THE NEW RULES OF CARDIO CONSOLES

The fast evolution in in digital devices is changing everything and everybody.

Button Essentials

• The Quickstart button is the key. As the most-used feature on a console, it has to be large and clearly visible.
• Speed and Incline buttons have to be unmissable too. After all, most of the time, people are DIY’ing their way through a workout. They need to make changes easily — even when the person is tired, sweaty, and in motion.
• Don’t forget to stop! The stop and cooldown buttons have to be equally visible and easy to hit. Because you never know when someone needs to take a timeout in a hurry.

The F.I.R.S.T. things a user has to see.

An excersizer stepping onto a new cardio machine is like a hiker at the beginning of a road. They’ll stop and read the map if they have to. But really, they just want to get going. The best console is like a clearly marked road map.

And there are 5 traits a console should display from the F.I.R.S.T. moment a person steps onto the machine:

• FAMILIAR. Users can easily recognize the machine and what’s available to them, no matter the equipment
• INTUITIVE. Messages help users clearly understand what to do next
• RELIABLE. Operations work with no hassle
• SIMPLE. Doesn’t overwhelm the user with unwanted or rarely-used features
• TRACKER COMPILABILITY. Works with a other devices, pairing up with them quickly

FAST FACTS

The Rapid Growth of Personal Devices

No wonder “wearable devices” have ranked as number 1 trend influencing fitness every year for four of the past 6 years, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The numbers on the growth of personal digital devices include:

• 340 Million People bought new smartphones during Q1 2021
• 14 Million Smartwatches sold during Q1 2020
• 55% How many of those smartwatches were Apple Watch
• + 200% Sales increase of Bluetoothheadphones during 2019
• 60 Million Number of Apple AirPods sold (same year)
• $4.4 Billion Value of global fitness App market