Improving fitness together through Zylo’s community-driven approach

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Vision & Challenge

An adult who values social interaction needs a social support system that offers accountability and motivation because they are more likely to stay committed to their fitness goals when encouraged by a community. How might we make it easier for adults to find and engage with like-minded individuals who can support and encourage them in their fitness journey?

The Problem

Many individuals want to exercise but for various reasons, struggle to get started.

Introducing the solution - Zylo

Zylo is a fitness app designed for adults who value community support, accountability, and motivation on their journey to better health. Recognizing the challenges many face in staying committed to exercise, Zylo brings together like-minded individuals through personalized goal-setting, club events, and activity tracking.

With features that let users choose their preferred activities, set weekly goals, and share accomplishments with friends, Zylo is more than a fitness tracker. It’s a supportive social network tailored to help users thrive, making Zylo a welcoming and empowering space for all fitness levels.

Overview of Zylo app

Product Highlights

3-Step Onboarding Process

Getting started with Zylo in 3 steps

To kick off their journey with Zylo, users set personal fitness goals, select the activities they’re interested in, and join clubs that resonate with their interests.

These initial steps help users personalize their experience, making it easier to find motivation and connect with like-minded individuals as they embark on their fitness journey.

Keeping track of weekly goals easily

The first screen users see when they open Zylo is their weekly goals dashboard, allowing them to monitor their progress at a glance easily.

Each day’s activities are represented with icons, so users can quickly see what activities they’ve done throughout the week, helping them stay on track and motivated as they work towards their goals.

Weekly Goals
Recording an Activity

Recording an activity

As users begin an activity, a timer tracks their progress in real-time, adding a sense of accountability. Once they complete and save the activity, Zylo displays the total duration, allowing users to add photos and describe their experience or feelings.

This feature helps users reflect on their progress and create a personal record of their fitness journey.

Connect and thrive with club events

Club events are organized by admins, and members receive notifications about upcoming activities. These events foster a stronger community by bringing members together around shared fitness goals and interests.

Joining these events offers accountability, encourages commitment, and allows members to connect with like-minded individuals, making fitness more enjoyable and supportive.

Club Events
Notifications

Timely and friendly notifications to keep users motivated​

Zylo keeps users motivated with friendly and timely notifications that update them on their progress and celebrate their milestones.

With various notification styles, users receive encouragement that feels natural and engaging, reinforcing their commitment and keeping their fitness goals top of mind.

Showing support for each other​

In place of a traditional “like” feature, Zylo uses “support” to reinforce a sense of empathy and connection among users, affirming that others see and understand their journey.

Each time someone offers “support,” the recipient gets a notification, presented in a variety of styles, to keep the experience fresh and meaningful.

Support Feature

See the entire work process below

RESEARCH

Exploring the motivations & barriers to exercise

5 participants were interviewed to understand their motivations and barriers to exercise, explore some of their successful exercise experiences, and assess the impact these barriers have on their fitness routines.

The discussions also examined how a smartphone app could potentially support them in overcoming obstacles and improving their fitness based on the insights shared during the interviews.

RESEARCH

Determining users' needs from insights gathered

The findings from these one-hour interviews were systematically organized into an affinity diagram, highlighting users’ pain points, desires, goals, habits, and key considerations. This process revealed the following insights:

Insights and Needs
IDEATION

The brainstorming process

Idea dumps and prioritising features

To kick off the process, I brainstormed as many potential feature ideas as possible to address the specific needs of Zylo’s users.

From there, I prioritized essential “must-have” features for the MVP, while categorizing others as “nice-to-have” or for future development. This approach helped create a focused, user-centered foundation for Zylo.

Brainstorming Ideas

Mapping the user flow

I started by addressing the main question: “How can we set up new users on Zylo for long-term success?” This led to the development of 3 main user flows:

Each flow was crafted to ensure a smooth, engaging experience, setting Zylo users up for motivation and success.

User Flow
IDEATION

Designing the app

Mid-fidelity wireframes and prototypes were developed to validate key user flows. This allowed for usability testing, feedback collection, and early refinements before advancing to high-fidelity designs.

Mid-fidelity Wireframes
TESTING

Conducting usability tests

Completing 3 main tasks

During these 1-hour sessions, 5 users from the initial research stage were assigned 3 main tasks:

These tasks provided insights into how easily users could navigate key features and allowed us to observe any pain points in the process.

Imagine themselves in various scenarios

In addition, users were asked to imagine themselves in various scenarios to gauge their reactions.

For example, they visualized reaching their weekly goals and seeing congratulatory screens, receiving notifications from comments or “support” from other members, and receiving weekly progress updates.

This helped us understand how these elements could enhance user motivation and engagement.

TESTING

Takeaways from the usability tests

Takeaways from Usability Test
ITERATIONS

Implementing changes

This section highlights the key changes I’ve made to the design. These changes aim to create a more intuitive, user-centered platform that supports members in their fitness journeys while fostering a sense of community.

From improving privacy around goal-setting to making activity selection and event navigation smoother, each enhancement has been designed to empower users, keep them motivated, and make engagement with Zylo easier and more enjoyable.

Only you can see your goals

This ensures privacy and eliminates any concerns about judgment from others. This change acknowledges that fitness goals can be highly personal and that openness to progress sharing can be a barrier to starting or maintaining an exercise routine.

By keeping goals private, Zylo creates a safe space for users to focus on their personal fitness journey without the fear of external scrutiny, encouraging consistent engagement with the app.

See Your Own Goals
Clearer Terminology Label

Clearer terminology labels

Previously, the term “Everyone” led to confusion, with users assuming it included both friends and club members. To address this, we revised the term to “Friends”.

Additionally, a brief description appears under the “Friends” setting to clarify who can view shared content, giving users a better understanding and control over their audience.

Improved activity search

Users can now search for activities instead of scrolling through the entire list. This addition saves time and makes it simpler to find desired activities.

The improved search function is designed to enhance usability by providing quick access to activities and reducing friction.

Improved Activity Search
Custom Activity Option

Custom activity option

To accommodate activities not available in the preset list, a custom option is introduced where users can create and name their own activities.

This change offers users the flexibility to personalize their fitness tracking, ensuring they can record any type of exercise meaningful to them, even if it’s unconventional or specific to their routine.

Improved events navigation

The events tab has been redesigned for smoother navigation. Users can now toggle between events they are attending and new events, reducing clutter and making the interface more intuitive.

By selecting specific tags, users can focus solely on events that interest them without excessive scrolling.

Improved Events Navigation

Next steps

Feature expansion

To further enhance Zylo’s functionality, future development will incorporate previously deprioritized features, including buddy streaks, customizable notifications, and club challenges.

These additions create a more interactive and personalized experience, fostering accountability, boosting motivation, and deepening community connections.

Partnerships

Partnering with health governing bodies in Singapore such as the Health Promotion Board and ActiveSG would help Zylo expand its reach and impact.

These collaborations could integrate Zylo into national fitness initiatives, workplace wellness programs, and community events, providing targeted motivation and resources to individuals who want to exercise but struggle to get started.

Through joint campaigns, exclusive challenges, and localised support, Zylo could make fitness more accessible and engaging for all Singaporeans.