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I have been using Jefit daily for years now and love it. In my opinion it is the only usable app for doing weight training.I am using it on my Android phone everytime I go to the gym, and lots of people have been asking about it and have started using it. I also use it on a tablet when I work out at home.
But from day one there have been a couple of things that I have disliked, and that gets more and more frustrating over time. So here are my suggestions on making an great app perfect.
Included are pictures of how I would have liked the "regular" and the "rest" screens to have looked to make them more usable.
THE REGULAR SCREEN
-I need the "Save and rest" button to be MUCH bigger. This is the single most used button on this screen. Not many are able to make progress from day to day, so this button is the default button to press to trigger the rest screen. The problem is that this button is too small. I always place my phone on the floor, on a ledge, under the bench or somewhere else nearby. So I would like to just be able to reach over and very easily and fast just press this button. And with shaking hands after an exhausting set I really have to aim to be able to press it. Often I end up editing the number of reps/sets insted.
-It would not hurt if the "Save" button were a bit bigger as well. And when pressing this there should have been some kind of indication (a flash or whatever) to indicate that you pressed it. Now i often end up double-pressing it so I skip a set and have to go back and edit everything.
THE REST SCREEN
-During the rest between exercises there are just a few things I need to know. Most importent....how long is lefte before I start lifting again. How many sets are left (or which set number is net). And how many reps I should lift/try to beat in the next set. The problem is that the countdown clock is unneccesary small. If the phone is not very close to me I have to walk to, or lean towards, the phone to be able to see this counter (even if my phone has a 5 inch screen). I also don't need to know how long I have been resting. So I want a huge number counting me down. If this number is easily visible and shows that you have 10 seconds left before your next set, most people around you will understand that this is not the time to contact you or do small talk.
-The target reps for the next set is very useful to know, but the way the app is designed today you will have to wait for the other screen to appear to see your target reps. And on that screen it is also written in very small letters. So your rest period will be extended to be able to view this.
-Which set number is next is also important for me to know. Usually you know this, but sometimes you just cant't remember if this is your third or fourth set. If this is my last set I will do as many reps as I can, if it is not I will aim for the target number of reps. And this number should be large and easy to read as well, even from a distance. A bonus effect of this is also that people who are walking by or waiting to use the same machine that you are using will get an indication on how much time you have left before you are finished. So they wount have to ask you, and you wount have to answer them. I understand that you could count the number of sets you have done by reading the number of recorded entries from the last sets, but this is represented by a very small text, and it shouldnt be necessary for you to count this.
-Personally I cant see the point in using screen space on this page to display how many reps you have done on previous sets. You probably remember this, and there is nothing you can do about what you have already done. This info is more useful if you analyze your workout at some pont later. But I realise that some people may like this information.
-These problems are even more evident on my 10 inch Nexus tablet. The "save and rest" button are hardly any bigger while it should have been big enough to not be able to miss it, and the countdown clock is just as small. On the rest screen about 90% of the screen is just blank unused space. It was actually more functional back when they just scaled up the phone version.
-I understand that smaller fonts look better if you look purely at the estetics of it. But for me its much more important that the app is fast and easy to read and as functional as possible then how it looks. But I am sure that designers can find a way to make it look good even with large and very visible numbers.
-But I also understand that different people have different needs. So why not make the app have a default setting, but make people able to customize what info is displayed in each screen (just like you can on a viewfinder in a camera), and how important/large the various information are to you. Alternativly the developers could offer differtent skins that covered various needs. I would have paid a lot of money to get a skin that gave me information that were more relevant to me. Or mayby open up for others to be able to make custom skins for the app.
Would be nice to hear if anybody else out there shares the same thoughts about how the interface should look. Or am I the only one who are unhappy about this aspect of the app?
Other than this I think the app is excellent, and I hope they keep up the good work.
But from day one there have been a couple of things that I have disliked, and that gets more and more frustrating over time. So here are my suggestions on making an great app perfect.
Included are pictures of how I would have liked the "regular" and the "rest" screens to have looked to make them more usable.
THE REGULAR SCREEN
-I need the "Save and rest" button to be MUCH bigger. This is the single most used button on this screen. Not many are able to make progress from day to day, so this button is the default button to press to trigger the rest screen. The problem is that this button is too small. I always place my phone on the floor, on a ledge, under the bench or somewhere else nearby. So I would like to just be able to reach over and very easily and fast just press this button. And with shaking hands after an exhausting set I really have to aim to be able to press it. Often I end up editing the number of reps/sets insted.
-It would not hurt if the "Save" button were a bit bigger as well. And when pressing this there should have been some kind of indication (a flash or whatever) to indicate that you pressed it. Now i often end up double-pressing it so I skip a set and have to go back and edit everything.
THE REST SCREEN
-During the rest between exercises there are just a few things I need to know. Most importent....how long is lefte before I start lifting again. How many sets are left (or which set number is net). And how many reps I should lift/try to beat in the next set. The problem is that the countdown clock is unneccesary small. If the phone is not very close to me I have to walk to, or lean towards, the phone to be able to see this counter (even if my phone has a 5 inch screen). I also don't need to know how long I have been resting. So I want a huge number counting me down. If this number is easily visible and shows that you have 10 seconds left before your next set, most people around you will understand that this is not the time to contact you or do small talk.
-The target reps for the next set is very useful to know, but the way the app is designed today you will have to wait for the other screen to appear to see your target reps. And on that screen it is also written in very small letters. So your rest period will be extended to be able to view this.
-Which set number is next is also important for me to know. Usually you know this, but sometimes you just cant't remember if this is your third or fourth set. If this is my last set I will do as many reps as I can, if it is not I will aim for the target number of reps. And this number should be large and easy to read as well, even from a distance. A bonus effect of this is also that people who are walking by or waiting to use the same machine that you are using will get an indication on how much time you have left before you are finished. So they wount have to ask you, and you wount have to answer them. I understand that you could count the number of sets you have done by reading the number of recorded entries from the last sets, but this is represented by a very small text, and it shouldnt be necessary for you to count this.
-Personally I cant see the point in using screen space on this page to display how many reps you have done on previous sets. You probably remember this, and there is nothing you can do about what you have already done. This info is more useful if you analyze your workout at some pont later. But I realise that some people may like this information.
-These problems are even more evident on my 10 inch Nexus tablet. The "save and rest" button are hardly any bigger while it should have been big enough to not be able to miss it, and the countdown clock is just as small. On the rest screen about 90% of the screen is just blank unused space. It was actually more functional back when they just scaled up the phone version.
-I understand that smaller fonts look better if you look purely at the estetics of it. But for me its much more important that the app is fast and easy to read and as functional as possible then how it looks. But I am sure that designers can find a way to make it look good even with large and very visible numbers.
-But I also understand that different people have different needs. So why not make the app have a default setting, but make people able to customize what info is displayed in each screen (just like you can on a viewfinder in a camera), and how important/large the various information are to you. Alternativly the developers could offer differtent skins that covered various needs. I would have paid a lot of money to get a skin that gave me information that were more relevant to me. Or mayby open up for others to be able to make custom skins for the app.
Would be nice to hear if anybody else out there shares the same thoughts about how the interface should look. Or am I the only one who are unhappy about this aspect of the app?
Other than this I think the app is excellent, and I hope they keep up the good work.
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