For fitness organisations, this revolution presents an opportunity: by using service design to seamlessly integrate digital and in-person touchpoints, they can deliver convenience and personalisation like never before. In this article, we explore how experience design is reshaping fitness services, from AI-powered coaching to on-demand yoga sessions, and how UK and global trends point toward a hybrid future of wellness.
Rise of Online and On-Demand Fitness
The pandemic dramatically boosted uptake of online fitness. Gyms closed during lockdowns, forcing consumers and trainers onto digital platforms. As a result, the live-streaming and virtual fitness market grew by 39% in a single year (2022–2023). Even as gyms reopened, this mode stuck – surveys show over 70% of customers prefer the flexibility of exercising online compared to traditional gym routines. It’s easy to see why: virtual fitness lets people exercise anytime, anywhere, often at lower cost. Service design in this context means ensuring the digital experience is intuitive, engaging, and yields results. Fitness apps and platforms need user-friendly interfaces (for browsing classes or programs), robust video streaming, and interactive elements that mimic the energy of an in-person class (like live leaderboards or instructor feedback in real time). Peloton, for example, famously built a community feel into its cycling classes with real-time shoutouts and competitive rankings – a design choice that kept users pedaling through their screens.
Hybrid Membership Journeys
Many gyms and studios have adopted a hybrid model: offering both on-site services and digital content. A well-designed hybrid membership might allow a customer to attend the gym three days a week, use a branded app for home workouts on other days, and consult a virtual trainer once a month. Service design comes into play by harmonising these components. The goal is that the customer perceives one unified service – not disjointed pieces. For instance, their progress data from gym sessions (e.g. treadmill stats) could sync with their app, which in turn recommends suitable group classes at the gym. If a user pauses a workout video halfway, maybe the front-desk staff can see that insight and offer encouragement or tips next time they visit in person. These kinds of integrations require thoughtful design and often technical investment, but they significantly enhance experience. In the UK, major chains like PureGym and David Lloyd have rolled out digital platforms and on-demand class libraries to complement gym access, reflecting this trend.
Personalisation and AI Coaching
The digital shift also unlocks advanced personalisation through AI and data. AI-enhanced fitness apps can adapt routines based on a user’s performance or even mood. The industry has seen a 30% increase in adoption of digital fitness since 2021, with AI fitness app usage growing about 17% annually. For example, an AI coach might increase your running plan’s intensity if it detects improvement, or suggest a yoga session if you’ve had poor sleep (data gleaned from a connected wearable). Such personalisation embodies experience design: it treats each user’s journey as unique. From a service perspective, it means designing systems that collect relevant user data (safely and with consent) and using it to adjust the service in real-time. Done right, it can feel like you have a personal trainer in your pocket who truly knows you – a powerful motivator. Fitness companies should ensure these AI features remain user-centric: recommendations must be clear and helpful, not overwhelming or generic. Regular feedback loops (like asking “Was this workout too easy?”) allow the service to learn and improve the personal touch.
Holistic Wellness and Lifestyle Integration
Another facet of the wellness revolution is a broadening focus from pure exercise to overall health – mental, nutritional, and beyond. Notably, participation in holistic wellness activities like meditation, recovery, nutrition coaching jumped by 45% in 2022. Modern fitness services are evolving into one-stop wellness hubs. Apps like Calm or Headspace have partnered with fitness brands, and many gyms now offer mindfulness classes or nutritional guidance. To support this, service design must ensure cohesive cross-domain experiences. For example, if a gym app introduces a meditation module alongside workout plans, the tone and flow should still match the overall user journey (perhaps a cooldown meditation after a high-intensity workout, presented as part of the routine). It’s about integrating these pieces so users don’t feel like they have to juggle separate products for each aspect of wellness. UK consumers especially appreciate convenience: having multiple needs met in one service increases perceived value.
Challenges: Keeping the Human Touch in Tech
While digital services excel in convenience, there’s a risk of losing the human element that many users value. Good experience design mitigates this. Techniques include: adding social features (like virtual group challenges or community forums) to help users support each other online, using real instructors (recorded or live) instead of only animations for a more personal feel, and ensuring help is accessible (live chat with a trainer or quick customer service for tech issues). A blend of automation and human oversight often works best. For instance, an app might auto-generate a workout plan, but a human coach reviews it or checks in periodically. This mirrors how top-tier hybrid programs operate – leveraging technology’s scale and efficiency while preserving empathy and customisation from real experts.
Measuring Success and Iterating
Digital fitness services provide a wealth of data to measure what’s working. Engagement metrics (logins, workout completion rates), retention rates, and user feedback (ratings, reviews) are vital signs. If nearly half of new users drop off after a trial, that’s a signal to revisit the onboarding design or the difficulty calibration. (In fact, broadly about 50% of new gym members quit within 6 months, often due to lack of engagement or perceived value – a figure digital platforms aim to improve upon by offering variety and flexibility). Continuous iteration is a principle of service design: using insights to refine the experience. A conversational approach might be, “We noticed you haven’t logged a workout in a week – everything okay? Here are some beginner classes to get back on track.” Little nudges like that, informed by data, can make a big difference in re-engaging users.
The UK Perspective
In the UK, 79% of consumers now say wellness is an important priority in their lives. This demand fuels innovation. From London-based digital fitness startups to NHS-supported health apps, there’s recognition that accessible, well-designed wellness services can improve public health. We see more collaborations between traditional healthcare providers and fitness tech, too, e.g., GPs “prescribing” exercise apps for certain patients. The expectation is that services be inclusive (usable by different ages and abilities) and sustainable (some UK gyms are even designing eco-friendly experiences, like energy-generating exercise machines). These angles require service designers to think broadly: not just about immediate user needs, but also societal impact and accessibility.
In conclusion, the digital wellness revolution has blurred the lines between gym and home, between physical trainer and smartphone app. For senior professionals in fitness organisations, embracing service and experience design is key to staying competitive. By crafting a seamless hybrid experience – one that may start with a click on a phone at 6 AM and continue with a high-five from a coach in the gym at 6 PM – you cater to the modern consumer’s lifestyle. The core principles remain understanding your users, removing friction, and delivering value at every step. Technology is simply enabling us to do this at scale and in new ways. Those who design their services to be agile, personalised, and truly customer-centric will find that loyalty and business growth follow naturally in this exciting new era of wellness.