a postnatal exercise app to fill a market gap for a user-friendly, evidence-based solution tailored to new mothers. It identifies critical needs such as gradual exercise reintroduction, addressing postnatal physical and mental health challenges, and the importance of social support. Through comprehensive research and ideation processes, including persona development and workshops, a Holistic Health Dashboard was selected as the optimal solution. This approach aims to offer personalized health tracking, community support, and tailored exercise programs, directly addressing the identified user needs and motivations.
PROBLEM
Lack of a comprehensive, user-friendly, and evidence-based approach
The main problem identified with existing postnatal fitness apps is their lack of a comprehensive, user-friendly, and evidence-based approach that gradually reintroduces new mothers to exercise while addressing their specific physical and mental health challenges. This gap in the market highlights the need for an app that offers personalized exercise plans, incorporates social support features, and provides detailed information on the benefits of postnatal exercise.
By addressing this problem, an improved app can significantly enhance user engagement and motivation, support new mothers in their recovery and health goals, and fill a critical void in postnatal care resources.
SOLUTION
Holistic Health Dashboard
The top solution for a postnatal exercise app is the Holistic Health Dashboard. This option effectively meets the target audience's needs by offering a structured program for clear progress tracking and comprehensive health monitoring, including exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mental well-being. It addresses key user goals such as regaining physical strength and improving mental health. By enabling personalization and visual progress tracking, the dashboard motivates users and caters to their specific postnatal requirements, enhancing user engagement and adaptability.
Major Findings
Gradual Reintroduction to Exercise: It's crucial for postnatal women to gradually reintroduce exercise to avoid injury and ensure their health and safety.
Preference for Low-impact Exercises: Postnatal women prefer low-impact exercises, indicating the app should offer a variety of these exercises to meet their needs.
Challenges New Moms Face: New mothers face significant challenges such as exhaustion, lack of time, physical pain, and medical complications, which hinder their ability to engage in physical exercise.
ANALYSIS
Research
The research approach for the postnatal exercise app involved a detailed ideation workshop, incorporating the insights from key research findings and the developed persona, "Jennifer." This workshop included UX/UI designers, product managers, and a medical professional specializing in postnatal care, aiming to generate innovative solutions tailored to new mothers' specific needs.
Techniques such as brainstorming, SCAMPER, and NUF (New, Useful, Feasible) were employed for idea generation, refinement, and prioritization. This comprehensive approach ensured the development of a user-centered app that addresses the unique challenges and preferences of postnatal women, focusing on gradual exercise reintroduction, personalization, and community support .
Enclosed are the links to the data gathered during research.
Competitive Analysis
Three apps were analyzed.
Juna
Baby2Body
The Bloom Method
The pros:
Personalization and Tailored Programs: All apps offer personalized fitness plans and exercises tailored to the postpartum recovery period, ensuring relevancy and effectiveness for each user.
Expert Guidance and Safe Workouts: The presence of knowledgeable instructors and a focus on exercises safe for postpartum recovery provide users with accurate guidance and reduce the risk of injury.
Supportive Community Features: Some apps foster a sense of belonging and motivation through community support, allowing new mothers to connect, share experiences, and encourage each other.
The cons:
High Subscription Costs: The reliance on subscription models, with some apps priced significantly higher than others, can be a barrier for users sensitive to price or unwilling to commit financially.
Limited Free Content: The tendency towards providing limited workouts and educational materials in free versions makes the apps less attractive to those not ready to subscribe.
Variety and Accessibility Concerns: While some apps lack a broad range of exercise options, others focus solely on bodyweight exercises, which may not satisfy all user preferences or fitness levels.
Personas
I created a persona with the main purpose of exploring the needs of a larger group of users and create a design with specific target users in mind
Ideation
For this postnatal fitness app, the design includes three main features: an AI chatbot for custom postnatal fitness advice, interactive quizzes on postnatal health, and live sessions with certified postnatal fitness instructors. These features aim to provide personalized fitness guidance, educate new mothers on health and recovery, and connect them with experts and a supportive community. The app focuses on helping new mothers recover physically, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and find motivation and support through expert advice and shared experiences.
Prototype
For the postnatal fitness app, we developed prototypes focused on three key interactions to enhance user engagement and support postnatal recovery. These interactions include finding a workout buddy and personalization based on fitness goals. These features are designed to educate and inform new mothers, offering a comprehensive, interactive experience that motivates them towards effective postnatal fitness and well-being.
User Testing
The usability testing of the Holistic Health Dashboard App, conducted remotely via Maze with 6 postpartum women aged 28-38, aimed to evaluate the app's usability and relevance. Participants completed tasks like personalizing workout plans and finding workout buddies, assessing the app's ease of use, personalization, and navigation. The testing highlighted strengths such as high user satisfaction and intuitive design, with 88% finding it easy to navigate
The main findings from the usability testing revealed:
Identified areas for improvement include enhancing data collection for personalization, adding location-based features for workout buddy matching, and addressing access and performance issues in certain app sections.
Despite challenges, 100% of participants saw themselves using the app regularly, indicating a positive reception overall.
A strong appreciation for the app's personalization capabilities and intuitive design, with 88% of users finding it easy to navigate.
Next Steps
Redesign the Community access for easier user engagement.
Broaden health questionnaires for personalized fitness plans.
Add location-based matching for community connectivity.
Implement multilingual support to broaden user accessibility.
Engaging in further testing and iteration