Drive feature adoption through user insights on treadmill workout metrics

A fitness company was developing new metrics for treadmill workouts and wanted to understand how users interpret and value these features. The goal was to assess interest, clarity, and potential impact on workouts, and identify barriers to adoption.

We recruited active treadmill users from luxury gyms and conducted in-lab testing at our Downers Grove facility. The custom setup allowed real-time observation, with a mirrored console screen and ceiling-mounted camera capturing participants’ interactions with the prototype. Users discussed their workout goals, evaluated the proposed metrics, and provided feedback on comprehension, relevance, and usability.

We identified distinct user profiles and mapped out key use cases based on workout behaviors. Participants revealed consistent content limitations and concerns about guidance and interpretation of the metrics. Their feedback helped clarify which features had broad appeal and which needed refinement.

The client gained a clearer understanding of how to design and present metrics that align with user needs, improving both the treadmill experience and long-term engagement with the product.