NuStep designs, develops and manufactures recumbent cross trainers that have become a mainstay in healthcare, wellness and fitness environments. When NuStep set about modernizing its core product, the T4/T5, it reached out to NewFoundry to help reimagine the user interface for both the upper main display and the additional lower display. The resulting product is the all-new cross trainer T6 series.

We started by understanding the needs, tasks, desires, and fears of NuStep users by analyzing client-provided user research. We deepened that understanding with a UX discovery workshop in NuStep’s on-site gym. We interviewed NuStep experts in training, product development, and marketing to gain a visceral understanding of the unique needs of NuStep’s exerciser and trainer populations. In addition to gaining insight into the social, instructional, and motivational needs of the NuStep exerciser, we observed the tasks of busy trainers in a simulated clinical setting. Getting as many patients exercising at a personalized optimal level as quickly as possible and helping patients feel successful are core objectives of the trainer.

‍

Based on this deep understanding of the two primary user groups, we designed the HMI for the new T6. A main feature of the design is an all-new version of Pace Partner, a key motivational element that helps NuStep patients get the most from every minute on the machine and provides the essential KPIs that reinforce success and keep them coming back for their next workout session. Watch the short video to see it in action:

‍

‍

In all, we designed every aspect of the T6 interface, including the upper home screen, Quick Start mode, Pace Partner, Charts, the lower main control screen, settings, workout summary, user profile, and over-the-air (OTA) software update workflow. Over the course of this work, we established a cohesive visual language for T6 that will be easy to extend to other NuStep products as models are updated or added to the lineup in the future. We also provided engineering expertise and support, working with NuStep’s in-house product development team to implement the UX/UI design.