User & Customer Experience Consultant
Hello, I’m Regina Rocke. A fitness and wellness professional with a passion for UX research
Fitness instructor and Certified Personal Trainer with over 3 decades of movement experience
10 years teaching group fitness in NYC at boutique studios and big box gyms
Combining my life’s work in physical movement with my passion for UX research and design.
I help people discover the tools they need to do their best work.
You want to grow your boutique fitness or wellness business? I have the training and skillset to identify exactly what your customer wants and needs.
CASE STUDY: SCALING ROCKE+BODY
A Boutique Fitness Studio Concept
MY PHILOSOPHY
THERE IS A DISCONNECT.
People are rarely connected to their bodies and often can’t articulate what they do or don’t prefer in a class. The goal of this project is to discover what will help and/or improve the group fitness experience.
PROJECT
BACKGROUND
In the decade that i’ve spent teaching yoga and group fitness, both in studios and gyms, and running my own brand Rocke+Body, I wanted to learn more about how a fitness business can scale. Growth comes directly from loyal members. I wanted to find out from people who enjoy and are consistent with group fitness, what keeps them coming back to a studio again and again?
I developed this product exclusively based on user research and feedback.
Project Goal: Discover what will help improve the group fitness experience
Research Methodologies: User interviews and surveys
Role: Lead Researcher and Project Manager
Timeline: 14 weeks
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A significant portion of this project research was done through social media inquiries. At the very beginning of the UX Research phase of this project I formulated my top 5 questions to ask my Instagram followers (8k+) for their feedback on their wants and needs within the group fitness community via surveys which were posted in the app’s “stories” feature.
I did this to “test the waters” before putting out a call for research participants. With these surveys I asked a majority of questions around incentives to take class i.e. free merchandise, food, beverages from leading wellness brands. A few questions were based on favored exercise types to gauge loyalty i.e. do you like Crossfit, Orange Theory, pilates, barre, yoga etc.
Example: “what type of group fitness classes do you prefer?” Strength Training or Cardio?
“ Do you enjoy member perks at a studio i.e. swag, members only events etc.?
“ Does a studio offering events with a brand partner i.e. wellness based food, beverage and clothing companies influence your decision to take class?”
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After two weeks of social media surveys I moved on to putting out a call for research participants to agree to a 30-60 minute interview via Zoom. This call was put out on my Instagram and branded ROCKE+BODY newsletter that goes out weekly.
For my Zoom research interviews I developed a 30 question interview guide consisting of questions about the participants relationship to group fitness. I inquired about their background, how they got into group fitness, favorite type(s) of workouts, why they choose certain studios etc.
I interviewed 14 people.
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After each user interview I took key highlights from the users’ answers and created a notes board in Miro.
Based on interview notes I developed user types along with cultivating affinity clusters. User types and affinity clusters are used to illustrate recurring commonalities amongst user feedback in interviews. I.e. if users consistently say that branded merchandise isn’t important to them attending classes then that becomes a category that influences product development.
For this project one major user type is people who are loyal to one studio aka members.
Top most consistent feedback regarding what people desire from their favorite studio/gym was a need for a variety of classes and more classes on the weekly schedule.
Not a single user interviewed expressed a desire for an app or product to improve their fitness experience.
Sample Interview Questions
“What helps you decide where to take classes?”
“How many days a week do you attend classes?”
“What is your social experience like in a fitness class?”
“Do you have a favorite studio or gym?”
“Why do you spend money on fitness? How much do you spend?”
“Do you enjoy member perks?”
“What’s your favorite type of workout?”
“Do you prefer well-known brands or independently-owned studios?”
“If you could change anything about group finess classes, what would it be?”
What I learned (and how it impacted my design decisions):
People who love group fitness find one studio + workout style and stick with it exlusively as a member
These same people want more classes on the schedule at their favorite studio and a wide variety of class types
"The teacher can be a factor. Some are kind of boring." -Rita
"I like diversity amongst people in class. I want everyone to feel welcome." -Marde
"If the instructor is bad/rude, I will NOT go back to take class." -Nina
"The teacher can be a factor. Some are kind of boring." -Rita "I like diversity amongst people in class. I want everyone to feel welcome." -Marde "If the instructor is bad/rude, I will NOT go back to take class." -Nina
"I work out to maintain physical and mental health." -Sara
"Movement is a healing experience. Daily practice is crucial for my health and addiction recovery." -Allie
"Classes have to be fun and have a good playlist." -Marcey
"I work out to maintain physical and mental health." -Sara "Movement is a healing experience. Daily practice is crucial for my health and addiction recovery." -Allie "Classes have to be fun and have a good playlist." -Marcey
"I like the social aspect of group fitness." -Anita
"I believe there is strength in group fitness." -Chauna
"Membership helps me be accountable." -Edith
"I like the social aspect of group fitness." -Anita "I believe there is strength in group fitness." -Chauna "Membership helps me be accountable." -Edith
Outcome of my research: a fitness class quiz prototype
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The Rocke+Body fitness class quiz serves two purposes:
Helps new clientele attend class with intention and knowledge about the type of class they are taking. No guesswork.
Marketing and Client Retention. The quiz sets us apart from our competitors. We also collect email addresses which are used for weekly newsletter.
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The Loyalist: Loves group fitness but sticks with one gym/studio and one type of workout and has invested in membership.
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Fitness Class Quiz website for mobile device:
Easy to find (shows up on the homepage)
Quick 8 questions
Overlay added with detailed info for qualitative questions
Easy-to-find schedule featuring all class details including instructor, day, time, class length, name of class, and booking link
Based on user interview feedback I developed a product that not only fits the user’s needs regarding class variety and abundance but also helps me further develop the business plan and outlook for ROCKE+BODY to one day have a brick and mortar studio in the future.
In addition to a brick and mortar studio, the brand has a website where first time clients are encouraged to take a fitness quiz in order to discover what types of classes at the studio fit their physical and emotional needs.
This quiz was developed with the client who has never attended class at ROCKE+BODY in mind. They are asked a series of questions (8) about the days of the week and time of day they most enjoy working out, the level to which they want to workout, level of experience and the type of workout they prefer. Based on their answers, the are provided “quiz results” that offer the studio’s top three suggested classes for them to try. The first class is free.
This quiz not only helps new clients feel more prepared to take class at the studio but also serves as a way to collect client info (email only) for marketing purposes.
Key Insights
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USERS PREFER ONE STUDIO AND ARE ONLY MEMBERS OF THAT STUDIO
And, they overwhelmingly prefer pilates and yoga. Every user except for 1 of the 14 is a member of a studio. One is a member of a gym and only takes classes. They take at least 3 classes per week and rarely visit studios outside of their preferred favorite place. None of the users workout at a gym on their own doing their own self-guided workout.
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USERS GOT INTERESTED IN GROUP FITNESS ONE OF TWO WAYS:
Most of those interviewed fell into two categories when it comes to their fitness journey. They either had always wanted to try a workout (most reported pilates or yoga was their intro to group fitness) and a friend invited them to a class or they grew up doing sports and/or dance. Out of the 14 people interviewed, three got into fitness strictly for weight loss however only 2 said that they stick with consistent group exercise strictly for weight loss/management.
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USERS DON’T FEEL THE NEED FOR AN APP
Although some users’ preferred studio/gym uses an app to sign up for classes none of the users said that it was imperative that they have access to the app simply because its only use is for signing up for classes and nothing else. Note that a majority of studios in the US use the software MindBody for people to sign up for classes and no users during my interviews stated that they wanted this to change or improve.
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USERS DON’T REALLY WANT BRANDED MERCH
Admittedly I went into this project having a bias toward branded merch (shirts, hoodies, t-shirts and workout shorts and pants) sold at studios and gyms. I myself have taught at many studios where I was able and willing to purchase said products and happily wore the items. I’ve seen the sales of merchandise be extremely successful with many sold out items at the studios I teach at and assumed users in my interviews would express interest in branded merchandise as well. Surprisingly, none of the 14 users interviewed had a desire for branded merchandise even if it was offered for free to members or given away at special events.
BUSINESS IMPACT
Through this project I was able to make significant gains in my journey toward opening ROCKE+BODY. The user interviews helped me to further understand client wants vs. needs. I admittedly had a lot of assumptions going into this project and many of them were negated by users. Many decisions about where to take class begin with an interest but proximity (is the studio close to my home?) and quality of classes are big factors in user decisions. Price factors in but based on my research, users are willing to pay if the product is good.
Reflections & Learning
Although quarantine due to COVID caused many gyms and studios to close, the increase in attendance for in person group classes is back on the rise and continuing to grow. People like an in person group fitness experience. There are many people who don’t enjoy at home workouts and seek the community and energy of a group.
What I found most surprising from users is that they prefer one studio yet like variety. I personally have never been a member of one studio. I enjoy a wide variety of workouts and like to try new studios and classes. I’ll travel as far as 45 minutes to attend a class that has good reviews. None of the people I interviewed shared these same interests.
What has also helped me with my goal of opening my own studio is that price is a factor however if a client enjoys your brand and product, they are willing to pay. Most users in my interviews were willing to pay upwards of $30 (a few even said they will pay $40) for a single class at their favorite gym/studio. That being said, they all were members paying a monthly fee for unlimited classes..