TandemSeven

About Equinox Fitness
With industry-leading personal trainers, world-class group fitness programming, luxurious spas and award-winning design, Equinox Fitness is known for delivering style as well as substance. Clubs are located across the United States, and many have been dubbed “Best Of” in several cities.

The Challenge
Equinox Fitness provides MYEQ, a personalized fitness Web site, exclusively for its members. The club sought to create a natural extension of this innovative offering by providing members with a MYEQ iPhone application. The goal of bringing MYEQ to the iPhone was to make it easy for members to stay connected to class schedules, custom fitness programs and personal goals while improving the overall Equinox experience. The new MYEQ iPhone app needed to become a mobile extension of the MYEQ Web site, increasing MYEQ penetration and usage while enhancing Equinox’s brand equity.

The Solution
Equinox Fitness engaged TandemSeven to design and build its first iPhone application. TandemSeven conducted user research at several Equinox Fitness clubs with dozens of members to understand their interaction with Equinox and uncover potential opportunities to create useful functionality in a mobile situation. The user research guided the feature set for the first release of the app, including the ability to reserve a spinning bike, set up a calendar of classes and workouts, and invite friends to try out Equinox for free. To successfully create the MYEQ iPhone app, TandemSeven’s team:

• Designed the app as a focused and streamlined version of MYEQ, optimized for an iPhone user
• Adhered to rigorous brand guidelines and interpreted them for the iPhone, creating a distinct identity that fits perfectly into Equinox’s brand identity
• Created the UI and integration layer of the app, using iPhone app development best practices.

The Results
The MYEQ iPhone app was named an Official Honoree in the 2010 Webby Awards. The visual design of the MYEQ (v1.0) iPhone app reflects Equinox’s strong branding and sets it apart from out-of-the-box iPhone apps. The final feature set and navigation design resonates with Equinox’s busy and tech-savvy member base, allowing them to access club and class information on the go. Additionally, the “Favorites” feature provides quick access to relevant information, while the GPS function allows members to quickly find clubs near them when they are travelling. The MYEQ (v1.0) iPhone app extends the Equinox brand beyond the four walls of its clubs, and is consistent with Equinox’s position as an industry leader.