A Digital Experience Agency

Mapping my customer journey with a fitness wearable

According to a recent study, 1/3 of wearable device owners stop using them within 6 months. And over half of consumers who own one no longer use it. That’s a lot of people!

What’s happening? Are folks no longer wanting to maintain a healthier and more active lifestyle? Were the benefits not worth the effort? I vehemently fall into the opposing category in both stats, over a year and a half going strong. Seeing as we work at an experience agency, we thought it would be interesting to explore my customer journey with fitness trackers and see if there are any glimmers of reasoning for why I am so borderline obsessed when over half of the people who’ve purchased one don’t even use it anymore.

With the help of our director of UX  and director of interaction design we set out to map my customer journey. Check it out below.

Activity-Tracker-Graphic_R4

 

Many of the things that keep me engaged are a part of my journey map, including:

  • Competitiveness of getting in more steps than my friends
  • Automatic goal alteration to make goals more attainable if I haven’t been my active self lately to get me back on track
  • Bedtime recommendations based on my sleep habits and education on why getting consistent sleep is important

Put the customer journey to use

What could FitBit, Jawbone and the likes do differently to attract more customers like me (brand evangelist over here) and try to keep people actively engaged with their product past the 6-month mark?

  •  Identify user behavior trends and adapt: If I log an activity, Jawbone will guess what I was up to based on my movement and previous activities. This means logging an activity is as easy as two clicks. A more seamless user experience with food logging ­– and other functions I don’t use often – would increase usage and overall engagement with the band and app.
  • Build a team: One of my biggest motivators is doing better than my friends and family, which Jawbone refers to as my “team.” I was responsible for a few friends’ purchases and have influenced even more because I know the more people who have the same brand tracker as me, the more motivated I will be. Fitness tracker brands should be taking advantage of this. Implement a Refer-a-Friend program; provide coupons around specific holidays for gift giving; create a friends and family discount program.
  • Incentivize prolonged use: There are tons of apps and products that integrate with fitness tracker bands; provide a discount for one of them at a user’s 1- or 2-year mark to show appreciation and further encourage engagement with the band. When new band models come out, offer a presale or trade-in discount to long-term, active customers.
  • Map the customer journey future state: Fitness tracking is a relatively new and evolving field. With the ever-improving  technology and new players in the market, it would be smart for brands to think beyond a particular model and see how their customers can grow with them as they build new products and features while technology continues to advance, increasing engagement every step of the way.

Is your activity tracker collecting dust on your nightstand or are you considering entering a support group for your activity tracker obsession? Let us know in the comments below, and happy stepping!