The time we spend glued to our smartphones isn’t going to lower down anytime soon. The users have the luxury of getting everything sitting on their couch with the help of apps. There are infinite options, that include learning something new to get advice for health using these apps. Since we are talking about health, Fitness is the latest addition to the list of demands by users.
The demand has been asking to develop a fitness app. It’s a booming market and if you have planned to launch your startup around this idea, this piece will help you to know all the necessary aspects of the same. Let's dive into an in-depth analysis of how to develop a health and fitness app:
Sketch an Idea Make an App like MyFitnessPal
An application idea/concept basically depends upon one or more problems you are trying to solve for a vast majority of people. So, in the case of On-Demand fitness app development such as MyFitnessPal, it’s crucial to decide what needs you are going to satisfy and who are your target audiences. This can be done by deciding the type of app and listing out the essential as well as advanced features that your app will provide your audience.
Other than that, sketching an idea to develop a fitness app will allow you to get started with the development of Minimum Viable Product (MVP) so you can test it.
Various Categories of Fitness Apps
Before you get started with your fitness app Development Company or startup, it’s very important to decide the types of fitness apps. In the fitness category, that customers like, the following apps are involved:
Intense Short Period Training
This type of fitness app provides the user with training sessions of 10-15 minutes. The purpose of these exercises is to quickly burn some calories. The developers must keep in mind that these sets are not for them who are starting to work out just now.
Nutritional Guide
These are the apps that help the users to count the calorie intake. With the help of correct nutritional information and built-in scanner, they can stay fit and healthy in the long run.
Tracking the Activity
This includes tracking your physical activity. It could be just walking, or cycling or running or even climbing stairs, etc.; this will track every activity and provide details on burned calories or distance traveled. Most of these apps work with a fitness band.
Fitness Studio
This category of fitness app is basically built for the studios and training centers. The use can be like providing training sessions from a remote location. The app can also have a feature where the trainer and the members can interact with each other.
Meditation
A lot of companies hire mobile app developers to create something to which the users can turn to in case they want to be somewhere more peaceful. The app will feature a daily exercise session where all the relaxing stretches will be tried out with a piece of soothing music.
Market Analysis for On-demand Fitness App Development
Before you start with the app development, it’s important to do market analysis which involves the following:
Does the market have any similar fitness apps?
Who is your potential audience?
Location of your targeted audience.
Who are your competitors? Have they been making mistakes you can solve?
Does your competitor have a better product line? Why?
Extra features or functionality to make your app preferable over your competitors.
Must-Have Features for an On-Demand Fitness App Development
The feature set for an on-demand fitness app development comes with a standard level where you can find the following bundled with the package:
Log in: A user will be provided with an ID and password, which she/he will use to enter the app and track all the activities.
Social Media integration: The app will also be integrated with social media where users can compete with their friends. Develop a fitness app so that users get rewards on achieving a goal.
Personal account: A plenty of details will be needed to enter on the first install. These details will help in suggesting exercise patterns, session timing, etc.
Device connectivity: Developers should keep in mind that the app must be able to collaborate with all types of fitness trackers.
User activity tracking: The data collected by the fitness band in the form of steps walked, cycling distance, etc. should be well-organized and able to produce the result based on that activity.
Geolocation: The feature where the user can track the route is such a great addition. The feature will be called geolocation integration.
Push notifications: We know that missing a fitness session brings a huge impact. Developers create a fitness application where the app gives push notification to users in case if they miss any session, or idle for a long time, except sleeping.
Workouts: This involves the options to choose different workouts or create your own.
Target setting: The app must also let users create unrealistic goals so they stay motivated to work out and stay fit.
Settings: This involves a comprehensive menu, customization, and user convenience.
Beat the cut-throat competition
This is an era of cut-throat competition. If you are in any business and not coping up with trends, there is no chance that your product is going to work. And this is true in the case of fitness app development as well. Here is what you need to opt for:
Social Media Integration
These are the times when nothing is left that can’t be posted to social media. Working out is considered as a luxury these days. People keep bragging about their gym and training routines as well as their outfits all over their profiles. The integration with social media and to build fitness app like MyFitnessPal will also let people know about the app and its features.
Adding VR (Virtual Reality) Functionality
The developers have a lot of scope in providing additional features like VR in the process to develop a health and fitness app. This feature will be the most helpful in the case of meditation apps. The feature will allow users to escape reality and find themselves in someplace else that is more calm and peaceful. The feature of virtual reality gives some great adventures and people actually like it a lot at current times.
Add Gaming Elements
There is a huge amount of effort and physical activity needed to burn some calories. If the person is not getting motivated by your fitness app, it is serving no purpose. On-demand app development will give you multiple options to attract more users such as:
You can offer the users reward points that can be used by them in getting something real out of it. You can do some real charity work based on every user’s coin collection, e.g. on completing every 5 miles, the fitness app will donate $1 to charity.
While doing an activity, users can listen to music or a podcast so they can feel motivated. The app should be able to choose the suitable track.
Run a Mock-drill
Testing your app by running a Mock-drill is crucial before you launch or market your on-demand fitness app basically in the form of an MVP. This involves a few trusted early adopters or users for feedbacks or insights so the final app could be improvised. Moreover, it helps in reducing product failure risk. Get your app tested thoroughly. This involves going to each and every functionality.
Rough Cost Estimation
The business of fitness apps is getting started and there are multiple options for you to get successful if you have an awesome idea. Moreover, it’s crucial to have a rough estimate of the cost of the development of your app. The cost, however, depends upon the factors such as features, functionality, type of app, advanced app features, team structure, development time and location, and more.
After the important decisions, it’s time to hire someone. However, before you hire someone to develop a health and fitness app, it’s important that the person is experienced and is updated on the latest tech advancements.
Final Words:
Once you are done with the following steps, it’s now time to get your fitness application launched and marketed. So publish your app on all the stores or the ones you plan to start with. To make sure it reaches a huge audience, you can use the MVP feedback and promote it even before the final version comes out.
So build a marketing and promotion technique to get your app to the masses. In the end, keep adding new features and release security and UI updates from time to time to make an app like MyFitnessPal.
Sanjay Kidecha
CMO
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