Rocket Gym

They needed to reduce churn. We designed a personalized app with tailored fitness plans, progress tracking, and community features to engage and retain users.

Focus:

Retetion & Engagement

Role:

UX Research, Product Design

Date:

Nov 2024

Our mission: revolutionize user retention with personalized fitness journeys

Rocket Gym, a leading 100% online fitness platform based in Rio de Janeiro, faced a significant hurdle: too many users were signing up only to leave after a short time. While their acquisition numbers were solid, the churn rate told a different story — users weren’t sticking around.

CONTEXT

On paper, the product seemed strong: high-quality fitness classes streamed on demand.

However, a deeper look revealed a more nuanced challenge. Many users lacked motivation, felt isolated in their fitness journey, and couldn’t see tangible progress in their efforts. These emotional and functional disconnects became the foundation for our work.

PROBLEM

High churn rates revealed users lacked motivation, progress tracking, and community support, leading them to abandon their fitness journeys.

SOLUTION

A personalized app with tailored plans, progress tracking, and community features to boost engagement and retention.

ACTIONS
  1. Diving into the problem

Our process began with stakeholder interviews to clarify business goals, followed by user interviews with two key groups:

  1. Engaged users who loved the brand.

  2. Inactive subscribers who’d signed up but weren’t using the service.


From these conversations, we built three personas:

Maria

A cautious user looking for safe, low-pressure workouts but frustrated by intimidating fitness options.

Valentine

A driven, progress-obsessed user motivated by competition and peer validation.

Fernanda

A time-strapped professional needing fast, fun, and convenient ways to stay in shape without leaving home.

Their struggles painted a clear picture: lack of motivation, absence of community, and difficulty tracking progress were driving users away.

  1. Building the solution

Our answer was the Gym Rocket App, designed to address these issues head-on. The app provided a personalized, streamlined experience that aligned with the user’s goals and lifestyle.

Key features included:

Personalized paths for each user

Users completed an onboarding questionnaire that created a personalized workout plan—just follow the steps.

Visualizing progress through each week

The dashboard showed weekly progress with a "Did it or Ditched it?" summary and long-term milestones tracking weight, photos, and achievements.

Community for like minded people

Using WhatsApp APIs, we formed goal-based groups (e.g., “Women 40+ losing weight”) to boost connection and accountability.

  1. Crafting the experience

Our development process was highly iterative and collaborative:

  • We benchmarked local and international fitness platforms, analyzing functionality, visual aesthetics, and engagement strategies.

  • Several iterations of wireframes and visual styles were presented, critiqued, and refined in collaboration with stakeholders.

  • Early testers validated the app’s motivational features, particularly the progress-tracking and community components.

  1. The visual

The app’s visual identity was vibrant and energetic, designed to inspire action without leaning into stereotypical "masculine" fitness aesthetics.

RESULTS

By blending data-driven insights with motivational psychology and human connection, the Rocket Gym App is redefining how users engage with fitness. This is not just a platform for exercise—it’s a tool for transformation, motivation, and connection.

While the app has just launched, early indicators are promising:

Reduced monthly churn from 7% to 3%

Churn decreased by 57%, driven by personalized plans and progress-tracking features that re-engaged inactive users.

Increased LTV from $220 to $300

Average user value rose 36% as personalized experiences encouraged longer platform engagement and loyalty.

FINAL THOUGHTS

With its vibrant design, seamless user journey, and focus on what truly matters—progress and connection—the Foguete App is more than a solution to churn. It’s a reimagination of how digital fitness can empower and engage users, one personalized workout at a time.

Caught your attention?

© 2024 João Traini

Caught your attention?

© 2024 João Traini

Caught your attention?

© 2024 João Traini

Caught your attention?

© 2024 João Traini