Technology has made certain things in life just a little bit easier, and that’s not a bad thing. Customized health and fitness is possible thanks to mobile technology advancements such as apps! The Journal of Medical Internet Research recently reported that people who use fitness apps spend more leisure time in active pursuits — and are more motivated to reach fitness goals. Here’s a look at some of the best health and wellness apps to download for your own health: Zombies, Run! If you’re looking for something to get you moving, Zombies, Run! is just the app. You’ll never find yourself bored because instead of just running, you are going on missions to build up a safe home base to protect against the zombie apocalypse. While on your missions, your distance and pace are tracked and recorded. The app is free for Android and iOS and offers in-app purchases. Spotify Running Music and movement go together and the popular music streaming app Spotify pairs them well. The app doesn’t just play songs you like, it picks a playlist based on your pace and running rhythm. It’s a great tool for keeping up your desired pace and rocking out while you sweat. Spotify apps are free on iOS and Android, with paid upgrades that are ad-free. ShopWell This nutrition app makes other calorie counters look basic. By customizing your meal plans, it helps you stay on track based on your goals, height, weight, and food sensitivities. ShopWell gives your food choices a score (the closer you get to 100, the better) and makes suggestions for healthier alternatives. You can use it for meal planning or keeping track of what you eat during a normal day (and make adjustments for the future). It’s like a dietician in your pocket — and it’s free for Android and iOS. Rise If an electronic nutritionist isn’t enough to keep you honest on your eating, try the Rise app instead. For $14.99 per week, you have a real nutritionist to consult. Simply take photos of your meals and snacks and send them to your personal coach. Based on what you provide, the expert will give you tweaks to eat healthier. Weight loss isn’t the only goal, either. If you are looking for more energy, training for an athletic event, or want to build more muscle, your Rise consultant will keep you on track. So far, it’s only available on iOS devices. Happify Keep your emotional health on track with this free app for Android and iOS. When you first download it, you fill out a profile that delves into the mental health goals you desire — from lowering stress to working through resentment or grief. The app comes loaded with daily activities to keep your emotional health in check. Remember that issues like depression may need more than just an electronic component, and to seek out an in-person professional if you are struggling. Sleep Cycle Are you getting enough sleep? If you wake up feeling groggy every day, you probably need more shut-eye. But how much do you need, and how do you know if you reach that goal? The Sleep Cycle app takes the guesswork out by tracking your resting and waking patterns. It then sets an alarm within a half hour of your best window for waking. The basic app is free for iOS and offers in-app purchases, but costs .99 cents on Android devices. Consider mobile health and wellness apps as motivational tools to keep you on track. Customize your own health plan based on these and the thousands of other options out there for an even healthier you.

The world receives healthcare far differently than ever before, thanks to rapidly improving technology. For instance, we can tap around a few times on our smartphones and about 45 minutes later, a pizza will arrive at the door. That’s healthy, right? Outside of the benefits of cheesy bread, technology gives us a wide range of opportunities we can use to improve and monitor our health. From Fitbits to mobile blood sugar monitors, we now have an expansive world of options to feel better and decrease discomfort. One discomfort that is extremely common is located in one of the most vital parts of our bodies - our backs. No kidding, a reported 80% of us will suffer from back pain at some point in our lives. 80%! We were approached by a revolutionary company called Nuspine, whose aim was to improve that terrible statistic. Nuspine’s vision was to work with what you’ve got, right where you are. They wanted an easy-to-use solution that back pain sufferers could access from the comfort of their home, in a convenient way. We add the convenient bit because, sure, a few taps on a smartphone could cause a spine expert to arrive at your door much like the aforementioned pizza, but who has time for that anyway? Instead, they assembled a group of spine and back experts and got to work designing exercises and routines that the common back pain sufferer could access and use on an everyday basis. Putting it all together, they developed a training program designed to reduce spine compression, which aids in reducing overall back pain. Once we took on this project, we knew that simple UI/UX was going to be key. These folks are dealing with back pain, the last thing they need is an app that’s confusing, complicated, and ultimately frustrating. The team also realized the challenge of moving a user through a training system as sophisticated as one dealing with improving the health of the user. As such, the exercises are delivered through a step-by-step progression learning system, guiding the patient through modules in order to learn more techniques, and improve spinal health. As further steps are taken through the Nuspine system, the user unlocks bonus tips that help the patient further understand the principles of back pain, and how the body is influenced by the environment around them. Nuspine also includes a tracking journal, developed by the National Institute of Health, helping the user further understand the impact back pain has on their lifestyle. As the patient moves through the training, the journal keeps track of exactly when they improve, which helps them understand which elements of Nuspine were the most effective. This innovative system was created for on-the-go patients, physicians, and clinicians, in order to work together to streamline the healing process for those 80% of us who have ever suffered from back pain. Which means, if you’re reading this right now and feel discomfort in your back - it’s time to give Nuspine a try. Barefoot Solutions works with a wide range of innovators to create apps that people will use, apps that make money, and apps that improve everyday lives. Have an idea? Let’s hear it.

What makes a successful app is not the number of downloads, but how well the platform fosters use over a long period of time. Fitness apps have learned to excel in this area, because, quite simply, they have to. It’d be nice if you could go for a jog one time, and be instantly fit and healthy. Unfortunately for those of us who hate running (and other activities that don’t involve couches), fitness doesn’t work that way. You have to actually exercise multiple times, day after day, to see improvements in your physical health. Fitness apps, therefore, can only be successful if consumers continue to use them regularly; making them the shining example for app builders to study when thinking about long-term user appeal. While each one is a little bit different, the top fitness apps share key user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) features that keep fitness buffs coming back for more. fitness 1. Allow for Goal Setting (and Tracking) All of the most popular fitness apps offer the ability for users to set goals within the platform. Fitbit is designed to help users reach a certain number of steps or calories burned each day, rewarding them with online badges and praise when they reach those milestones. The long-term appeal of these apps comes less from setting the goal itself, and more from watching yourself move towards (and eventually meet) that goal, also called gamification. It’s basic human psychology. Being able to see and monitor progress keeps people motivated to continue working towards an endpoint or milestone. The jogging and cycling app MapMyFitness not only makes it easy to set goals, but also displays your goals alongside a “percentage complete,” so you can visualize and track your progress. The ability to set and monitor goals increases the likelihood of long-term app usability, as users are much more incentivized to stay on track when they can see how they’re doing. 2. Play Nice with Others The leading fitness apps are easily synced with other platforms and devices, which is crucial to the long-term appeal for their users. People don’t exercise in a bubble; they seek various workout tools, techniques for different body parts or muscle groups, and even entertainment as they work towards their overall health goals. A fitness app that exists in a silo will quickly become useless to consumers — sure, it helps you track your jogging, but that’s not the only activity contributing to your health. People who jog are likely to also care about other aspects of their health, including diet, muscle strength, heart health, and weight management. That’s why many developers have chosen to ensure their apps integrate with larger health monitoring platforms, such as Apple’s Healthkit, and Google Fit. This app provides a central spot to monitor the data being received from various wearables and fitness accounts. Being able to sync well with other products and platforms allows a single fitness app to merge smoothly into a user’s lifestyle. Developers should ensure data collected via an app is easily accessible across platforms — users appreciate the convenience of being able to access and share their data on every platform. 3. Explain Data Clearly The data fitness apps provide is worthless until you know how to apply it to your life and workout goals. Most health-conscious consumers aren’t looking for an overwhelming amount of scientific data to sift through and form conclusions. They’re more often looking for an app to play the role of expert, trainer, or coach — someone to gather information about their fitness activities and then make sense of it for them. The popular Jawbone app sends users regular summaries of their fitness progress, which the app’s SmartCoach transforms into fitness recommendations and personalized challenges. Users can also compare their fitness patterns to those of other people in the same demographic. Adding context to data and showing users the next steps they can take makes it easy and desirable for consumers to keep using the app. 4. Foster Social Connection The best technological innovations are often those that help us connect with other people (think texting, social media, online forums… the Internet in general). Successful fitness apps have realized that adding connectivity is an extremely effective way to engage users over the long-term. A study conducted with Fitbit and Jawbone users found the majority of participants were eager to engage and relate to others through an online community. It determined that while wellness is important, users also want a feature that helps them relate to others. Designing for social connection also means ensuring your app has built-in social share functions. Sharing fitness goals and accomplishments holds a user to account, and creates a community of people who are supporting that person in achieving their fitness goals. The Nike+ running app has a feature where social media enthusiast joggers can snap photos during their run and create a beautiful graphic accompanied by their distance and time details. 5. Keep the Interface Simple When it comes to UI, the hottest fitness apps embrace the “less is more” mentality. Exercise can already bring a sense of dread, and dealing with a page-laden app or lengthy registration process will only make it worse. Yoga app Down Dog has made it simple for yogis of all experience levels to start their workout. Users don’t need to register or log in — they simply select a workout intensity and the app cues the sequence. Down Dog includes high resolution photos and audio guides, meaning users never have to stop in the middle of a workout to research a certain sequence or yoga position. The app also fits its technicalities — including terms of use and social links — all neatly on one page, making things as streamlined as possible for the user. Removing as many mental barriers as possible makes it easy for consumers to continue using an app. If people need to spend a lot of time navigating, exploring, and understanding the layout of your UI, they’re more likely to lose interest and find a simpler app. 6. Design Matters — A Lot Design expert John Maeda urges business leaders to stop thinking of design, technology, and business as three separate things. Good design is essential in everything from product development, to marketing and sales, to the end user’s experience with the brand. The importance of design is evident in Headspace, an app that guides users through short daily meditations. The app goes beyond its simple functionality (helping users meditate), and also creates a positive design experience — extending from the soft pastel color scheme, to the friendly icons, to the blissfully unstimulating interface. Headspace understands its users are not only looking for a meditation tool but moreso a wholly relaxing and mindful experience. Effective design principles help the app achieve its calming aura over the long-term. The Nike+ Training Club app also relies heavily on design principles to deliver the best experience to users. The app targets young, urban fitness buffs. It speaks to its target market with a design that incorporates bold sans serif fonts, energizing images, and minimalist workout videos directed by professional athletes. Just like the Headspace app, Nike+ Training Club doesn’t just give users the tools to exercise — it also delivers the aura of energy, motivation, and clear instruction that puts consumers in the right mindset to keep going. For those considering building the next exciting app, let today’s leading fitness apps coach you in UX and UI strategies for long-term user loyalty. There are plenty of apps that can track your steps, measure your heart rate, or deliver guided meditation instructions; but the ones that keep people coming back — those that become part of users’ routines — are those that make it easy, motivating, and pleasant for them to continue exercising. At Barefoot Solutions, we recognize that encouraging long-term use doesn’t come from what your app can do, but how it makes consumers feel when using it. That’s why we put so much time and attention into building the user-centered aspects of your app. Investing in good UX and UI design will allow you to build an experience that makes it easy, enjoyable, and desirable for consumers to continue using your app well into the future.