Revitalizing
Third Spaces_

The prompt & my focus

The challenge was open-ended: revitalize third places in urban areas — cafes, libraries, parks. Rather than picking an obvious space, I asked myself which third places I personally hesitate to visit. The answer was the gym.

Through early personal observations and conversations, I realized gym avoidance wasn't just my problem. People trying to get fit in urban areas were running into the same invisible wall — not a physical barrier, but a social one.

Understanding the real barriers

I intentionally avoided locking into my early assumption ("awkward gym interactions") to reduce confirmation bias. I used a mixed-method approach with a small sample, appropriate for the 1-week timeline.

I deliberately recruited both socially awkward and socially confident participants to avoid over-indexing on anxiety as the sole factor. This revealed something important: the two groups had very different blockers.

Affinity mapping the emotional patterns

I chose affinity mapping because gym discomfort isn't a single pain point — it's a collection of small emotional experiences. I listed each experience as an atomic note, grouped by emotion type, then labeled the theme only after grouping.

Three clusters emerged:

• Anticipated judgment & visibility — how users feel just being present, even without direct interaction
• Unclear social norms in shared space — the cognitive load of not knowing when or how to interact with strangers
• Silent adaptation & self-protection — how users respond: avoiding machines, scrolling phones, shrinking routines to "safe" equipment

Emily — the in-between gym-goer

The persona Emily was synthesized from interview patterns — not a single individual. I defined her as an early-20s gym-goer who attends 2–3x/week and usually goes alone, because this profile consistently appeared across participants and best captured the tension between motivation and avoidance.

She's not a beginner, but not fully confident — an "in-between" state where she knows the gym but still experiences anxiety around visibility, judgment, and unclear social norms. Her behaviors (sticking to familiar machines, using phone to avoid eye contact) are adaptive strategies, not personal shortcomings.

The journey map revealed that anxiety starts before users physically enter the space. The "Decision & Adaptation" stage is the most critical — this is where users silently compromise their original plans. Avoidance is not a satisfying outcome; it's a coping mechanism. And afterward, they normalize it: "This is just how gyms are."

Three core insights that shaped the design

Diverge → Converge

I used Crazy 8s to rapidly generate ideas across digital, physical, and environmental dimensions — avoiding solution fixation by prioritizing quantity first. Then I used an Impact–Effort matrix to converge on the most viable concepts.

Ideas that landed in the high-impact, low-effort quadrant were prioritized because they reduce social friction without forcing interaction, align with observed behaviors, and can be implemented without redesigning the gym:

• Displaying sets remaining / machine availability — reduces uncertainty and hovering
• QR-based queue — wait without verbal negotiation
• Instructional photos/videos on machines — learn without public embarrassment
• DND / Open-to-collaborate toggle — make intent visible, prevent unwanted interruptions

Sketching the core flow

The low-fidelity prototype established the core linear flow: equipment list → machine detail → join queue → workout. I intentionally kept the flow simple to reduce hesitation at decision points — the journey map showed most drop-offs happen between "approaching equipment" and "deciding what to do next."

Testing the interaction flow, not the visuals

I ran moderated usability testing with 2 participants who regularly go to the gym alone. Testing goal: evaluate whether the core interaction flow reduced social discomfort and decision hesitation — not to validate visual design.

Key observations from testing:

• Queue confirmation reduced anxiety immediately — uncertainty, not waiting, was the main stressor
• Remaining sets and DND mode were interpreted correctly without explanation
• "Join Queue" felt more comfortable than asking verbally how many sets remained
• Tutorial placement felt reassuring, but only after users felt socially safe first

Pain points identified: users hesitated before tapping "Join Queue" and wanted clearer feedback on what happens after joining. I refined these in the hi-fi iteration.

The final design

The high-fidelity prototype brought the system together — real-time availability, queue management, social signaling, and in-context tutorials — all in a single coherent flow.

Key design decisions and their research rationale:

What I'd do next

Through additional user testing, I realized many users want to avoid awkward gym interactions before they even arrive — not just while using equipment. One tester wished the system showed which days and times are typically crowded, so they could plan around low-traffic periods.

This revealed a gap in my original solution: while the design reduced discomfort inside the gym, it didn't sufficiently support decision-making before entering the space.

If I were to iterate further, I'd extend the experience to include historical crowd data and peak-time indicators — letting users choose when to go rather than react once they arrive. This project reinforced that human-centered design must address both emotional preparation and real-time interaction.