TRAINERIZE
Adding an AI chat feature to help online trainers boost efficiency & save time
—making it effortless to scale their business
My Role
UX Designer
Project Type
Adding a Feature to an existing app
Background
Trainerize is a leading coaching app designed for personal trainers and fitness professionals. It provides tools for workout programming, nutrition tracking, habit coaching, and client communication, all in one platform. Available on iOS and web, Trainerize enables trainers to deliver online coaching anytime, anywhere. Through this case study, I’ve identified opportunities to enhance the app with a new AI feature to further streamline trainer workflows and improve client support
The Problem
Online trainers often face a high volume of administrative tasks—from answering client questions about exercise form to managing programming
While they have the expertise to handle these responsibilities, these tasks can become time-consuming and limit the trainer’s ability to take on more clients, scale their business and ultimately achieve financial growth
Research Phase 🧐
Let’s look at our competitors
When analyzing the top online training platforms in the app store, it became clear they all offer the core essentials - workout programming, progress tracking, communication tools. Sure, these are important, but they also make every coaching platform feel... well, the
same 🤷🏻♀️
That’s when I noticed an opportunity: AI integration
None of these platforms have fully tapped into AI’s potential yet.. and it could be the
game-changing feature that sets Trainerize apart in its crowded market
User Personas
To dig deeper, I conducted interviews with 10 online trainers who use Trainerize, with varying levels of experience and client loads—from beginners just starting their journey to seasoned pros managing high client volumes
Through open-ended discussions, I explored how they manage, program, and communicate with their clients, uncovering key insights into their challenges and workflows
User Interviews
Key Interview Questions
User Insights
90% rated quick communication as extremely important for client satisfaction and retention
75% reported using more than 3 additional platforms (like Google Sheets, ChatGPT, or search engines) to assist with their coaching tasks
85% said time was the main limiting factor preventing them from taking on more clients
80% found programming and admin tasks to be the most challenging part of their job
Main Takeaways
Streamline Processes
AI can handle routine inquiries, assist with messaging & programming & save trainers valuable time to focus on growing their business
Enhance Communication
With AI integration, trainers can respond faster and more accurately to client questions— saving research time & improving efficiency while maintaining high-quality service
Support Personalization
AI can help trainers better meet clients’ evolving needs through personalized suggestions, leading to improved satisfaction and retention
"I often feel frustrated with myself for not providing quicker messages to my clients. I often rely on resources like ChatGPT or YouTube to research answers, which can take time. I want to provide immediate, scientific-driven responses, but my busy schedule makes it difficult”
— Participant #7
Storyboard
Sometimes, the best ideas come when you step away from the screen and sketch things out. So, I grabbed my notebook and started imagining scenarios how this new AI feature could transform the trainer experience
Jody is on the go and receives a client question that involves research and calculations. The AI feature analyzes the client’s profile and provides Jody with a suggested (and accurate) response to send. The client receives quick & actionable feedback that can be implemented right away, while Jody feels relieved and confident as a trainer
Alex is training a group class at the gym and receives a question that requires a detailed explanation. The AI feature comes to the rescue by suggesting multiple scientific responses. It even attaches a video link for a visual demo. Both the client & trainer feel satisfied and supported leading to client retention, referrals, and better business
Empathy Map
To take it a step further, I put myself in the shoes of the trainer
Fun fact: I am also an online trainer, so I’ve personally experienced many of these pain points. This helped me approach the project with a deeper level of empathy and understanding
How might we help trainers efficiently manage client queries by providing accurate & personalized responses to enhance service quality & client experience ?
Project Goals
When trainers can work more efficiently, communicate better, and provide personalized services, they’re able to take on more clients without sacrificing quality. This growth benefits the trainers, keeps clients happy and engaged, and ultimately drives success for Trainerize. It’s a cycle where everyone—trainers, clients & the business—thrives together!
Project Roadmap 📍
Prioritizing AI Features
I knew I needed to add an AI feature but I was unsure where to initially start. My curiosity led to developing a feature set chart where each potential new feature I had in mind was evaluated based on its impact on user experience, alignment with business objectives, and feasibility for implementation to align with both users and business goals
A Phased Approach
After evaluation, I concluded that suggested check-in messages would be quicker and lower in effort to implement, while AI chat integration would provide more value but require more effort. This led to to me proposing a phased approach, to ensure a balance between delivering immediate value and planning for long-term differentiation
This approach ensures that both users and the business benefit quickly while setting the stage for continuous innovation
User Flows
I identified two key scenarios where integrating AI into Trainerize could significantly enhance the trainer’s workflow and improve client engagement
The first flow focuses on proactive engagement through the system detecting poor activity, while the second flow addresses reactive communication where the client reaches out to the trainer with a question and the system provides suggested AI responses
Phase 1:
Suggested Check-In Messages
Trainers often visit Trainerize’s overview screen several times a day to monitor their clients’ progress. However, there is no current way to quickly check in with clients based on their recent activities…
My proposed solution:
Add progress indicators on the overview screen
Add a chat icon beside poor detected activities to initiate a conversation with the client
Display AI-suggested messages tailored to client activity on the chat screen
Phase 2:
AI-Chat Integration
An AI-powered feature designed to help trainers quickly respond to client questions will help to streamlines the research process, reduce the need for extra tabs or sites and allows trainers to provide accurate, research-backed responses in less time
My proposed solution:
Integrate AI suggestions directly into the chat interface
Allow trainers to type /AI in the text field to prompt relevant responses
Provide trainers with 3-4 tailored AI suggestions they can personalize before sending
Putting my ideas down to wirefraes
Low-fidelity screens were created to visualize how AI would fit into Trainerize’s existing UI layout. Using Trainerize’s current design as a baseline, I created intuitive screens for the two key user flows and tested them with 8 users
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Phase 1
Phase 2
User Testing Insights
Completion time goal (20s) to send a check-in message was not met by 3/8 users (38%)
Why? Users struggled to identify which client needed a check-in message
Solution: Refine the overview screen to a dashboard-style layout with visual graphs and progress bars, making performance issues easier to spot at a glance
Several users found the chat icon unclear
Why? The icon lacked a clear label, causing delays and confusion
Solution: Add a text label, “Send Message,” to improve clarity, reduce errors, and promote quicker check-ins
Visual chat layout lacked clarity
Feedback: 3 users mentioned the chat layout felt odd and unnatural with both responses left-aligned
Solution: Change chat UI to mimic iMessage (left & right alignment to improve recognition)
Confusion when scrolling between AI suggestions
Feedback: 2 users hesitated while navigating the AI suggestions, indicating how multiple options displayed at once created some confusion
Solution: Implement a horizontal scroll presenting 1 suggestion at a time for easy exploration
Accessibility updates
Feedback: Users noted the /AI prompt might not always be immediately intuitive to all
Solution: Add an /AI icon next to the text field to reduce cognitive load and increase accessibility
Prototyping High Fidelity Screens📱
Check-in on your clients quicker than ever
Phase 1: AI-Suggested Check-In Prompts Specific to Client Activity
Trainer detects poor activity from client dashboard and follows up with a suggested AI prompt
Provide research-based responses in seconds
Phase 2: AI-Chat Integration to Answer Client Questions
Trainers can respond to client inquiries with research-backed AI suggestions, streamlining the process and saving time
Usability Testing 📊
Task Success Metrics
To validate the success of the designs, I conducted usability tests on 12 online trainers already using the Trainerize app. Both phases were tested to measure their impact on trainer workflows and administrative time
83%
of trainers successfully sent a check-in message in less than 30 seconds
75%
of trainers accurately responded to a question in less than 60s
What’s Next?
While usability testing confirmed the success of Phases 1 and 2, I see this as just the beginning of AI integration for Trainerize, with plenty of room for improvement and ongoing innovation
Reflecting on my earlier Feature Prioritization Table, the next logical step is to implement the "should-have" feature: AI-Driven Workout Personalization.
This feature would:
Provide tailored workout recommendations based on client progress and preferences
Help trainers identify programming opportunities they might overlook manually
Elevate the overall client experience while saving trainers time on programming
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