SilverSneakers On-Demand
SilverSneakers / Tivity Health
Product Design
For over 25 years SilverSneakers has been known for its exclusive senior-focused fitness classes and amazing membership centered around healthy aging. In 2020, SilverSneakers On-Demand launched as an online video hub for members - with everything from stretching exercises to full SilverSneakers classes. My role was the lead designer on this incredible new video service, leading the design and UX of how seniors around the country would partake in SilverSneakers from the comfort of their own home.
How do we bring SilverSneakers to the homes of millions.
Existing. Living.
When this project kicked off, we had to understand why this was so important to give access to these classes online. Our biggest driver was the knowledge that as we age; exercise and movement can mean the difference between existing on a couch or living a full life doing what you want.
Structure
We started research about a year before the final design was solidified by creating a sampling of on-demand videos in our already existing online dashboard. Think of this as our MVP.
Fast forward a few months and we were conducting extensive studies from surveys to card sorting exercises in order to figure out how older adults were consuming on-demand exercise videos already. We uncovered some things that were roadblocks but also squashed some concerns we had in terms of viewing these videos on several different formats and screen sizes.
Through all this we uncovered new personas of our members, and had a plan to move forward - thus initiating a massive collection of interactive wireframes and prototypes for user testing.
Collection
We had a massive collection of exercise classes that were being created and curated by our very own SilverSneakers instructors during this time. Organizing these into a scalable system was key. Members could follow programs to stick to a schedule, or dive into their favorite type of workouts a-la-carte.
Accessibilty
Making this experience accessible had different layers:
Accessibility for people with vision limitations
Accessibility for people with technology limitations
This meant we needed to make the experience fully compatible with computers, phones, and tablets. The site itself was going to be used on smaller screens for those who didn’t have the budget for a larger computer, and those with visual limitations were going to lean more towards using a computer or even pulling up the site on their smart TV.
The designs system from a recent dashboard redesign I did would be carried on through this on-demand video experience. Cards and large text with high contrast needed to be used at the higher levels of navigation, with imagery and photos of instructors getting more prominent the further you got into a video or program.
Perfect timing.
On-demand videos launched right at the start of Covid, creating a large adoption rate as millions of Medicare Advantage Plan members gained free access. It was a proud moment for the team and I as we saw so many turn to this invaluable tool in such a strange, socially isolating time.
The program continues to be a success years later as a loved addition to the traditional in-person SilverSneakers classes.