Silofit
Co-founding a proptech startup
In 2017, I co-founded Silofit alongside Wilfred Valenta and Adrien Caranta, aiming to revolutionize the traditional gym model by transforming unused office spaces into private, on-demand micro-gyms.
I was the sole product designer at the start, responsible for designing the native iOS and Android apps. As we scaled, I became Head of Product Design, leading a team of two designers. Over five years, we expanded to 18 locations across Toronto, Montréal, and Miami, growing our team to 25+ employees and securing $20 million in funding.
Year
2017 - 2022
Research
Benchmarking
User interviewing
User journey
Prototyping
Platforms
iOS, Android, Web
Design
Wireframing
Visual design
Icon design
Branding
Silofit turned unused office space into private micro-gyms for on-demand booking. Initially for busy professionals, we later expanded to support fitness professionals in managing their businesses.
We had 10,000+ users and 2,000 trainers across 18 locations in two markets
Our locations were unstaffed, we designed a seamless digital access system using pin codes for entry
The micro-gyms which we built ourselves we called Silos
We had 2 apps that worked together seamlessly, with both client and trainer experiences integrating into one ecosystem.
On the Silofit app gym-goers booked fitness spaces on demand by the hour, unlocked them with their pin code, and enjoyed private workout spaces.
On the Silofit Pro app trainers created their profile, connected with clients, organized their schedule, and managed reservations seamlessly.
We later expanded and built a two-sided marketplace where clients booked spaces, trainers, and classes, while trainers earned revenue.
Helping trainers grow their business
Building the marketplace - Connecting gym-goers to personal trainers. The challenge, opportunity, process, outcome and learnings.
Silofit app for gym-goers on the left and Silofit Pro for trainers on the right
Our challenge
We asked ourselves; how might we help gym-goers find a personal trainer?
The constraints we faced
What we knew; trainers aren’t great at marketing themselves and booking a trainer online without meeting them in person can feel uncertain...
Our desired outcomes and what success look like
Gym-goers are booking personal trainers and trainers are growing their business.
I started prototyping and testing. Gym-goer sending a request to train, and on the flipside, a trainer receiving a request.
Request to train
Gym-goer sends a request to train
Accepting a request
Trainer receives push notification and email.
The feature was ultimately responsible for 5% of all bookings and generated $18.000/year per location.
Challenges along the way...
There were many challenges along the way, including complex booking states, tri-party booking, managing two apps with different UI/UX, and handling communication and payments.
Learnings and reflections
Enhancing the trainer profiles, showcasing features more effectively, and providing richer client details could drive more bookings and increase trainer acceptance rates. Testing an earlier introduction of trainers in the flow might have further improved engagement.
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