Sarthak | Product Designer & Art Director

chelsea piers fitness · mobile app redesign · 2023

Increasing perceived membership value by improving a daily touchpoint to reduce churn

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Context

Chelsea Piers Fitness in New York charges premium membership fees, but its investments in infrastructure, trainers, events, and content are siloed and often go unnoticed.

Opportunity

Their app, a daily touchpoint, was underutilized and could be improved to make class, equipment, and trainer discovery easier—ultimately improving member experience.

My Role

I audited the app, interviewed management to learn priorities, and spoke with members to understand their needs. I then designed and tested a redesigned experience.

Outcome

Though speculative, I shared my designs and test results with management, who were considering a redesign. In 2024, they piloted a new app featuring many of my ideas.

BEFORE

used daily by its members, the app was Criticized for its lack of functionality, lackluster design, and poor UX.

After

new design aligned with chelsea piers' brand identity, improving usability, information architecture, and class discovery.

How did we get here? Read on.

research

Idea Synthesis

I noticed events, equipment, and classes were often discovered only by chance. Curious why the app was underused, as a member, I reached out to management under the guise of sharing feedback, using the conversation to learn about their priorities. I learned they were planning a redesign. I expressed my intent to do a self-initiated project to improve it and offered to share my results to inspire ideas.

define

Understanding Users

Auditing Current App Experience

Onboarding
Schedule
Class Booking
Onboarding
Schedule
Class Booking
Onboarding
Schedule
Class Booking
Onboarding
Schedule
Class Booking

desired solution

Aligning Goals With Needs

ideate

Pairing Down Solutions

End Result

The Final Product

Throughout the process, I was collecting feedback from users and on occasion, informally from the management as well. Once my designs were ready, I shared them

Connects members to relevant updates and personalized class recommendations, enhancing gym engagement.

Helps members find information, discover classes, and book sessions, boosting attendance.

An update

Receiving Validation

I redesigned the app to sharpen my UX skills, and the designs were well liked by both members and management. In 2024, they launched a new app with UX that was strikingly similar to mine. It was eye-opening to see how an experienced team reached similar decisions.