OMSCAPE UX Concept
Omscape addresses the common struggle individuals face in creating a personalized yoga regimen that aligns with their unique needs, preferences, and goals. By leveraging wearable technology, machine learning, and user-centered design, Omscape empowers users to optimize their yoga practice for enhanced mental and physical well-being.
"As a key member of a team of three, I took on the roles of researcher, brand strategist, and wireframe architect. My passion for diving deep into user insights fueled our understanding of the audience's needs, while my dedication to crafting a unique brand identity ensured that our solution stood out. Working closely together, our collaboration was the driving force behind turning ideas into a reality, our ability to check in with each other and collaborate ultimately proved invaluable. Each of us brought different strengths to the table, which allowed me to learn and grow significantly. This project significantly boosted my confidence as I prepared for my final capstone in grad school."
PROBLEM
Many individuals find it challenging to create a personalized yoga routine tailored to their specific needs, preferences, and goals. This often results in missed opportunities to fully benefit from yoga, including improved flexibility, strength, and relaxation.
How Might We guide users in creating a personalized yoga regimen that suits their individual needs, preferences, and goals using this application?
PROPOSED SOLUTION
Omscape offers a comprehensive solution that includes a wearable watch app and
a mobile application. It harnesses available health data from the Apple Watch and integrates qualitative user data to power an ML model. This model provides
hyper-personalized yoga workouts, taking into account factors such as the user's emotional state, schedule availability, workout history, and goals. Omscape's social and community features enhance user engagement, while the Yoga Buddy AI offers personalized guidance.
AUDIENCE
Our target audience comprises yoga enthusiasts, fitness-conscious individuals,
and those seeking a convenient and personalized way to incorporate yoga into their busy lives.
PROCESS
TIMELINE
EMPATHIZE
Competitive Analysis
Fitbod
PROS
Offers highly customizable workout plans based on fitness goals
Provides a wide range of exercises, suitable for different fitness levels
Tracks workout progress and provides insights
CONS
Primarily focuses on gym-based workouts
Does not offer an extensive library of yoga workouts and styles
Subscription fees
Strava
PROS
A strong user community, ideal for social interactions and sharing achievements
Excels in tracking performance for outdoor activities like running and cycling
Users can participate in challenges and competitions for motivation
CONS
Predominantly designed for tracking outdoor activities, making it less suitable for yoga enthusiasts
May not provide specialized yoga content or guided sessions
Alomoves
PROS
Designed for yoga, offering a vast library of classes and styles.
Features renowned yoga instructors, providing high-quality guidance.
Users can track their yoga practice progress.
CONS
AloMoves may not cater to users seeking a broader fitness experience
Access to the full range of classes requires a subscription fee
Interview Questions
What inspired you to start practicing yoga in the first place?
Do you practice yoga with others, or by yourself?
What factors do you consider when building a workout schedule?
What factors do you consider when developing a yoga regimen, such as time constraints, physical limitations, or personal goals?
How do you incorporate feedback or guidance from instructors, peers, or other resources into your yoga routine, and what role do these external sources play in your routine?
How do you measure your progress and assess the effectiveness of your yoga regimen, and what tools or resources do you use to track your performance?
What currently stops you from incorporating yoga into your daily routine?
What tech do people use when they perform their yoga exercises? (If any)
How do you balance the use of technology with the traditional aspects of yoga, such as mindfulness and self-awareness, and how do you ensure that technology enhances, rather than detracts from, these elements?
How do you see your yoga practice evolving or changing in the future, and what steps are you taking to continue growing and developing your practice over time?
Key Insights
User Behavior and Preferences:
Users prioritize mental benefits of yoga, often citing enhanced mental clarity, stress reduction, and improved well-being as their primary motivations for practice. They are also more inclined to choose yoga styles based on their emotional state and energy levels, seeking practices that align with how they feel on a particular day. Group settings, such as in-person classes or live online sessions, are viewed as highly motivating for many users, but they acknowledge that these options aren't always feasible in their busy lives. While technology like fitness apps and smartwatches is appreciated for tracking progress and setting goals, there is a concern that it can sometimes become a source of distraction during yoga sessions.
Frequency and Duration of Yoga Practice:
The average yoga session for users typically lasts around 30 minutes, with some individuals dedicating more time to yoga by practicing daily or multiple times a week. This suggests that users are committed to integrating yoga into their routines.
Comfort with Yoga Routine and Cross-Training:
Many users express a level of comfort with their existing yoga routines but are open to exploring different forms of yoga to add variety and challenge to their practice. Additionally, some users leverage yoga as a cross-training tool to complement their other workouts, highlighting its versatility as a fitness and wellness practice.
Early Adoption and Nature Connection:
A significant portion of participants mentioned that they started practicing yoga from a young age, often in high school or shortly after. They expressed a preference for practicing yoga outdoors, where they feel a deeper connection to nature, describing it as a more spiritual and grounding experience. This connection with nature enhances the overall yoga experience for these users.
Technology Usage and Tracking:
Users commonly incorporate technology into their yoga practice, using smartwatches and fitness apps to monitor vital statistics like heart rate, exercise duration, and progress over time. This suggests a tech-savvy user base that seeks data-driven insights for their workouts and wellness.
Social and Community Engagement:
Participants find motivation and a sense of accountability in group yoga settings, such as attending in-person classes or participating in live online sessions. They also express a desire for community interaction and support, emphasizing the importance of connecting with experienced yoga instructors and fellow practitioners for guidance and encouragement.
DEFINE
Personas
These personas collectively provide valuable insights into the diverse needs and motivations of potential users. By addressing the requirements of users like Alexa, Sarah, and David, your personalized yoga app, Omscape, can ensure a user-centric approach that accommodates a wide range of yoga practitioners and maximizes its appeal and effectiveness in the market.
Journeys
The journeys of our three personas, Alexa, Sarah, and David, reflect the diverse paths individuals take when seeking to incorporate yoga into their lives. Alexa, a dedicated teacher and former athlete, combines yoga with her fitness goals and social connections, while Sarah, a busy professional, strives to find moments of calm amid her hectic schedule. On the other hand, David, the yoga enthusiast, embarks on a journey of exploration, seeking new styles and techniques to deepen his practice. These journeys showcase the versatility of our solution in addressing the unique needs and aspirations of each persona, ultimately leading to a more balanced and enriched yoga experience.
DESIGN
Logo
Research showed that users find practicing yoga outdoors more peaceful, which is reflected in our logo's simplified representation of nature. The logo embodies the calming effects of nature and yoga together.
Color
The colors of teal and orange to provide a visually appealing contrast. Teal is a cool and calming color that is often associated with serenity, balance, and harmony, which are qualities that are often sought after in yoga. Orange, on the other hand, is a warm and energizing color that can evoke feelings of enthusiasm, creativity, and vitality. Together, teal and orange can create a balanced and energizing color scheme that complements the practice of yoga. Ultimately, the use of these colors in OmScape have been chosen based on the desire to feel calm, balanced, enthusiastic, and connected, which can all contribute to a positive and fulfilling yoga practice.
Font
SF Pro is a versatile and modern sans-serif font. It was designed with legibility and clarity in mind, making it an excellent choice for use on small screens, such as those found on a smartwatch. We decided to keep the font consistent across the mobile and watch platform to provide the user with a cohesive and unified experience.
Features
Onboarding
The onboarding feature is crucial for welcoming new users to the Omscape app and personalizing their experience based on their goals, preferences, and fitness levels.
Questions: Users are presented with a series of questions to determine their yoga goals, fitness level, preferred yoga styles, and availability.
Suggestions: Based on user responses, the app offers personalized yoga recommendations and suggests suitable routines.
Start Workout: Users can start a yoga session immediately or explore the app further based on their preferences.
Social
The social feature enhances user engagement and community-building within the app, fostering a sense of connection and support among users.
Feed: Users can access a feed displaying posts, updates, and achievements from other users, instructors, and experts they follow.
Post: Users have the option to share their progress, achievements, and thoughts with the Omscape community.
Discover: This section allows users to find new instructors, yoga styles, and workouts.
Find a Teacher: Users can search for and connect with experienced yoga instructors for guidance and personalized coaching.
Yoga Buddy
The Yoga Buddy feature serves as a personalized virtual assistant, offering guidance and assistance to users during their yoga practice.
What it is: An introduction explaining the role and capabilities of the Yoga Buddy.
Voice: Users can engage in voice interactions with the AI to receive real-time guidance and support.
Text: Alternatively, users can chat with the AI through text-based conversations for assistance and tips.
Watch App
The watch app extends Omscape's functionality to wearable devices, providing users with convenient access to yoga-related information and guidance on their wrist.
Schedule: Users can view their scheduled yoga sessions, set reminders, and receive notifications directly on their smartwatch.
Yoga Buddy: The watch app offers quick access to the Yoga Buddy feature, allowing users to interact with AI assistance through voice or text commands.
Workout Metrics: Real-time metrics such as heart rate, duration, and progress are displayed during yoga sessions.
Workout Video: Users can follow yoga routines with the help of instructional videos directly on their smartwatch.
USER TESTING
Our participants were given a scenario and tasks to complete. They were asked a set of questions that will help us measure the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction of our product.
Questions
Walk me through the onboarding flow.
Where would you go for advice on the app?
How would you go about finding a teacher in your area?
How would you go about looking at your friend posts in the social media feature?
How do you search on the app? What can you look up there?
How would you go about making a post? Add a post, look at your feed, Like a comment?
How would you interact with the Yoga buddy on your phone and on the watch?
Key Findings
Search Function Enhancement: Users noted that the search function should be more comprehensive, searching the entire app rather than specific sections. This suggests an opportunity to improve the search feature for increased usability.
Additional Tabs for Content Discovery: Participants suggested adding more tabs for content discovery, such as "Popular," "Trending," and "Discover." This feedback highlights the importance of enhancing user navigation and content exploration.
Clarity on Yoga Buddy: Some users expressed uncertainty about the nature of the Yoga Buddy feature, specifically whether it's powered by AI or involves interactions with real people. This indicates a need for clearer communication and user education within the app.
Onboarding Friendliness: Usability testing showed that the onboarding process was user-friendly, which is a positive aspect to highlight in your portfolio.
Descriptive Workout Vibes: Users recommended adding descriptors like "calm" or "upbeat" to convey the mood of yoga workouts, enhancing user expectations and experience.
Improved Watch Display: Participants suggested making the time display on the watch app more prominent, addressing usability concerns related to time tracking during yoga sessions.
Friend Feature Evaluation: Users found the "Friends" feature on the watch less useful, suggesting a potential area for refinement or reconsideration in terms of its role and functionality within the app.
FINAL SOLUTION
The Omscape UX concept offers a comprehensive and user-centered solution, empowering individuals to create personalized yoga regimens that align with their unique needs, preferences, and goals, while fostering a supportive and enriching yoga community.
Reflections
This project provided a fantastic opportunity for collaborative learning as part of a three-person team. Working with teammates who brought diverse strengths and backgrounds to the project was incredibly enriching. Despite the occasional challenges and creative differences that naturally arise in teamwork, these moments of discussion and compromise were where I learned the most. Open communication and regular check-ins were crucial in ensuring that our diverse skills converged to create a coherent final product. This experience not only deepened my understanding of user experience design but also sharpened my teamwork and communication abilities, setting me up with newfound confidence for my final capstone and future collaborative endeavors.
Next Steps
Schedule additional user testing sessions for the high-fidelity prototype.
Analyze user feedback to identify issues and areas for improvement.
Conduct a second round of usability testing to validate changes.
Continue to iterate and improve based on user feedback.