Daily Burn Fitness
Expanding beyond connected TV to a mobile-first fitness app suite.
HIIT, Running, Yoga
Daily Burn Fitness was ahead of its time when it launched as a connected TV workout platform. However, by 2018, the fitness landscape was shifting toward mobile-first experiences that could be accessed anywhere, anytime. This case study explores the strategic expansion from a single generalist video workout offering to a comprehensive suite of native mobile apps, each tailored to specific workout types and fitness goals.
The Challenge
When Daily Burn started, connected TVs weren't as ubiquitous as they are today. The company needed to evolve beyond its home TV-based platform to meet users where they were—on their mobile devices. The challenge was to create personalized training experiences that could rival working with a personal coach or trainer, while maintaining the brand's core value of accessibility and effectiveness.
Additionally, the existing Daily Burn brand had become dated, which was alienating potential users and undermining credibility in an increasingly competitive fitness market. The brand needed a complete refresh to become more modern, accessible, and genuinely friendly —moving away from what felt more like early 2000s infomercials than a premium fitness aesthetic toward something that felt welcoming and inclusive for people at any stage of their fitness journey.
My Role
As design leader, I was responsible for:
Product Design Leadership: Hands-on design direction for the entire suite of subscription-based mobile fitness apps
Brand Strategy: Developing emotionally motivating experiences that connected hardware tracking with personalized training plans
Cross-functional Collaboration: Partnering closely with product, marketing, and business development teams
User Research: Improving member growth and retention through insight-driven storytelling and culturally-aware design for the U.S. fitness market
Strategic Approach
Rather than creating a single app that tried to do everything, we developed a suite of specialized apps, each geared toward specific workout types. This allowed us to:
Target different user segments with precision
Create deeper, more personalized experiences
Build expertise in specific fitness domains
Enable users to progress through their fitness journey with appropriate tools
User-Centered Design Process
User Journey Mapping: Comprehensive mapping of the full user experience from discovery to long-term engagement
Hypothesis Testing: Initial user research to validate our assumptions about user needs and behaviors
Collaborative Design: Partnered with Brooklyn design agency Orange You Glad to execute the vision
Professional Input: Worked directly with fitness professionals, personal trainers, and coaches to ensure authenticity and effectiveness
Brand Design System Development
Recognizing that we would need to iterate quickly based on user feedback, I developed a nimble design system that could:
Support rapid iteration across all apps
Maintain consistency while allowing for specialization
Scale efficiently as we learned from user behavior
Accommodate different workout types and user preferences
Design Partnership
The collaboration with Orange You Glad was crucial to the project's success. They brought:
Energy and Style: Visual design that motivated users to engage
Empathy: Deep understanding of user needs and pain points
User-Centric Approach: Intuitive experience design that prioritized usability
Engagement Focus: Fun and engaging experiences that encouraged repeat usage
Key Outcomes
The new mobile app suite successfully:
Expanded Market Reach: Extended Daily Burn's offerings beyond connected TV users
Personalized Experience: Delivered coaching-level personalization through mobile technology
Improved Retention: Created engaging experiences that brought users back consistently
Lessons Learned
Specialization Over Generalization: Targeted apps for specific workout types proved more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach
Design System Flexibility: Building for iteration from the start enabled rapid improvements based on user feedback
Cross-functional Collaboration: Close partnership with product, marketing, and business teams was essential for success
User Research Foundation: Validating hypotheses early prevented costly mistakes later in development
External Partnerships: Working with specialized agencies brought fresh perspectives and expertise
Head of Design
@ Daily Burn
2018-2019
TEAM:
Kate Haberbusch - Product
Don Eschenauer - Design Strategy, Product Design, Creative Direction, UX Research
Orange You Glad - Branding System, UI Design
Allyson Young - Marketing
Carol Eng - Video Production