Chapter 3: Helping Users Come Back

Getting someone to start a workout is hard. But getting them to come back, especially after life gets busy, is a whole different challenge.

In this chapter, I focus on two features we designed to make returning to the app easier and help users build habits. One is already tested and proven to work, and the other is still being experimented with.

The retention problem

From our research, we knew people liked our programs and coaches. But once someone started a program, there was no quick way to see what workout came next when they returned to the app.

Instead of picking up where they left off, users often found themselves asking:

• What was I doing last time?
• Did I already finish this workout?
• Where should I continue from?

Because the app didn’t answer these questions clearly, many users abandoned programs, not because of low motivation, but because it was cognitively confusing to know what to do next.

These small moments of friction quietly killed motivation and often led to drop-off or unsubscribing.

Feature 1: Continue Where You Left Off

What it does

I designed this feature to help users resume exactly where they stopped. It surfaces:

• Programs they’ve already started
• Clear progress indicators (for example, “8 of 13 workouts done”)
• A direct way to jump back into the next workout

Instead of forcing users to search or remember, in-progress programs appear directly on the home screen. The goal was simple: reduce thinking, reduce friction, and make continuing feel effortless.

What we tested

During usability testing, I focused on four key questions:

• Do users recognize this section as their ongoing programs?
• Can they resume quickly without getting lost?
• How much effort does it take to start the next workout?
• Do users feel confident and in control of their progress?

What we learned

1. The title matters

We tested “Continue Where You Left Off” against “My Programs” as the home carousel title. Both variants performed well, but “Continue Where You Left Off” removed ambiguity faster.

Task success:

• Variant A (Continue Where You Left Off): 100% success rate
• Variant B (My Programs): 94.4% success rate

Participants consistently described the section as a way to “pick up where I left off” when the title explicitly said so.

The clearer title reduced interpretation effort and helped users immediately recognize the carousel as in-progress content, not saved or new programs.

2. Progress indicators need context

Numeric progress indicators like “8 / 13” were largely understood, but not universally.

Correct interpretation:

• Variant A: 90% understood it as workouts completed
• Variant B: 67% understood it as workouts completed

A notable minority interpreted the number as their current position in the program rather than completed progress.

Numbers alone mostly work, but pairing them with contextual cues (such as “Next workout” or completion states) helps remove lingering ambiguity and reinforces a sense of momentum.

3. Don’t auto-play workouts

Users had no trouble finding the “Start Next Workout” CTA in either layout, with very high completion rates.

Task success:

• Variant A: 100%
• Variant B: 94.1%

Expectations after tapping the CTA were clear:

• 75–89% of participants wanted to see workout details first (duration, equipment, difficulty)
• Only 11–25% expected the workout to start playing immediately

This reinforced that “fast” doesn’t always mean “automatic.” Users value reassurance and context before committing, especially when returning after a break.

4. Resetting progress is tricky, but needed

Resetting a program was the most sensitive interaction we tested.

Placement impact:

• Variant A (reset near primary actions): 100% success, 14.3s average time
• Variant B (reset in top navigation): 73.3% success, 47.1s average time, high misclick rates

Intent is real:

• 67–90% would reset after a long break
• 65–67% would reset to repeat a program they liked
• Very few said they would never use this feature

Resetting isn’t frequent, but it’s emotionally important. When the option is visible and clearly framed, users feel more confident starting over — without feeling like they’ve failed.

Feature 2: Streaks (Still in testing)

While “Continue Where You Left Off” helps users return after a break, streaks focus on consistency, the gentle nudge of “Did I show up this week?”

We’re experimenting carefully. Poorly designed streaks can create pressure and guilt instead of motivation.

We created three streak designs plus a control with no streaks, exploring:

• How noticeable the streaks are
• The tone (encouraging vs. performance-focused)
• How missing a week is represented

These experiments are currently running on iOS. Results are still pending.