User research
Interviews
On Monday October 28th, 2019, interviews with 5 potential future users of the application were conducted.
Participants
The participants in these interviews were of both genders, belonged to different age groups and had various occupations. In total, 4 ‘fit’ participants and 1 person leading a sedentary lifestyle took part in interviews.
Participant 1
Gender: male
Age: 21
Occupation: student
Fitness/sports: gaelic, running, gym
Participant 2
Gender: female
Age: 18
Occupation: student
Fitness/sports: football, dancing, gym
Participant 3
Gender: male
Age: 41
Occupation: professional
Fitness/sports: walking, swimming
Participant 4
Gender: female
Age: 56
Occupation: professional
Fitness/sports: none
Participant 5
Gender: female
Age: 38
Occupation: professional
Fitness/sports: hiking
Findings
- All of the ‘fit’ participants admitted to having used online calorie counting apps at least once in the past.
- 3 out of 4 ‘fit’ participants admitted to using calorie counting apps frequently.
- Participant 4 stated that they would be willing to start using an intuitive calorie counting app in order to improve their overall health.
- Participant 5 stated that they would not be interested in using a calorie counting application.
Target users
Based on the research, target market for kcalPal formed 3 main groups:
- regular people caring for good nutrition, occasional gym goers – this group of potential users will use the app mainly to keep track of consumed calories, avail of useful fitness tips, occasionally add products and recipes to the database;
- athletes and sportsmen – this group of users will be generally interested in tracking the overall energy expenditure as well as consumed macronutrients, occasionally adding products and recipes;
- patients aiming to improve their overall health and/or lose excess weight – this group of potential users will be paying attention to the number of consumed calories, monitoring their weight loss progress and adding their own recipes and products to the database.
Personas and scenarios
Persona 1: “Couch potato”
Quote
“I like a good burger and soda pop.”
— Michael Pearse.
Name
Michael Pearse
Job/Role
Data analyst
Background
Age: 52
Status: Married
Education: MA in Data Analytics
Location: Los Angeles
Income: $100,000
Values
- Family
- Money
- Success
- Time
- Health
Goals
- Losing extra weight
- Improving stamina to be able to keep up with the kids
- Decreasing cholesterol level
Needs
- Monitoring his calorie intake to make sure it’s low enough
- Eating healthier
- Avoiding foods high in cholesterol
Pain points
- Has trouble fitting in some doorways
- Gets tired easily
- High cholesterol level
Skills
Usage: regular
Tech savvy: yes
Professional: experienced
Likes/Dislikes
Likes: coffee, burgers, sodas, beer, unhealthy snacks, watching sports, polite people
Dislikes: exercise, walking, running, arrogance, bad customer service
Scenario 1
Michael Pearse is a data analyst living in Los Angeles. He leads a sedentary lifestyle. His typical week is very busy and leaves him tired at the end of most days. His job is really stressful and full of challenges but he enjoys working hard to support his family. Michael spends most of his free time with his wife and kids.
Because of his busy schedule and lack of health awareness, Michael has never exercised or paid attention to what he consumes. This has caused him many health problems over the years, the biggest one being obesity and high cholesterol level. He also gets tired easily which means he cannot keep up with the kids. Michael would like to change that and get healthier for his family that matters so much to him.
Michael has never used a fitness app before but he undoubtedly needs help of one to assist him on his new journey. He will use the app on a daily basis for tracking consumed calories, important macronutrients, updating the database with some custom recipes and products that his wife buys and prepares, as well as monitoring his weight loss progress.
Persona 2: “Gym bunny”
“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion.”
– Bart Bass.
Name
Bart Bass
Job/Role
Personal trainer
Background
Age: 29
Status: Single
Education: BA (Honours) in Sports Management
Location: Galway
Income: 36,000e
Values
- Money
- Time
- Health
- Self-improvement
Goals
- Gaining as much muscle mass as possible
- Always eating properly before and after training sessions
- Treating asthma
Needs
- Keeping the number of consumed calories on a high level
- Monitoring his weekly progress
- Consuming less dairy
Pain points
- Lack of time
- Never being good enough
- Asthma
Skills
Usage: very frequent
Tech savvy: yes
Professional: un-experienced
Likes/Dislikes
Likes: ready meals, going to the gym, football, protein shakes, HIIT training
Dislikes: takeaway, diets, fried food, vegetarians, steroids
Scenario 2
Bart Bass is a fitness instructor from Galway. He received a Bachelors degree in Sports Management when he was 23 and has been working at his local gym since. He was planning to become a Kinesiotherapist but at the moment he is settling for an easier job of a gym instructor. Sport is his biggest passion.
Bart has always paid attention to what he consumes as it is closely connected to his role. He aims to be an inspiration to his clients by always pushing himself. He is trying to build a substantial client base to earn enough money to quit his job at the gym. He dreams to become a professional athlete and take part in athletic competitions. He struggles with asthma which is an obstacle on his way to success.
In order to fulfil his dreams, Bart will be using kcalPal very often. The main functionality he will be availing of is the option to record consumed foods. This will allow him to control his calorie intake, macronutrients, as well as dairy consumption. Bart will also be updating his profile with the up-to-date progress.
Group persona: “Fit Amy”
“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
– Amy Kavanagh.
Name
Amy Kavanagh
Job/Role
College student and part-time retail worker
Background
Age: 23
Status: Single
Education: in progress
Location: South Dublin
Income: 16,000e
Values
- Social life
- Time
- Self-improvement
- Recognition
Goals
- Getting as fit as possible
- Becoming an inspiration for others
- Improving the condition of her skin
Needs
- Tracking consumed macronutrients to maintain muscle mass
- Monitoring her weight trends
- Consuming less sugar
Pain points
- Consuming too much takeouts
- Difficulties with keeping the weight off
- Bad skin
Skills
Usage: frequent
Tech savvy: experienced
Professional: somewhat experienced
Likes/Dislikes
Likes: social media, cooking, takeouts, alcohol, running
Dislikes: vegetables, dairy, gluten, overeating, cardio
Group persona scenario
Amy Kavanagh is a college student living in South Dublin. Most of the time she is trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. Her passion for fitness motivates her to exercise and maintain a balanced diet. In her free time, she likes to film and post cooking videos and get her pictures taken. Amy frequently posts new photoes to her social media profile to gain followers.
Just like her friends and other people her age, Amy spends a lot of time online. She visits Instagram on a daily basis to view motivational videos and pictures posted by fitness gurus. She wants to follow them and become a role model for others in the future. To achieve that, she wants to lose excess weight and have a desired body shape. As well as that, Amy wants to improve her skin condition, mainly by consuming less sugar.
Amy will be using the application quite often, for a few reasons. First of all, tracking her daily calorie expenditure and consumed macronutrients will help her maintain her desired body fat percentage. Secondly, viewing weight trends statistics will be a crucial tool allowing her to track progress. Finally, as she likes to cook, she will be updating the database with her own favourite recipes.
Fitness App 