BOWFLEX VELOCORE
Creating a Unique Exercise Bike With a Full-Body Workout
MY ROLE
Research • UX Concepting • Prototyping • Testing • UI Design • 3D Animation • Video Production
Achievements
Patent-pending UI Design
CES 2021 Innovation Award Winner
THE PROJECT
Nautilus wanted a new exercise bike that could disrupt the fitness market with its unique features. The competitive landscape included a spectrum of stationary bikes, some with digital experiences that included studio trainer sessions and outdoor videos.
DISCOVERY
I worked with the product line manager, consumer insights team, industrial designers, and mechanical engineers to explore numerous concepts. For each idea, I wrote summaries, created moodboards, and drafted early visuals.
I presented these concepts to the leadership team and answered questions during the selection process. Some ideas were slated for future development, and one was chosen as the clear winner.
THE LEAN BIKE
An exercise bike with side-to-side leaning that mimics real-world turning. Lateral resistance engages the rider's arms and core muscles. Included hand weights provide a variety of additional upper-body exercises.
These combined actions with pedaling create a full-body workout with numerous motion combinations to make every session feel new and fun.
DIGITAL EXPERIENCE
A large touchscreen display provides riders with a custom workout experience.
• Create a personal profile
• Do a fitness assessment
• Work out with a virtual coach
• Ride through beautiful real-world locations
• Follow along in a trainer video session
• Stream your favorite shows from Netflix, Disney+ and more!
• Do a fitness assessment
• Work out with a virtual coach
• Ride through beautiful real-world locations
• Follow along in a trainer video session
• Stream your favorite shows from Netflix, Disney+ and more!
RESEARCH
I devoted months to user-centered research, consulting numerous spin class instructors and fitness trainers to create documents and videos for reference.
This info was invaluable, providing cross-functional team members with insights into ergonomics, proper form, injury avoidance, and more.
UX/UI DESIGN
Layered workout experiences are at the heart of the Bowflex JRNY platform. Users may choose a workout program based on how much time they have. They may also combine that workout with beautiful outdoor scenery. Or perhaps they prefer to exercise to engaging music. Numerous combinations provide a spectrum of options.
Research laid the groundwork for workout programming that's full of variety and fun. I drafted early workout programs with a method to sync exercise actions to a variety of music and genres. This level of customization gives users a feeling of personalization.
An effective workout with Warm Up, Sprints, Recovers, and Cool Down.
Time, cadence (pedaling speed), and resistance settings are varied to simulate real-world coasting and challenging hill climbs.
Popular music and their beats per minute are appropriately matched to exercise activity for maximum engagement.
Time, cadence (pedaling speed), and resistance settings are varied to simulate real-world coasting and challenging hill climbs.
Popular music and their beats per minute are appropriately matched to exercise activity for maximum engagement.
I explored early UI that focused on important coaching metrics for users to follow. The top row shows recommended targets for users to hit. Below each target are the users' current values. This simplicity allows users to focus on their targets and match them.
Research also showed that the best way to coach users is by feel. Instructing them with Go Easy, Go Moderate, or Go Hard allows them to personalize their resistance level at any time.
DESIGNING FOR MULTIPLE SCREENS
The Bowflex JRNY connected fitness platform went through a complete redesign to feature the new layered workout experience. The UI needed to support the VeloCore bike's two screen options: a 15" and a 22" display. At the same time, it needed to support other Nautilus fitness products that are compatible with iOS and Android tablets and phones.
To ensure a cohesive and universal digital experience throughout the JRNY ecosystem, I took early UI explorations and fleshed them out to support all screen sizes and devices, working through numerous technical challenges and UI constraints.
Choose the length of your workout by selecting from the available Time options.
USER TESTING
Working with dedicated researchers, I created assets for user testing and participated in research sessions. This was a great opportunity to work with interactive prototypes using Axure.
DESIGN SYSTEM
After finalizing UI designs with my design team, I worked on improving processes and efficiencies. I created a new method for stakeholders, developers, and cross-functional team members to access designs, especially for differentiating between Vision and Production versions. This new design system also provides cloud-based storage, versioning, and real-time collaboration between designers.
ONBOARDING, SALES & MARKETING
After design handoff, I quickly pivoted to 3D animation and video production. I created numerous onboarding videos that inform users on setup and key features. I also created product demo videos that display on the bike's console to entice retail shoppers. I provided Marketing with motion graphics and UI that appear in commercials.
I created product demonstration videos that loop on the VeloCore's display. In retail stores, this serves to catch the attention of shoppers and inform them of standout product features. Above is just a short sample.
My videos are now created for every new Nautilus product.
My videos are now created for every new Nautilus product.
THE RESULT
Released in September 2020, the VeloCore bike is available for purchase from Bowflex.com and major retailers. It went on to win a CES 2021 Innovation Award with its patent-pending UI design.
It was a pleasure to have worked on this project from inception to completion. Having collaborated closely with cross-functional teams from numerous departments, it was an incredible joy in seeing this product launch successfully and receive recognition.
