Ray · Founding designer
Designing trust in an AI trainer
A generic onboarding and a two-step subscription process left users unclear on Ray’s value, driving chargebacks on trial end. I redesigned onboarding, paywall, and key moments of the trial so users see that value upfront and know what they’re paying for.
Results
The challenge
With a human trainer, you can see their results and credentials before you commit. Since Ray is an AI trainer, we had to earn users’ trust a different way, by showing them their plan and what to expect right away.
Approach
I started by auditing our paywall and onboarding and looking at how other fitness apps handle trials. Apple asks apps to show what you get for the price, but we wanted to go further than the minimum.
From there, I mapped out the moments where users had to take Ray at their word, like committing to a plan before seeing it, entering payment info before their first workout, and getting through the first week with no one checking in. Each one became a chance to show how Ray goes above and beyond a human trainer.
What changed
Onboarding that shows what you get
Onboarding now reads a user’s recent activity from Apple Health, previews what a workout will feel like, and ends with a generated plan summary, built around the user’s goals and challenges. The more the user shares, the more personalized the summary will be.
From a two-step trial to one clear commitment
Previously, users tapped “Start my free week” without adding payment or seeing an end date, and then hit a paywall once the trial was over. This two-step approach wasn’t clear, so the charge often felt like a surprise. Now users pick a plan and add payment upfront for a 7-day free trial, see exactly when billing starts, and get a text when their subscription begins.
Before
After
Personalization that shows Ray is listening
Ray calls out what matters to each user, from the challenges that have gotten in their way to the goals they’re working toward. Ray also follows up by text throughout the first week, so users can tell Ray is listening and wants to help them crack fitness.
An interactive first week
We added Week 1 challenges to the top of the home screen, like stretching with Ray, chatting with Ray and finishing the first two workouts. Each one earns a badge, so users always know what to do next in their first week.
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