Designing and launching the Android, iOS, Web, and Desktop apps for an AR fitness startup.
Virdio is a startup providing interactive home workouts through screen-based AR.
The Virdio product uses machine vision to detect a user's space through a webcam, and places virtual objects on their screen, similar to how a Microsoft Kinect works.
I joined as a Product Designer to create their consumer facing apps, AR fitness activities, and internal tools.
Being in a startup, I was also involved in extra tasks like marketing, content design, web design, and video editing.
Working through early stage ambiguity & shipping the Virdio app.
At the time I joined, Virdio was selling their services to gyms during COVID-19. The new goal was to harness Virdio's AR technology to get it into people's homes through the form of a subscription service like Peloton or Apple Fitness+.
Here's a summary of what I did:
Early stage research and direction
I interviewed gym owners, fitness experts, and users to understand their habits. I also analyzed competing products and services to identify opportunities for improvement.
Browsing, booking, and tracking progress
I designed the Virdio apps including the process for onboarding & setup, booking classes, and tracking progress with achievements. I also set the design system, ensuring consistency across mobile and desktop platforms.
Interactive workouts
I designed and prototyped AR exercises in close collaboration with the Virdio dev team. Exercises were direct translations of their real world counterparts.
Key challenges
Designing for home setups
Experiences would need to be designed with space constraints in mind. Exercises needed to be usable within a minimum area, and on a variety of devices.
Easy to run experiences
Virdio experiences needed to run on all commonly used devices, meaning that AR activities could not be too complex, they needed to be simple and lightweight.
Outcome
Native & web apps
Mobile - Class browsing
Mobile - Profile
Desktop - Class browsing
Desktop - Profile
Desktop - Signup
Desktop - Onboarding
AR fitness activities
I designed the virtual activities and the HUD they would be visible from a distance while not being obstructive. The virtual equipment was also designed to communicate its own functionality through animations and affordances.
Desktop - Virtual Activities
Desktop -Room Setup
Desktop - Pre-class AR setup
Trainer View - In class program
Virdio design system
I created the Virdio design system to ensure consistency across platforms while also making dev handoff more efficient.
Result
Shipped!
As a result of my contributions we released the Virdio apps on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Web.
Enabling more trainers to host their classes on Virdio and enable more people to sign up.
Reflection
The biggest challenge
The most important skill I built, and also the thing I struggled most with at the start was stakeholder management. It was my first experience working closely with engineers and executives, I learned how to make tradeoffs and advocate for better design practices with stakeholders.
Providing a consistent experience
Providing a consistent experience across all touchpoints was a big challenge that I still think about. Virdio is not a traditional cross-platform product because the device significantly influences the user experience. A mobile workout experience was completely different from a desktop one.
In the end…
Working at Virdio was a transformative experience for me. I grew as a designer, prototyper, and collaborator while having significant influence on an incredibly cool, and novel product.
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