A well designed experience is a cohesive one
Why designing beyond a single device with consistency and cohesion can create a better user experience
It’s been hard adjusting to the “new normal” of life in lockdown. First came the fear and uncertainty. Then it was hope and community with people singing to their neighbours from balconies and essential workers putting their lives on the line to make sure people had what they needed. There was a banana bread baking boom, and people were having virtual house parties and zoom quizzes.
That hopeful sheen of the lockdown has worn off since then, but something I’ve tried to adapt to throughout this time (besides being confined to the same 3 rooms and managing my anxiety) was how to stay active. Being afraid of going outside is a huge barrier to one of the natural sources of activity I used to do daily, walking.
I decided I needed to do something, anything, and so I looked into Yoga. It seemed like something that would be easy to do and not be too physically loud. I ordered some yoga mats and blocks, and googled where I can learn the basics of yoga. It was actually my partner that recommended Peloton for trying out their Yoga classes. They offered beginner introduction classes to help you understand the basics of each pose, as well as live, instructor led classes also at beginner level.
I signed up for a free trial on their mobile app, and the onboarding experience was incredibly simple and easy. I was in the app in under 2 minutes, and their catalogue of classes were available at my fingertips. It was very approachable where I could hop into a class after two taps. The UI is minimal but effective, communicating only essential information like the time left in the class, what part of the class you’re currently in, and if connected, your heart rate (via apple watch/heart rate monitor). You can also see who else is participating in the class.
The app on mobile was effective, and made access to the content easily accessible, but I wanted to see the class on a larger screen, so I used the app on tablet and was impressed by how familiar everything felt. It was the same experience on mobile and made navigating and interacting with the software easier, because everything was familiar and where I expected it to be.
During a few of the workouts, the instructors would mention how users could cast the app to their TV for an ever larger viewing experience. I thought this was a great feature to highlight, because it made their service even more accessible, for people that want a bigger viewing experience of the class, but might not have a tablet. After experimenting with it, I found that it was the same, familiar and consistent experience compared to using the mobile and tablet versions of the app. Everything was easy to find and interactive and tied into the overall brand experience Peloton is offering. Through their interactions and design decisions, I could identify a sense of cohesion with their product across devices and this made the entire experience more intuitive and enjoyable.
I have also used the Peloton Bike, the one that comes with a tablet screen, and once again, the experience is just as delightful as it is wherever else you interact with Peloton’s software.
Overall, as a brand, Peloton have been able to create an experience across multiple devices and touchpoints for users, and kept it simple, recognisable and easy to interact with and understand. They created a design experience that is cohesive across all areas and keep it tied to their brand which builds recognition and trusts from it’s users.
