Designing a gamification tool while creating an environment that promotes motivation and consistency.
SimFit is a fitness app that aims to bring game mechanics and AI to help increase motivation and stay consistent on your fitness journey. The app immerses you in the world of your favorite virtual game or sport by using real-time stats provided by your paired fitness watch to drive character performance.
I joined the start-up company, Simfit, during the third cohort, just before the Beta app phase. My primary responsibility was to evaluate the user experience and design of the previous cohort. I conducted extensive testing to validate their design decisions and iterate based on the feedback received.
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The Team
Jonathan
UX Designer
Najia
UX Designer
Mitali
UX Designer
Krystal
UX Designer
Sailu
Product Owner/Manager
Bill
Software Engineer
Jacky
Software Engineer
Problem:
How might we find a solution to help individuals that struggle with upholding a consistent workout routine develop the motivation to pursue and achieve their fitness goals?
Goal:
The goal was to design a product that is engaging, fun, and create a motivational environment for users to achieve a consistent workout routine.
My fellow UX designers and I were working with a comprehensive high-fidelity prototype that included some MVPs. Our tasks involved finalizing the remaining MVPs and iterating on the prior high-fidelity designs and prototype to enhance the overall user experience.
The decision to conduct usability tests was driven by the following objectives: validating in-feature design decisions, gathering qualitative/quantitative feedback, and identifying user pain points.
We made the decision to carry out extensive usability tests encompassing a wide range of tasks. Our aim was to test all the previous MVPs that were developed in the last cohort. Additionally, we included tests for various concepts and small ideation changes that were implemented during the design review process.
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Participants:
14 participants
Age 18-40 years old
Interest in physical activity
Interest in gamification
Method:
Remote Moderated
Zoom
Google Sheets
Key MVPs:
1. On-boarding + Sign-Up
2. Link Wearable
3. Single Player Gameplay
4. Multiplayer Gameplay
5. Notifications
6. Rewards
7. Calendar
8. Community
Throughout our analysis, we discovered the underlying themes and identified the key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive our strategic objectives.
After thoroughly compiling, reviewing, and organizing all the insights and data from the tasks in the usability test, we identified six main themes.
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Contextual overload and terminology
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In-feature validation
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In-feature enhancements
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Clickable errors
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Page layout
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Userflow
Connecting our goals and KPI’s:
We aimed to create an engaging environment where users can easily and quickly complete tasks. We believed tracking conversion rate, average time on task, and error occurrence rates provided the best quantitative data to correlate with task performance. These metrics were determined using the Google HEART Framework.
Below were alarming KPI's from our first round of testing:
Task: Calendar Gameplay Set-Up
43% Conversion Rate
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Task: Select Date/Time in the Calendar
32 Seconds Average Time on Task
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Task: Link Wearable
17% Error Occurrence Rate
Based on our insight, findings, and understanding from our users. Below are key design iterations we made.
New Users (Link Wearable):
We removed the events section on the home screen for new users to reduce confusion and improve user flow clarity. We believed that lowering the visual content would allow users to find the ‘Link the Wearable' button quickly and ultimately connect them to the Simfit App environment.
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"It feels kinda busy, I don't understand why the event section is located here!"
Dylan
Usability Tester
Linking Wearable:
By undertaking a user interface redesign and eliminating the extra steps of clicking the device before pairing, we aimed to simplify the wearable linking process and minimize user frustration. This modification ensures a smoother and more intuitive experience for all participants, reducing clickable errors and improving overall usability.
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"An extra click means it takes longer to connect my device. Every second counts!"
Gabriel
Usability Tester
Lobby:
Players felt disconnected due to abrupt gameplay, desiring closer connections. To address this, we introduced an interactive waiting lobby—a space for players to prepare, interact, and bond before games. Fostering camaraderie, it enhances the overall gaming experience, promoting enjoyment and satisfaction in a vibrant multiplayer environment.
"Why did it start the game after I invited friends, shouldn't there be a lobby for my friends to prepare for the game?"
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Ian
Usability Tester
Time Picker:
All the participants expressed their dissatisfaction with the current method of selecting a workout duration, finding it unclear and leading to reduced accuracy. Consequently, we opted to develop a more user-friendly time picker flow that enhances visibility and tactile precision prior to making game selections.
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"I want more precision when selecting a time, a large slider button reduces visibility. Don't overcomplicate this one."
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Maressa
Usability Tester
We made some mistakes along the way and looked to improve them in the next round of usability testing.
1. Reduction in usability testers
2. Split up usability testing for multiple MVP's
3. Changing task orders
4. Improving the prototype screens
The previous cohort created our design system on Figma, but it lacked components, variants, and organized font styles. This led to numerous issues and difficulties with the design. To ensure consistency, my cohort and I had to completely recreate, readjust, and reformulate the entire design system.
Following the initial usability test and the establishment of our design system, we sought to test and validate our design decisions, aiming to ensure that we correctly grasped the users' pain points and needs.
Partipants:
6 participants
Screener:
Age 18-40 years old
Interest in physical activity
Interest in gamification
Uses a fitness watch
After the second round of testing, we noticed significant improvements across the board, including mostly positive feedback and improved KPI's.
Task: Post Calendar Gameplay Set-up
43% Conversion Rate → 100% Conversion Rate
Task: Select Date/Time in the Calendar
32 seconds average to complete→ 16 seconds average time on task
Task: Link Wearable
17% Error Occurrence Rate → 4% Error Occurrence Rate
Usability Recruitment
Money talks! Pitching our usability study to targeted users without monetary gain was challenging. We invested extra time in crafting conversations that addressed their personal goals and motivations.
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Open-Source Game Permission
Another major challenge was sourcing an open-sourced game for our application. We crafted a pitch explaining the product and how their games could be utilized. Unfortunately, finding a suitable open-source game proved difficult, leading us to decide to create a game from scratch.
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Design System Overhaul
Combining usability and a design system demanded a highly detail-oriented approach. This overhaul impacted all application screens, presenting challenges in aligning the updated design system with the expectations for future iterations.
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Be Confident​
Be confident in your knowledge and push back on changes when necessary. The product manager frequently suggested adding small features and/or changes without user evidence.
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Developer Collaboration
Keep your developers updated. The earlier they are updated in your design process, the quicker the constraints and frustrations are visible.
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Balance Design Perfectionism
Don't expect developer outputs to match prototypes. Product teams prioritize aesthetics and UX, while engineers focus on system optimization. I've learned to understand and value engineers' objectives, where technical feasibility is crucial.
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Design​
Due to the constraints in implementing an open-source game, we will need to make changes to the gameplay screens and design the watch interface after the game has been created by the game designers and developers.
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Field Testing
How do our users interact with the product in the wild? We want to observe where they are using the Simfit app and what kind of challenges/struggles they face.
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Business focused KPIs
After launch, we'll add metrics aligned with business goals: adoption (download/subscription rate), happiness (Net Promoter Score, Customer Satisfaction Rating), and retention (Churn rate, subscription renewal rate).
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