Creating a First-rate UI Design for a Fitness App

The global fitness app market size was valued at USD 1.1 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.6% from 2022 to 2030. The essential factor was the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to many social restrictions, including gym closures. This prompted people to switch to virtual fitness and increased the number of fitness app downloads. The growing trend of using fitness apps has led to a growing global market. Its size, as of 2020, is $4.4 billion and is expected to grow 21.6% from 2021 to 2028, and its size, as of 2028, is expected to be $149.3 billion.

That means fitness apps have become a profitable startup idea. COVID-19 has also raised global awareness about our health and made people think about their health grounds. This fact is also the market driving force.

Fitness apps are a segment of healthcare apps and should have features that make them valuable and user-friendly. Therefore, the UI design of such apps should solve the users’ problems and fit their requirements.

In this article, we will discuss why the fitness app’s design should be different from others and highlight the tips that will help you make a quality UI design for your startup.

The survey showed that 68.7 million smartphone users had installed at least one fitness app, and by the end of 2022 that number will be 86.3 million.

The essential challenges of the digital century that app designers face during development are an oversaturated marketplace and a struggle for user attention. Eight seconds – during this time, a user can lose focus and close the app.

Nowadays, many health and fitness apps are being actively created, but can they pass the competition and retain the user? Despite huge competitors, the fitness app niche is still a promising startup. Fitness clubs and gyms have started to develop such apps to attract customers by personalizing and providing interactive information about workouts and exercise.

But here comes the first challenge – the rapid loss of motivation among users. A person may be motivated enough to download your app, but will they continue to use it? Again, problems start with data personalization.

Fitness apps developers promise future users that their apps will select a personal training program, track progress, and achieve desired results. But many of them are too generalized and put all users in the same frame of reference without considering everyone’s physical abilities.

What’s the solution?

• Personalize your fitness app, try to get maximum information about the user: height, weight, age, physical condition to create the most suitable workout program;
• Gamify your fitness app to spark excitement and attract the user’s attention;
• Motivate the users with a variety of fitness tasks to keep their interest in exercising.

The essential peculiarities of fitness apps are that they should motivate the user. Therefore, the UI design should contain complete information about the user’s sports achievements.

It’s also essential to create a simple and intuitive UI design. Minimalism is the 2022 trend in product design, so don’t overload the application with unnecessary details to focus on essential features.

The most appropriate colors for fitness apps are: red, orange, blue, green, pink, and purple. This is because they are psychologically associated with motivation, energizing, and productivity.

Read more about How to Choose the Correct UI Design Colors in our blog.

Registration screen: The onboarding process

First, you need to present the user with your product. You can do this with a short video or by showing screens that explain the app’s features and its navigation.

You can already see the essential difference in the fitness app UI design from others at this stage. In the case of fitness apps, you need to personalize the app and know users’ personal data: height, weight, habits, and sports experience, so adapting the app is essential. Apps also should define their desired goals and set starting points, such as users’ current weight and desires.

Read more about User Onboarding in our blog.

Profile screen

This is the user’s personal account. Users need to confirm their health and biological data, which aren’t requested while creating other apps’ profiles. But they are necessary for fitness apps, as they are used to create an individual program.

Important: request only the information that the app needs to integrate! Don’t overload your UI.

The user can also enter their current social networks to integrate apps and share their achievements. And give the app access for geodata.

Home screen

The home screen is the first users see when opening an app and starting point of app navigation. So, it should contain the information for what app was created. For example: if it’s a nutrition and diet app, the home screen should answer the question, “How many calories can I eat today?”

Activity Tracking Screen

This screen shows all user activity and displays it as a graphic. So it’s easier for users to assess their progress for the day. For example, it can display the training time and distance, if we are talking about running apps or the calorie counting graph, if it’s a nutritional app.

Read more about how to create a great dashboard UI in our blog.

These were the basic screens that are a must-have part of the fitness app. In addition, you can add a sleep screen where the user can keep track of the amount and quality of sleep. Also, a heart rate screen. These will be extremely useful features during exercising to keep track of the body’s condition during the workout.

Read also about 8 Basic Types of Screens in UI design in our blog.

Let’s look at a few other important aspects that will make the fitness app UI design better.

Categorization

Good UI design is when the user quickly interacts with the product and easily understands it. Therefore, all the content that is presented in a fitness app needs to be categorized and subcategorized. If this isn’t done after opening the app and getting a lot of programs, the user will get confused and close the app. But if everything is categorized into levels and types, the fitness app UI design will become easy and pleasant to use.

Gamification

Gamification isn’t a fitness app mandatory attribute, but it’ll help increase users’ interaction with the app. Gamification can take the form of interesting daily tasks, achievement boards, and badges. Users can also compete with each other in completing tasks. This will increase motivation and engagement.

Users chat

The in-app chat features will increase the app’s reach. Users will have fun sharing tips, news, activities, and doing tasks with each other. Teamwork is easier, and we remember that user engagement is the success of a fitness app.

Connecting with other wearable devices

Nowadays, people aren’t limited to just a smartphone. Other attributes are being added to make life easier, such as smartwatches. And it’s easier to take a wristwatch for training than a smartphone. So, it’s good if the app can communicate with it and display data such as heart rate, blood pressure, and other physiological data on different devices.

Push-notifications

Push notifications in the fitness mobile app design remind users about their workouts. You can link them to your program and set a reminder time.

Nowadays, while the fitness app market is booming, you can earn the attention of users with a well-designed mobile fitness app. In this article, we discussed what the UI design of your app should contain to attract people. Follow the tips and work carefully on each step.

If you have ideas for your app and need help, we know how to do it. Check out the finished projects on Behance and Dribbble. And also take a look at the services we provide. Contact us!