The Exalter
The Exalter is a product for feedback in fitness practice, targeted at performance driven fitnessers who want to sport intensively, efficiently and responsibly. It is the result of my USI industrial case (2010) in partnership with Philips Research.
Fitness was chosen as a sport based on it's outstanding presence: it accounts for 20% of sports participation in the Netherlands with an outstanding expansion and market growth over since the 90's. The 80% client retention rate gyms usually confront with, made it it also an interesting challenge to tackle.
The chosen target group was young to mid-age, active recreational fitnessers, for whom sport was a big part of their lifestyle. They practiced sport to stay in shape, challenge themselves and have fun with the exercise. They are knowledgeable and performance driven, want to achieve their personal challenges and push themselves, while exercising responsibly.
To gain insight into fitness and it's implicaitons, we interviewed sporters and fitness instructors, we studied the few literature on the topic, explored existing products and fitness online communities, and ultimately try out different modalities of fintess ourselve! Our findings were later verified in focus group with fitness experts.
Our final design consisted on a wrist mounted device to monitor the body in both cardio and strenght exercises, providing feedback upon the sporter's performance, and guidance along the training. Functionalities such as recording subjective feedback upon the feel of the exercise, or create training plans on-the-fly were also included and appreciated by test-users.
We evaluated a working prototype in gym and online, both with positive feedback. Core functionalities and the whole product found were useful and appreciated, and some improvement points were collected.
The Exalter was a group project in which I contributed in the research and insight gathering phase, target group definition, design guidelines, UI design and evaluation.
The Exalter provides feedback on body effort by means of color change, and rich display.
The Exalter from Jorge Peregrin on Vimeo.
User Interface. Training plan selection screen.
Training plan overview
During a cardio exercise, the Exalter shows heart rate, calories burnt, time lapsed, and progression, affording inputing subjective user feeling.
During strength exercises, the Exalter shows muscular effort to optimize the training and prevent injuries, repetition and set count to free the mind and guide the session, and active and iddle time as to train efficiently. Upper an dlower body exercises are also shown, as to promote a balance training of the whole body.
User Test, where fitness sporters used the Exalter along their training.