The COVID-19 pandemic placed a spotlight like never before on fitness apps. By making exercise classes and workout routines accessible to users 24/7, even when local gyms were closed, these applications helped individuals across the globe stay active and fit as health was at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
While people may have turned to these apps out of necessity initially, they have become a viable competitor to a local gym membership.
Here are the top five reasons why people are choosing to download fitness apps in 2022:
Reason #1: They’re Easy to Use
Fitness apps have a low barrier to entry. All you need is your mobile phone and the app will guide you through a workout from the comfort of your own home. You don’t need anyone’s help nor do you have to face the fear of walking into a gym and wondering where to start or what people are thinking. This level of convenience has made these apps a premier choice for fitness fanatics and first-time users alike.
Reason #2: They Increase Motivation
Fitness apps can be used to track goals, measure progress over time, and some even allow you to create competitions with other users. This helps people create short term, attainable goals and measure their progress toward them.
Reason #3: They Can Be Used Anytime, Anywhere
Lockdowns illuminated how much time is spent commuting to and from work, school, and the gym. Once users grew accustomed to the freedom of working out at home, they didn’t want to go back. Incorporating an exercise regimen into your day is feasible anytime from anywhere when you subscribe to a fitness app.
Reason #4: They’re Customizable
Fitness apps connect users with experts in the industry. While the local gym may only employ a handful of certified trainers with limited availability, fitness apps give the user ultimate flexibility to custom tailor their experience to their personal preferences in workout type, length, trainer, and even the playlist!
Reason #5: They’re Affordable
The affordability of fitness apps makes them a win for users’ budgets too. From free offerings to monthly subscriptions that average between $6 to $12 per month, fitness apps give users the benefits of a gym membership without the high monthly fees and annual dues.
Fitness App Development: 3 Types of Fitness Apps
Although there are many fitness apps, there are three main types of applications that are dominating the industry today:
- Workout/exercise apps
- Nutrition apps
- Activity tracking apps
These apps deliver a variety of benefits to their users, including:
- Supporting weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle
- Keeping track of vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure
- Improving sleep patterns
Let’s now look into each one in detail.
1. Exercise & Workout Apps
These apps encourage physical activity. You can choose from a variety of workouts or create your own, depending on your mood and preference.
Thanks to quality fitness mobile app development, the apps have been designed to help you get the most out of a workout session by telling you what kind of workout is ideal for you given your heart rate, goals, previous workouts, etc.
Workout apps can be further divided into three categories:
Personal Trainer Apps
These apps give users the benefit of a personal trainer who is constantly monitoring them and motivating them to achieve their fitness goals. Most personal trainer apps are perfect for those who are new to working out but want an expert to guide them through a routine.
Logbook Apps
These are simple apps that keep track of your workouts in an organized manner. You can view your overall progress and see how many calories you burned throughout the week, month, and year.
Apps That Pair With Devices
These apps are a must for those who want to take their workouts to the next level. They pair with devices such as wearable watches, heart rate monitors, and even power meters on bicycles and treadmills.
The device reports how fast you moved, the calories you burned and other metrics that help you achieve your fitness goals faster.
2. Nutrition Apps
These applications help you keep a close eye on your calorie intake and monitor other elements such as the number of carbs you have ingested etc. They make it easy for users to set personal goals and prioritize their health the way they want to. Like workout apps, nutrition apps can be used by both newbies and seasoned dieters alike.
3. Activity Tracking Apps
High-end fitness mobile app development has given rise to activity tracking apps. These help you track how many steps you take, the distance you have traveled and other metrics that can help you stay healthy.
For example, they can estimate how many calories you have burned throughout the day and the quality of your sleep.
Some even allow users to compare their performance with friends which increases the desire to work even harder and improve their own results.
To make it easier for users to monitor their progress, activity tracking apps can easily be paired with wearable devices and smartphones.
So what goes into building a useful fitness app?
Let’s looks look into the step-by-step process of creating one from scratch:
Step #1: Outline Your Ideas
The first step in building your own mobile fitness app is answering the question, “What are the root problems I am trying to solve?”
The root problem(s) you identity should lead you down a path of crafting a comprehensive list of ideas that will define the functionality of your application. At this stage, it’s important that you include everything that you have vision for without allowing your creative process to be unnecessarily impeded by potential technological constraints or budget restrictions.
This is what we at Five Pack like to call beginning with the end in mind. By giving yourself the freedom to dream through every dimension of the app you want to bring to market, we can partner with you to create a comprehensive plan that can dually begin as a minimum viable product and scale into the full spectrumed solution you envision long term.
Ask yourself the following questions to gain more clarity:
- Who is my target audience?
- How do I want users to interact with my app?
- What topics/training sessions I plan to include?
- Is it essential for my app to include audio/video components?
- Will it be available on multiple devices or operating systems?
- Can my app be used offline?
The more ideas/requirements you identify at this stage, the easier it will be to identify the right technological solution for the problem you are trying to solve.
Step #2: Zero Down on a Fitness App Development Company
Putting your ideas down on paper is a simple way to kick-start your mobile fitness app project, but you won’t be able to turn them into a reality without a development partner.
Finding the right fitness app development company is important because it will determine the quality of your finished product. There are many companies who can help you develop an application, but few can provide you with the level of guidance you need to be confident you are building the right solution the right way while ensuring your experience on the journey is one worth repeating.
Ask yourself the following questions as you’re surveying potential development partners:
- Do they have an online portfolio that showcases their expertise?
- Is their talent onshore?
- Do they have a proven track record in the field?
- Are they able to offer end-to-end development?
- Do they embrace a flexible development style that fits my needs?
- Have their clients taken the time to leave positive reviews?
At Five Pack, we’re proud to answer yes to all of the questions above, and we’re confident that we could help you develop and deliver the solution you envisioned in step one to the market.
Step #3: Design Your Fitness Mobile App’s Interface
Next, you need to work with a UX/UI expert who will help you create a clean, effective design for your mobile fitness app. Designing an interface that is versatile enough to accommodate the happy path and potential error states for an application is where most people begin to get overwhelmed, but with an experienced design team working alongside you, your vision will come to life before your eyes.
Anything is possible with quality design. The approach you choose will depend on what best fits your app’s purpose and target audience, so it’s important to work with a designer who is familiar with your industry.
Ask yourself the following questions as you prepare for the design process:
- How will users navigate through the various screens?
- Is there existing branding that should inform the design of the interface or are we starting from scratch?
- What are the users’ pain points in learning and how can design help solve for them?
Your app’s design will also determine its usability. If it’s difficult to navigate, users are likely to give up on it fairly quickly. A good development partner will be able to help you avoid this potential pitfall and create an interface that is not only aesthetically pleasing but easy to use as well.
At Five Pack, we believe that great design is the foundation for a successful fitness app. That’s why we work closely with our clients to create a user interface that is not only visually appealing but functional as well.
Step #4: Develop Your Fitness Mobile App
Now that requirements are defined and design is in motion, your development team can begin. This is when your hard work truly starts to take shape.
While the development process can be complex, an experienced project manager will help you stay on track and ensure that everything is completed on time and within budget.
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself as you’re preparing for the development process:
- What is most important to me: the budget, scope, or timeline?
- Am I familiar with the software development life cycle?
- How involved do I want me/my team to be in the day-to-day inner workings of the development process?
- How will maintenance of the app be handled after the launch?
- Do I want/need analytics built into my app?
By identifying the answers to these questions, you can better prepare for the development process and improve communication with the project manager working alongside you so they are better equipped to serve your needs and interests.
Step #5: Test Your Fitness Mobile App
With the help of your fitness mobile app development team, the next step is to thoroughly test your application. While the development and testing processes go hand-in-hand, ensuing you deliver a stable application that meets all of the requirements to the market.
This is where an experienced QA team is critical. They will test your app on a variety of devices and platforms to ensure that it meets all of your expectations.
Here are some questions to be prepared to answer and ask of your development partner that specifically pertain to testing:
- What OS version and devices will my application support?
- Do I have test cases for this application written or will I be reliant on the Q.A. team to create these?
- How will regression testing for future releases be handled?
- What type of hedge-case scenarios will the Q.A. team test for that I may not be thinking about?
At Five Pack, we have a team of experienced QA testers that will test your fitness mobile app on a variety of devices and platforms to ensure it’s ready for launch.
Step #6: Prepare Your Fitness Mobile App For Launch
Once your app has been fully tested with Q.A. sign-off, it’s time to prepare for release.
Launching an application to the Apple App Store or Google Play can be a complex process, but with the right team in place, it can be a smooth and seamless experience.
Here are some questions to be prepared to answer with the help of your development partner:
- Does my app meet the necessary guidelines outlined in the App Store and Google Play Store?
- Am I accounting for App Store Optimization guidelines in my title, subtitle, and keywords?
- Do I have the marketing materials necessary to release, like screenshots for the correct device sizes?
- Do I want the app to be available for pre-order?
- What is the price for my app (if applicable) and where in the world is it available?
- Once the app is approved, do I want it released manually, immediately, or on a certain date?
- What is the process for getting my app approved by Apple/Google?
Once your app has been successfully approved by the assigned reviewer, you’re officially ready for release! It’s important to think of release as a milestone rather than a finish line.
Updates, bug fixes, and new feature integration are an expected part of the development process. This is why it’s important to begin a relationship with a team that not only offers fully managed development for custom projects, but also maintenance agreements and/or staff augmentation so that your app stays up to date.
Conclusion
This six-step process emphasizes the importance of partnering with the right team to bring your fitness app from a mere concept to a completely developed application available for download.
At Five Pack, we have the on-shore talent and proven processes needed to manage this process from end-to-end.
Complete the contact us form here to start the conversation and get a free estimate from our team!
