Kinema
Overview
What is Kinema?
Kinema represents a 14-week, self-guided service design initiative with the primary goal of enhancing the Kinema Fitness user experience. Kinema Fitness is a company specializing in providing wellness solutions to Fortune 500 corporations and various real estate properties (visit their website for more details). I had the opportunity to utilize one of their fitness facilities during my time at Columbia College Chicago. Throughout this journey, I gained valuable insights into service design principles through practical exercises and by studying the 'Good Services' book authored by Lou Downe.
Team
Individual
Tools
Miro, Lou Downe Good Services Design book
Problem
Coming in I had no clue about the problem, research was one of the ways I got to solve problems. My overall worries were: how can I make this experience even better?
Research
I started off by doing a service safari
I did them for both the website and the in-person experience.
Service Safari (Website Experience)
When looking at the website, it felt unfinished. It for sure needed an update, and it also feels like it doesn't connect to the brand well.
When I initially accessed the events page, I had the impression that it hadn't fully loaded. Upon further examination, I considered that it might be beneficial to provide a message like 'No events or programs scheduled for today' to assist users. There were other problems like no way to get back to home or any other part of the website too without clicking the back button that the browser provides.
There were also unfinished class descriptions. Hovering over for descriptions is a cool feature, but sometimes the full description doesn't fit in the boxes, so a new page would also work, and most likely better.
Service Safari (In-person experience)
If I must say my experience in person was far better!
Upon entry, I was welcomed by the excellent Kinema staff who made me feel received and offered great conversation and music.
I thought that it was pretty inclusive that they have lockers for both the inside and outside of locker rooms. These lockers also included codes that you could personalize meaning you don't need a lock!
The gym is separated by weights and cardio which is super convenient, and it helps the gym users understand where everything is, there is even a calisthenics section.
The only complaint I have is the lockers on the outside not being see-through, there are often times that you may forget which locker you have at the end of your workouts, and at that point, you'll need to contact the front desk. They don't take too long to help you though so it's not that much of an inconvenience, but it feels like it could be avoided if they make space for people to see in the lockers.
I discussed this with a few colleagues, and they pointed out that it's reasonable for the lockers not to be see-through due to their placement in a public area of the gym, where anyone can see what's inside. However, it's worth noting that the gym's atmosphere is one of trust, as it's exclusively open to students and their acquaintances who must sign in before accessing the facility. This reduces concerns about potential theft of personal belongings.
Afterward, I chose to meet up with other users to share my service safari experience and engage in conversations about their own experiences as well.
Thoughts on service safari from users
I interviewed 10 different users about their experience and my experience. Users raised several important concerns during our discussions. 4 out of the 10 users highlighted the issue of motivation and suggested that the website could play a role in motivating students. Additionally, 5 out of the 10 users talked about catering to students who study from home or commute and considering the diverse schedules of the student body. The overarching goal has started to shift to ensuring that all students, especially those investing their tuition in the gym, feel included and supported.
Jobs to be done
I commenced an exploration of the objectives and limitations associated with this project. At the time of working on this endeavor, the impact of COVID-19 was considerably more severe than it is today. During numerous interviews with students, concerns arose regarding the risk of contracting COVID-19 while attempting to utilize the gym, leading many to deem it unworthy of the associated risks. Consequently, they found themselves in possession of a gym membership for which they were paying but not utilizing in any capacity. Additionally, there were discussions regarding the gym's distance from the homes of commuting students, which posed logistical challenges.
These students' primary objectives revolved around transforming their lifestyles and gaining knowledge about dieting and fitness. The question then arises: How can they achieve these goals through Kinema, or will they remain reliant on alternative sources such as YouTube, paid advice, or other platforms?
JTBD Customer Stories
Jake, 22
"I watched a super dope video today about this guy who lost 75 pounds in a year. It motivated me so much I went to start researching foods to eat and diets to try. I then went to the grocery store and decided to change my entire eating habits today. I'm ready, I'm excited, Now it's time for a gym, and I found out from a friend that we have a free gym. I then searched it up and found out that it's a far commute, and now I honestly don't know if I'll be using Kinema."
Camren, 23
"I have been working out for around 5 years now, and I have always been a part of a gym until I decided to come to Columbia. Those prices for the dorms though! No way I could feel comfortable doing that. Me and my boys can find a gym, right? We got the Columbia gym too, but it's just so far. I'll pop my pre-workout and by the time we get there, it has worn off. I have work too, ALL the time, so busy feels like I just don't have the time to commute that far."
What is the Job to be done?
Help me to get a good workout from anywhere so that I can hit my goals from anywhere and not worry about being too busy.
Solution
An interactive fitness application for Kinema fitness users, uniting them all.
Motivation For Users
Based on insights gained from previous interviews with students, I recognized a strong demand for motivation among our users. In response, I proactively introduced the 'Quote of the Week' and 'Workout of the Week' features. These additions were strategically designed to empower our users, providing them with a weekly dose of inspiration to fuel their commitment to their health and fitness journey. Moreover, by offering users the opportunity to explore a new exercise every week, we empower them to continually engage and deepen their involvement in their pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.
Personalized Plan
As seen above, our platform offers a curated selection of workouts and recipes, meticulously aligned with individual fitness objectives. Users can personalize their fitness journey by defining their goals in the 'Personalized Options' section of their account settings, whether it's muscle gain, weight loss, maintaining overall health, or injury recovery. Additionally, users can tailor their workout settings, choosing between home-based or gym-based routines. Further customization allows users to specify available equipment, ensuring a fitness experience precisely suited to their needs. We introduced this feature to provide students with flexibility, enabling them to work out according to their schedules and budgets.
Returning Elements
As I conceptualized the Kinema application, I recognized the importance of creating a comprehensive systems map to gain a holistic understanding of its offerings. This exercise not only highlighted the positive aspects of what Kinema has to offer but also served as a blueprint for the application's development. Key recurring elements revealed by the systems map include features such as class booking, personalized training, and event listings.
Takeaways
My Approach
To be candid, my primary regret revolves around how I initially embarked on this project. It originally had the framework of a service design project. My project actually concluded with a service blueprint, but I ended up trying to put some of my ideas into a user interface. This has been tricky, and I would like to get feedback to get some iterations. While the ideation and research phases yielded a robust application concept, I have found myself straying significantly from my initial application plan. This application should have some type of gamification to further motivate users along with a leaderboards, but I am not sure how I should implement this into the application.
I think as I go further along this project, good feedback from peers and testers will allow me to make really good iterations, and find ways to implement more features I wanted in the application.
Thank you!