NAKOMA
WELLNESS
A personalized coaching website for successful, busy women aimed at helping them maintain their wellness.
DURATION
40 hours over 4 weeks, September.
MY ROLE
As the UX/UI Designer (Intern), I collaborated with the CEO of Nakoma, the Project Lead, the Project Assistant, and 2 UX/UI team members. I delivered secondary & competitive research, 5 user interviews, user flow, and high-fidelity mockups for the website’s key pages. I advocated for a user-centered approach throughout the project, citing established UX/UI design principles to prioritize user needs and iterative design.
TOOLS
Pen & Paper, Figma, Snip & Sketch, Google Meet, Google Docs, and Skype.
INTRODUCTION
Sofvie Inc. engaged 2 other Interns and me to develop a website for its client, Nakoma Wellness. The client aims to transform its business from a boutique gym to online personalized wellness coaching. The project plan we received from Sofvie Inc. did not have a strong end-user focus, so I took the liberty, with the support of my colleagues, to advocate the merits of incorporating the UX/UI Design Process into the plan.
PROBLEM
The demands of work and family make it challenging for women to find time to exercise, maintain good nutrition habits, and stay centered.
I am tired of trying new online programs and failing. I do not have time to educate myself on nutrition intake; it is too complicated. I need mental support and want to work with a wellness specialist to help me achieve my fitness goals and ensure my wellness.
SOLUTION
Deliver online wellness coaching tailored to clients' needs, schedule constraints, health concerns, and stress levels that enhance their family and professional lives.
I am providing my two daughters with an example of the benefits of regular exercise, healthy nutrition, and a well-being mindset.
WEEK 1:
ANALYZE
PROJECT SUMMARY
Nakoma Wellness wants to move 90% of the Nakoma business online. They are shifting their business from a boutique gym and in-person private classes to online personalized resistance training, nutrition, and mindset coaching. They aim to carry over their current gym members and attract new clients. Nakoma's target audience is women with families and busy careers determined to stay in shape.
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Who are these women who are doing wellness workouts?
Fitness Enthusiasts
Passionate about fitness and prioritizing their physical well-being.
​
Athletes
Weightlifting is a fundamental component of training.
​
Beginners and Novices
Seek guidance and support to learn proper techniques and build strength progressively.
And what do they aim to achieve?
Strength & Fitness, Body Composition & Toning, Health & Well-Being, Empowerment & Confidence, and Mental Health.
What are the main factors causing women to go to personalized online wellness programs?
Flexibility
Women can access workouts from the comfort of their homes or any location with an internet connection.
​
​
​
Accessibility
Online fitness programs eliminate geographical limitations and provide accessibility to women who may not have access to a gym or prefer to exercise in their own space.
Customization
Women can have personalized programs that align with their fitness goals and schedule.
​
​
​
Expert Guidance and Support
Trainers and coaches provide workout plans, instruction videos, and personalized feedback – fostering a sense of accountability and motivation.
Online Community and Networking
Provide a sense of community with like-minded individuals, share experiences, and seek motivation and support through their fitness journey.
COMPETITIVE
RESEARCH
Evaluation
​
Nakoma Wellness’ strengths and weaknesses are based on its business goals, strategies, and services versus its competitors in the online market.
Strengths
-
Personalized programs individually tailored to each client.
​
-
Two broadly certified and experienced coaches who will work jointly with each client.
​
-
Wide array of wellness support activities such as resistance training, nutrition, and mindset coaching.
​
-
The emphasis on community engagement through INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK.
Weakness
-
Absence of facility to practice resistance training.
​
-
Absence of easy access to content and programs on the go via mobile app.
​
-
Personalized coaching is limited to only women.
PERSONA
North America
Suburban Area
SARAH - 42
Marketing Manager
Background
Married with two kids (ages 4 and 6)
Goals
• Sarah's goal is to balance her personal well-being, family, and career lifestyle.
• She wants to feel confident in her clothes, shed some post-pregnancy weight, and improve her overall health and fitness.
• Sarah is seeking to adopt a family-friendly, healthy diet. She wants to be a healthy role model for her kids.
Status
High income earner
Income
Busy working (hybrid) style. Juggling family, career and personal healthy lifestyle.
Lifestyle
Sarah often feels overwhelmed with her family and career responsibilities, hence her stress level is increasing. Her hectic schedule leaves her no time for herself. Sarah tried to workout on her own but did not achieve her desired results.
Pain Point
USER INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
Nakoma Wellness was only able to provide 2 clients to be interviewed. On my initiative, I recruited three other participants. In collaboration with the project assistant, I also developed a short targeted questionnaire to elicit the input needed for the project. I conducted the user interviews with the 5 participants and identified four shared focus areas.
1
Having a personal coach with outstanding credentials and excellent results is the only “effective and fast” way to achieve wellness goals.
Having a personal coach is my dream! Yes, I love it and am looking for a coach with excellent credentials and results.
3
​
To achieve wellness goals while balancing busy work and family schedules, women need to lock in a time to exercise and be held accountable for it.
2
​
Need to have easy, consistent access to the coach at every stage of the program.
​
I don't know how to get into weightlifting and nutrition. I don't know enough about it. So that's why I want to start with a trainer, but I want to talk to the trainer first to understand if they can help me, considering my health issues and busy schedule.”
“I always have something to clarify while in the program, like confirm my macros intake or weight-lifting exercises.
4
Users need a simple explanation of programs and sign-up process.
​
Exercising regularly and watching my nutrition intake just become part of my life; my family knows that, too. Also, I am trying my best because my coaches ask about my progress weekly.
I hate when I need to spend a lot of time to figure out what kind of programs are available for my wellness and what they will do for me.
​
WEEK 2:
IDEATE
After identifying the problem and the solution, I sketched a User Flow, which our team used to build the Site Map.
Unfortunately, our team could not convince the client to prioritize a mobile app over a website. We pointed out that Competitive Research shows the absence of a mobile app may drive potential clients away. Also, I pointed out that my User Interwies showed that staying connected to a coach is a key requirement for clients, which a mobile app makes easy. The client rationalized prioritizing the website since it provides users with a big screen to watch videos.
LOGO
The client asked our team to design a new Nakoma Wellness logo based on their current logo, as other businesses were using similar images. I sketched seven variants, which my colleague digitized. The final product was a fusion of a number of the variants.
SKETCHES
LOGO FINAL
MOODBOARD
Brand Attributes
Visual Identity
UI Inspiration
Imagery Inspiration
Nakoma Wellness brand is empowering, supportive, and determined. Nakoma strives to inspire women to “Unleash their great warrior and great spirit!” to foster a sense of camaraderie and empowerment throughout their fitness journey.
It combines elements of the sun representing strength and a mountain view conveying a sense of accomplishment and freedom. The images of strong women exercising exude an unwavering determination to succeed.
UI brand personality is an edgy modern platform with a holistic approach to personal wellness. Nakoma brand radiates professionalism and messages to the users, “You are in professional hands, and we know what you need, and we are eager to support you on your journey.”
Nakoma’s inspiration comes from mountains representing reliability, and shades of turquoise give a sense of accomplishment and freedom. The sunset provides a feeling of social connection and community. Modern typography represents professionalism and trust.
STYLE GUIDE
WEEK 3:
DECIDE
LIGHTNING COLLAGE
In collaboration with the project assistant, our team created a lightning collage using www.beachbody.com and www.katyhearnfit.com websites. During my User Interviews, I noted that participants spoke highly about these two platforms but underlined that both missed individually tailored programs. The Nakoma Wellness CEO also referenced these two sites.
To avoid cluttering the homepage, I proposed to the team that we focus on the five priorities identified in the user interviews, thus aligning the homepage with our target audience needs the personal achievements and credentials of the coaches, affirming testimonials, ease of communication with the coaches, scope of program options, and simplicity of registration.
LOW- FIDELITY
MOCKUPS
The Project Lead created Low-Fidelity Mockups based on Nakoma’s comments on the Lightning Collage. Our team added a section to help users understand the registration process, a preference identified in the user interviews.
In addition, instead of the Login section, I proposed we insert a “My Portal” with a Client and Coach section, thus allowing both parties to track the progress of the client and the interaction between the two.
WEEK 4:
WEBSITE'S KEY PAGES
HIGH-FIDELITY MOSCUPS FIRST DRAFT
Our team identified the "Home Page" and "Our Identity Page" as the key pages. The Home Page serves as the face of Nakoma Wellness, introducing the business and coaches, explaining the process, and highlighting the achievements of its current clients.
The "Our Identity Page" showcases the coaches, Amy and Krissy, highlighting their credentials, accomplishments, coaching methodology, philosophy, and work style. The two pages provide the essential data to persuade the target audience that Nakoma Wellness is ideally suited to address their individual wellness needs.
Based on the client's feedback and our team's evaluation, we identified 5 areas that were on target and three that came up short.
On target
-
The header contains all the information needed and is compact for future use with a mobile app.
​
-
The “My Portal” section is located in the header, making it simple for users to track their schedules, goals, achievements, and nutrition intake and contact their coaches. It also makes it easy for the coaches to track the performance of their clients.
​
-
The main header: “Personalized resistance training, nutrition, and mindset coaching,” effectively presents the Nakoma Wellness business.
-
The floating “Instagram” and “Facebook” buttons provide easy access to social media.
-
“One client + two coaches = sustainable success” is an appealing slogan that highlights the unique offer of two coaches for one client.
Need refinement
-
The overall design of the homepage is not cohesive and bold.
-
The coaches' blocks are not exciting.
-
The “Our Process” for registration was confusing.
THE SECOND DRAFT OF THE HOMEPAGE
During our team's final presentation to Nakoma and the Project Lead, both focused and favored my proposed designs for the homepage.
The Project Lead believes the homepage below does an excellent job highlighting the Nakoma Brand and is aligned with Nakoma's stated objectives. I shared the view that this is the most effective homepage, but on the basis that it closely reflects the user's feedback and thus is aligned with what Nakoma's target audience needs to see to enroll with Nakoma Wellness.
Nakoma prefers the homepage below, stating that it has a “curvy” feel and is more feminine, accurately capturing their identity.
​
“It feels like us and feels right!”
OUR IDENTITY PAGE
After completing our project, I independently developed for Nakoma its "Our Identity Page" since our team had earlier highlighted it as one of the two key pages.
Using Nakoma's preferred version of the Homepage, I drafted it to be complimentary, highlighting for them what it should look like and what information it needs to contain if the preferences identified in the user interviews are to be used to shape its design.
REFLECTION
Insufficient application of user-centered design
The Project Lead's objective was to make sure our team designed the key webpages for Nakoma quickly. In doing so, he emphasized Nakoma's existing branding, business, and marketing goals without validating what its target audience and existing clients need. Early on, I flagged this methodological shortcoming, and there were some adjustments, but only at the margins.
​
Ideally, a more user-centered design approach would have been taken. For example, before creating the High-Fidelity Mockups of the key pages, we should have done a Guerrilla Usability test of our user interview-based assumptions. This would have helped validate our hypothesis regarding user engagement, especially as it applies to what new users need to see to commit to Nakoma Wellness.
Apply AB Testing
AB testing would have been the most effective way of guiding the decision on which of the two designed homepages to use. This tool would have ensured that the decision was based on validated user preferences.
Run users interview differently
Ideally, I would have done two sets of interviews, given Nakoma's two target audiences.
The first group is Nakoma's current clients at its gyms. The question is what would be needed to get them to shift from an in-person gym-based experience to an online personalized coaching experience.
The second group is prospective new clients predisposed to online personalized coaching. What needs to be discerned here would make Nakoma Wellness unique and appealing to this group so they would entrust Nakoma to meet its wellness needs.