adidas HIIT

How to provide guidance and motivation for a difficult yet highly beneficial form of training?

2016

Providing an application that takes advantage of the technical capabilities and use considerations of the Apple Watch for a form of exercise that is well suited.

What is HIIT?

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of training that involves alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less-intense recovery periods. There are pros & cons to this form of exercise and various ways to practice it. We wanted to address the negative aspects and support the positive.

RESEARCH

The adidas Experience
What do people do?

Findings from initial surveys;

  • Most people use some form of assistance for training.
  • Most check metrics during exercising.
  • Wearables usage are below half but significant.
  • Half of the participants use a fitness app.
  • Over half log their progress.
Why they do it?

We interviewed participants to understand why they do certain things. We realized there was one clear division of user groups; the more casual and the avid trainer. Their app usage varied across both of these groups as some thought apps are too “cumbersome” and “get in the way” while others very much cared about tracking their fitness data and monitoring their progress.

Our Focus

  • Education
    & Guidence

  • Creating a Custom
    HIIT Routine

  • Glancable
    & Detailed Data

DESIGN

watchOS

Designing for the Apple Watch requires a quick streamlined user flow with a singular task in mind.

  • Watch App Design Development

  • Final Design
    Exercising

  • Starting a
    Workout Routine

iOS Mobile

With the features in mind we also wanted to create an iOS app that wasn’t fully reliant on the user owning an Apple Watch but benifited significally by useing one. We went through multiple iterations and usabilty testing sessions for both the iOS and Watch app. Testing tasks such as signing up, creating a routine and starting a routine.

Considering the scenario people are in when they are on the move, ready to begin training; I had the goal in mind to design the interface and navigation to be as streamlined as possible for single hand use. Emphasizing the use of gestures and a quick user flow for finding a routine then starting one.

  • iOS Design
    Development

  • Starting a
    HIIT Routine

  • Exercising
    Warm Up

  • Creating a
    HIIT Routine

  • Exercising
    During an interval

  • Top Level
    Navigation

The team behind this project was Neha Kalkarni, Luis Lee & myself; all UX designers. We worked together equally at each stage of the project’s development. This project was done during the User Experience Design Immersive program at General Assembly and was not commissioned by adidas.