How Fitbit’s UX Has Changed (2008–2016)
A look at how Fitbit has evolved
Background information
I’ll be taking a look at how the UX of Fitbit has changed since the announcement of its first product in 2008.
Fitbit was founded by James Park and Eric Friedmen in 2007. It has since established itself as the market leader in wearables, through a solid lineup of fitness tracking devices, selling 37 million of them since 2014 according to IDC estimates.
UX past & present
Simple site to market the product. Lists important features and includes a call to action to pre-order (no release until the following year). The copy is poorly written and doesn’t ‘sell’ the product to the user.
The device features a simple display to measure progress and statistics can be viewed by syncing with a computer.
This design is also simple but there is an increase in accessible information. The links on the navigation bar have increased by 50%.
Copy is done better but sleep tracking seems to be the main feature they are focusing on promoting. Users can now sign up and login, plus there is now a footer containing extra links.
Additional links have been added to the footer, there is now a help option next to log in and an infographic has been added to the sleep pattern section which previously was wasted space.
In addition to buying direct from the site you can now purchase Fitbit from select retailers.
The footer has now been given 100% width and looks more visually attractive than the last. There is now a products page and a shopping cart. Small changes aside, this is still the same site they have been using since 2009 with the same promotional imagery.
The main change this year is investment in a new model (a business strategy that has been crucial to Fitbit’s success) with improved features & performance.
The priority on advertising the sleep cycle has been lessened in favour of promoting tracking during exercise. There are testimonials from a number of well known sources, this creates the perception of a trustworthy brand.
The promoted iOS app makes viewing tracking information a lot easier (can be accessed wherever you are).
This design is the same as the 2012 website but now showcasing the new WiFi scales product. The first wrist strap devices were released this year, but not to the response that was hoped.
Some customers claimed to have an allergic reaction to the material used in the strap and this lead to a recall as well as a lot of negative customer experiences.
The shift in brand identity here is to market the products as being a fashion accessory as well as improving health and fitness. Fitbit collaborated with fashion designer Tory Burch to achieve this.
As for the general look of the website, it is still much the same as in 2012.
Social media links have been included for the first time which shows they are trying to expand brand awareness. Social media now becomes an important aspect of the user journey.
The shift to a more fashionable design paid off, in 2014 Fitbit’s annual revenue reached 745 million US dollars, from 5 million in 2010.
Also it should be noted that wristbands were now stated to be produced with non-irritating materials, in an attempt to improve the experience for users with sensitive skin.
Colours are done better here than they have been in any of the previous website designs. Despite background shades being similar to preceding variations — the contrast between lighter and darker (though still light) greys portrays an air of sophistication.
The unattractive coloured squares that have been present in the last few iterations have been replaced completely as the company aim for a classier look — which is evident through alignment improvements.
This is further evidenced in the products themselves which are looking better than ever. You can now get them in a variety of different colours — which again shows how they have transcended in to fashionable items.
This also impacted sales, Fitbit generated as much revenue in the Q4 of 2015 as they did during the whole of 2014. Total revenue in 2015 was 1.86 Billion dollars.
The current version of the site includes an image carousel and a nice gradient effect. Nothing fancy but it makes this easily the best looking site design Fitbit have created, so far at least.
Some more new products are shown and they continue to appear highly desireable as a fashion accessory.
Also, wristbands for most devices are now interchangeable, therefore the user can make it personal and increase their emotional attachment to the device.
This emotional attachment is more likely to keep them invested in the Fitbit ecosystem and purchase upgrades later on.
Given the success of the last two years, it is no suprise to see Fitbit purveying the stylish appearance through other promotional channels as well.
You can also work out very quickly from the site images that they have waterproof devices-ideal for tracking swimming.
There is a designer collection area of the site where you can sign up to receive updates when a new designer collaboration is released. So if you’re wanting to make a big fashion statement with your fitness tracker, you are catered for.
The fitness app has been updated and includes pretty much all the features users would ever need, while being readily available for multiple platforms.
You can track meals & water intake, exercises, sleep, create goals or challenges and view weight progress, all under an attractive, user friendly UI. It has a very respectful 4 star rating on the Google Play Store plus 10 million downloads, which indicates positive levels of user satisfaction.
The future
Q1 2016 sales were $506 million and I’d expect sales figures similar to this for Q2 and Q3 and then a large increase in Q4. Investors have projected revenue figures of $2.4billion for 2016.
However, I do expect Fitbit to face some competition later this year from the Apple Watch Series 2. Apple are heavily promoting its workout tracking features and a partnership with Nike is a sign of their intent to penetrate the fitness wearable industry.
Fitbit is significantly cheaper than the Apple Watch 2 but with less overall features.
It will be interesting to see if Fitbit can hold out against Apple and other wearables such as Android Wear. The contrast in price could be an influential factor in Fitbit’s favour, but for users seeking more than just a tracking device — price may not be a barrier.
I predict they will continue to have strong sales and further improve their devices and the overall Fitbit experience that has proved so popular.
The next step forward for Fitibit will be to branch in to healthcare by including the ability to monitor known health conditions and the ability to be used as a tool to help diagnosis. Friedmen has already shown an interest in focusing on the health sector sometime in the near-future.
The takeaway
Whether you’re a fan of Fitbit or not, it’s hard to deny the progress they’ve made since 2008.
By forgoing unnecessary features, addressing customer complaints and collaborating with fashion designers, they have went from humble beginnings to a billion dollar company that is selling more wearables than anyone else.
“We were pretty close to being dead, seven times we were close to death” - Jeff Clavier.
Fitbit products give their users exactly what they are looking for: decent quality fitness tracking that is affordable, easy to setup & use, works as it should and looks fantastic.
All other aspects of the user journey (marketing, website, apps, customer service etc.) have been vastly improved over the years and I’d expect this to continue as Fitbit continue to get bigger and better as a company.
Thanks for reading. I sourced all the website images by searching through Wayback Machine. If you enjoyed this, don’t be shy and show some ♥. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can contact me on Twitter @hervo16. Thank you and have a good day :).
