Meg & Michelle · AIM Fitness 12th anniversary
01 / 05
Overview
AIM Fitness is a Canadian company with 12 years of experience. It offers in-person classes and television programs for older adults, plus a subscription-based online fitness platform launched during the pandemic. The online community is small—about 60 members—but highly trusted and ready to grow.
This redesign was an applied research partnership between AIM Fitness and the Sheridan Centre for Elder Research. As a research assistant, I combined three months of user research with a review of 23 comparable products, then translated the findings into interface concepts that lower barriers while protecting the platform’s sense of community.
My contribution
Led the competitive analysis and recommendations report
Contributed to survey design and user interviews
Designed class discovery, class details, community, and member dashboard experiences
Co-authored and designed the final report and public project brochure
The team
AIM Fitness (Activities in Motion Inc.)
Sheridan Centre for Elder Research
Year
Feb 2025 - Oct 2025 (10 months)
How might we retain new members?
Retention was AIM Fitness’s central business question. For our research team, it also raised a broader question: how can an online fitness platform help older adults stay active and well? The data revealed a clear experience gap between long-term members and newcomers.
After three months, 86% of long-term members intended to keep paying, compared with only 31% of new members. More than half of those who left cited travel or schedule conflicts alongside usability issues. The platform’s greatest promise—flexible, on-demand exercise—was neither clearly communicated nor easy enough to use.
New members faced several barriers: registration and onboarding were confusing; past classes were difficult to find; and joining the monthly group chat could feel like entering a close-knit circle as an outsider.
I reframed the problem: the platform did not need more features; it needed a clearer path in. The redesign had to close the gap between new and established members by helping newcomers learn quickly and feel that they belonged.
Decisions through four lenses
Two research tracks shaped the direction:
Landscape review — I independently compared 23 North American products: 13 direct and 10 indirect competitors. I tested seven of them for 7–10 days and translated the findings into practical recommendations.
User research — I contributed to survey design, seven biweekly surveys, pre- and post-program fitness assessments, and five in-depth interviews. Of 50 people who enrolled, 26 completed the full three-month study.
The most valuable part was working directly with the client and influencing real decisions. Every two weeks, we reviewed the direction and specific changes with AIM’s founder, then refined the work through four lenses:
Research — Is the decision supported by evidence and theory?
Users — What are older adults actually struggling with?
Market — Which patterns are worth borrowing, and which should we avoid?
Internal reality — What fit AIM Fitness’s resources, costs, and priorities?
Many competitors looked modern but overloaded users with information—especially older adults. We borrowed useful ideas while controlling density. For example, complaints about finding past videos, competitive patterns such as Continue Watching, and the founder’s feedback converged into one practical set of changes: search, breadcrumbs, and class playlists. The client received an evidence-based plan that could be implemented item by item.
How might we help new members get started?
We translated the question into three concrete needs: find a class, know what to do next, and see clearly.
Find a class. Members disliked scrolling through long archives. We added search and filters, a persistent lesson playlist with thumbnails and durations, breadcrumbs, and a clear return to all classes. The goal: retrieve any class within two or three steps.
Start with confidence. Strong onboarding examples used a short questionnaire and a visible roadmap. This both learns about the member and makes the next step obvious, instead of dropping them into an empty dashboard. It became one of our fastest, most actionable recommendations.
See clearly. For older adults, accessibility is foundational. A consistent toolbar on every page lets members enlarge text or switch to high contrast. It stays visible, predictable, and dismissible rather than being buried in settings.
We also simplified progress tracking. The previous check-in table felt distracting, so we replaced it with a lightweight, passive progress view and optional save and like actions. Members who value progress can see it; everyone else can ignore it.
How might we create belonging early?
The most important insight was that community—not a single feature—kept members engaged. After retirement, social roles and routines often shrink. A place where people are remembered, meet peers, and return on a steady rhythm can become meaningful support. That is also the quality most at risk when a community scales.
Beyond the class experience, I designed the community and member dashboard. The goal was not more interaction, but a lower threshold for belonging:
Structure group conversations. Visible agendas, advance scheduling, and a facilitator reduce the social pressure on quieter newcomers.
Make connection visible, not noisy. Community updates, highlighted Ambassadors, and a buddy system surface peer support without overwhelming the experience.
Use rewards with restraint. We kept badges and streaks but avoided leaderboards. This is a community built on mutual support, not competition.
Language mattered too. One member said the platform’s wording sometimes felt infantilizing. We worked with the founder on more inclusive language principles. The visual change is subtle, but the difference in respect is not.
Outcomes and reflection
We delivered an actionable redesign report, a complete high-fidelity Figma concept using AIM Fitness’s existing brand, and a public project brochure. The research was also presented at AIM Fitness’s 12th-anniversary event, for which my partner and I created a custom logo and social assets.
AIM Fitness already worked with a long-term web studio. Because of budget constraints, the studio implemented selected recommendations within the existing site rather than rebuilding the full UI. This was a legitimate design constraint: for a small local business, budget and supplier relationships are part of the product context. The client was pleased and invited us to continue into implementation, but the research timeline did not allow it.
This project changed how I understand accessibility and designing for older adults. Members were highly sensitive to music volume, caption size, and even small button details. Accessibility was not a compliance item; it was a prerequisite for participation.
It also sharpened the question of who a design is really for. The ideal answer from research or industry benchmarks may not be realistic for a small local business today. A designer’s role is to clarify the real needs, then build on the client’s own strengths. Here, the strongest advantage was community: the same quality that retained long-term members could also welcome new ones.
