Social Fit
A new chat feature on the existing MindBody app that allows group fitness students to connect with one another after class to build a sense of community and increase class retention.
Problem Statement
How might we make it easier for group fitness students to connect with each other outside of class so that they can become friends and be more consistent in their attendance of their exercise class?
Problem Background
There is a severe lack of community and a loneliness epidemic in our society that has only been getting worse in recent years. Many people seek the company of others and want to build healthy habits at the same time by going to group fitness classes. However, it can be very difficult to start a conversation with someone new because you’re not sure if they’re also there to make friends.
In addition, gyms and studios are often trying to reduce churn and maintain high attendance of their classes. And there are not a lot of solutions out there that address this issue. A study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that individuals who perceived higher levels of social support from their exercise companions were more motivated to attend fitness classes regularly.
A study published in the American Academy of Health Behavior showed that the sense of community experienced by participants in an exercise intervention study (which involved a 5 days weekly group fitness class), “played a major role in preventing attrition and promoting adherence in this study.” Some of the specific methods used to build that community and trust were “frequent interactions to ensure participants felt valued, as well as a sense of belonging and social support at the group level. Participants were also engaged daily via a social media app (i.e., GroupMe) to debrief their workout experience across all three of the day’s classes; providing encouragement and humor with each other.” The study also stated that these methods could be useful when applied to group exercise programs in a non-academic setting, as well.
The problem now is that most group fitness coaches or studios do not put effort toward building a community and the existing app they often use, MindBody, does not provide a way to facilitate that.
User Pain Points & Research Insights
I did 4 user interviews of women from diverse backgrounds who all enjoyed attending group fitness classes. All participants said they were interested in meeting people in the class, but one sentiment that was echoed over and over was “it’s kind of hard; there’s only so many windows you have to talk to someone.” There’s the 15 minutes before class, if others are early, but you have to be bold enough to go over and start a conversation with someone (half said they wouldn’t because they were too introverted). And then there’s a few minutes after class, but at that point, everyone is trying to rush to leave.
Supporting Data
- 100% of participants said they had not made friends in a group fitness class yet.
- 100% would be very interested in making friends with their classmates.
- 75% would attend a class more consistently if they had a community in that class.
- 100% would like the opportunity to connect with classmates after class.
Landing on the Solution
Based on all of those insights, our solution is to build a new chat feature on the existing MindBody app that allows group fitness students to connect with one another after class to build a sense of community and increase class retention.
Solution Explanation
- Studio owners can choose to add the new chat feature to their implentation of the MindBody app.
- This chat room would be open for a week after class.
- Class member users would have their own profiles with their name, photo, and other interests.
- And a bot would separately encourage users to start a conversation in the group chat by giving them fun prompts/conversation starters.
Future Steps
- Measure whether or not the chat feature is being used and if it is affecting the class retention rate.
- Assess if the prompts the bot generates are actually helpful and used by any of the class members to see if the prompts could be improved.
- Possibly add a direct message feature so that users can message each other individually.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Nicole Ivanov
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.