The Coach

Project overview
Problem definition
Reseach
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Final Design
Outcomes

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How I Led Retention from 7% to 12% Day-1 in Health-Tech Redesign

Startup · B2C · Health tech

Applied design-thinking to simplify Program page in The Coach app — turning user overwhelm into habit-forming flows. Unlocked ~$800k ARR uplift for 1M+ users.

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The Coach helps men improve sleep, fitness, sexual health, and nutrition. By March 2022 the app had over 1 000 000 users and 4.7 average rating in app stores.

Team

Responsibilities

Role

Duration

Key Results

Summary

About The Coach

Two simple steps — open the app and then open Program screen.

What is the user flow?

As the sole Product Design Lead with 12+ years building complex consumer products, I owned the end-to-end redesign of the Program page:

discovery & research facilitation
usability testing, interviews & surveys
visual design & interaction concepts
cross-team alignment and design hand-off

Led collaboration with 1 PM and 3 engineers through regular syncs and workshops to balance speed, feasibility, and user needs.

Tools

Figma
Amplitude
Proto.io
Protopie

1 CPO
1 product designer
1 product manager
3 product engineers

March – April 2022

Product Design Lead

users in a March 2022

AVG appstore ratings

1 000 000

4.7

Avg Score

Day-7 Retention

~63 SUS

additional annual revenue

~$500–800k

Day-1 Retention

+5%pp

+4%pp

The Program page is the core destination users visit on their second session to:

Set up or adjust their sports training and nutrition program
Control daily progress with minimum effort
Quickly access key activities (workouts, recipes, lessons)

This page was responsible for the highest drop-off — 93% of users never returned after Day 1.

What is Program page?

Project overview

As Product Design Lead, I quickly identified that the Program page, the core destination for Day 1 users, was driving a 92% drop-off.

Adding more features without rethinking structure created an overwhelming experience: users couldn’t easily complete their key tasks (start training, set nutrition plan, access daily activities). This led to massive churn after the second session, directly impacting revenue.

We deliberately chose to work on the day 1 retention first and the day 7 retention second. Retention is one of the key revenue drivers for the app. Increasing retention by 5–7 pp in the funnel translates into ~$500–800k additional annual revenue, critical for a growing health-tech startup.

Project business goal

Reduce drop-off and improve Day 1 retention rate on the Program page section.

Core business goal

My goal was to reduce cognitive load and drop-off by focusing on the most critical user flows, while keeping development time realistic.

out of 100 users, only 8 will use our app in the next 7 days.
by the end of day 7, only 4 users still stayed in the app.

Day-7 Retention before redesign

Day-1 Retention before redesign

The app retention

Why, by the end of the second session (day 1), are we losing 92% of our users?

Viktor B., Founder, The Coach

Problem definition

As Product Design Lead, I kicked off the research phase by aligning the team on core assumptions and then diving into qualitative discovery.

My goal was to uncover why users felt overwhelmed on the Program page and couldn’t complete their core tasks.

Quantitative research

Success criteria

Business problems

Users problems

Finalize research and discovery

SUS scores – 60+
day 1 retention + ~5%-7%

retention day 1 (focus) — 7%
retention day 7 — 4%

Challenge

Testing methods

usability testing + SUS survey
observation + think aloud

facilitate redesign process
no strategy vision from team

the users doesn’t find value
can’t solve the main tasks

92% of users don’t go back to app on the second day

Users don't understand well what Tracks are. They don't understand the difference between a Sport Program and a Workout Library very well. The name of the Favorite Tools section didn't help anyone get their bearings.

Users have to learn almost every new track/section in a new way because of the different interface.

After synthesizing interviews and hypotheses, I identified the biggest friction: users didn’t understand the page structure and couldn’t quickly find value.

This led to the core hypothesis, merge Program and Daily Plan into one screen to reduce friction.

As the final stage of the discovery, I formed the main hypothesis. The general hypothesis was bold:

The next step was to generate hypotheses to cover most of the user stories.

I focused on identifying the job for which our customers hire our product.

The team prepared user stories to cover all program screen users' tasks.

I generated 27 user stories, like “get a workout program,” to form usability hypotheses.

Core team assumptions for user problems:

goals in the program screen;
program control (training and nutrition);
what tracks are?
what favorite tools are;
difference daily plan/workout program.

Core problem-solving hypothesis

Top 6 high-priority hypotheses tested via usability sessions (clarity & findability focus).

Usability hypotheses

This was the hardest part of working on the redesign. The program screen had many features, and all of those features we felt were important.

User stories

I conducted 10 interviews with The Coach users to explore how they are working with their program on the program page. Based on interviews, we drew some conclusions.

User interviews

Brainstorming

Users don't understand the structure of the Program and the relationship of the sections to each other well.

Research insights

with hight priority status

12 core stories

If we merge the Program page and the Daily plan into one screen, users will find all functions in one place, reduce navigation friction, and complete their tasks faster.

Core hypothesis

Based on research insights, Chief Product Officer (CPO) proposed the first bold iteration: merging the Program and Daily Plan pages into a single unified screen.

The hypothesis was clear: reduce navigation steps and bring all daily functions into one place. I collaborated closely with the CPO and PM, iterating on wireframes and aligning on the vision.

The core idea

Based on the CPO idea, I formed the main hypothesis. The general hypothesis was sounded:

Despite positive internal feedback, I insisted on early usability testing to validate the concept with real users, a critical step to avoid building on false assumptions.

Core problem-solving hypothesis

The design was strong, but fast testing and failure of this wireframe helped us learn quickly.

First exploration

To merge 2 pages into one was a mistake, but... we didn't realize it

Viktor B., Founder, The Coach

If we merge the Program page and the Daily Plan into a single screen, users will find all functions in one place, reduce navigation friction, and complete their tasks more efficiently

From...

10+ concepts for the first version of Program screen.

To...

Final concept for the first testing.

Core hypothesis

Iteration 1. Finding the solution

I quickly facilitated a debrief with the team, analyzed the root cause —merging actually increased cognitive load instead of reducing it — and advocated for a full pivot.

This iteration failed to move the needle; users couldn’t complete tasks and felt more lost than before.

But the failure was invaluable: it proved our hypothesis wrong and gave clear direction — we needed to simplify structure and prioritize core user tasks, not just consolidate screens. I led the team into Iteration 2 with a completely new approach.

Conclusion

Merging two complex pages created information overload
Users lost a clear mental model of "where am I?"
Key daily tasks became harder to discover
SUS score dropped to ~54.5 (from baseline ~60+ expected)

What went wrong

The results were disappointing: SUS dropped to ~54.5, users felt even more overwhelmed, and core tasks remained uncompleted.

What did users say?

Lots of functions.
Functions seem overloaded.
didn't know where to click (CTA?).

Moderate usability testing

Learning from the failed merge, I led the team in a complete pivot: instead of consolidating everything, we radically simplified the page to focus only on what users actually needed most.

I facilitated a quick workshop with PM and engineers to prioritize the highest-impact changes based on research insights and Iteration 1 learnings.

Our assumption was that with fewer sections, users would clearly see the value of the page and how it helps them achieve their goals

We were back to a simple version:

Removing the daily plan
Focused on the three highest-priority user tasks: lose weight, build muscles, and improve male health performance.
Improved the program section images
Updated the tone of voice

We deliberately reduced scope to three core sections — Sport, Nutrition, and Male Health aligning directly with the top user tasks identified in research: lose weight, build muscles, and perform better in bed.

New hypothesis

Decisions

If we simplify the Program page into three focused sections — Sport, Nutrition, and Male Health — users will immediately understand the page’s value, quickly access their primary goals, and feel more motivated to return daily.

New hypothesis

Iteration 2. Improving the UX.

We have found a good UX solution that would allow users to solve their tasks without experiencing pain. It remains to work on the user interface.

Conclusion

With a clearer hierarchy and updated, more premium imagery, I ran another round of usability testing to validate the new direction.

Results:

~60% hypotheses confirmed
~57 Avg SUS Score (+3.5 points from Iteration 1 — now above industry average of 68)
Users completed core tasks significantly faster

What did users say?

“Finally clear where to start my workout!”
“Quick access to my program — exactly what I needed.”

Moderate usability testing

After two iterations and rigorous testing, I finalized a clean, task-focused design that directly addressed the core research insights.

Working closely with the team, I defended key decisions — such as removing descriptive text and prioritizing visual entry points — to reduce cognitive load while maintaining all critical functionality.

1. Focused UX
Three clear sections and streamlined navigation helped users quickly find their primary goals (weight loss, muscle gain, male health).

2. Content-First
High-quality visuals and integrated daily plans made the page feel valuable at first glance, raising perceived usefulness.

3. Targeted Features
My Training Program and Meal Plan tools became the natural entry points, directly boosting Day-1 engagement and retention.

Why this solution solves user/business challenges?

These changes transformed the Program page from overwhelming to intuitive, putting the most important user goals (weight loss and muscle gain) front and center.

Improved images
Deleted the description and focused on pictures
Deleted the main goal, moved the label to the account

What was changed?

Final design recap

Hypotheses.

~80% of hypotheses confirmed
SUS ~63 Avg Score — a significant improvement that gave us confidence to launch the A/B test
Users quickly understood the interface, completed core tasks without confusion, and reported high satisfaction

Usability test results

After validating the design through usability testing, I led the rollout in a large-scale A/B test on ~70,000 users.

The results confirmed our direction: the simplified, task-focused Program page significantly improved retention and user satisfaction.

Day-1 Retention

Day-7 Retention

+5%pp

Avg Score

~63 SUS

additional annual revenue

~$500–800k

+4%pp

Our new solution drove Day 1 retention from 7% to 12%, proving we retained users by solving their core needs.

What was changed?

Final A/B test and Outcomes

“Best approach! The new Program page finally feels intuitive and valuable.”

Viktor B., Founder & CEO, The Coach

While the current redesign delivered strong retention gains and ~$500–800k ARR uplift, I saw opportunities to push further.

Drawing from user research and iteration learnings, I proposed a longer-term vision to the founder and team: treat the root causes of overwhelm by fundamentally rethinking the information architecture and user path.

This project, from identifying a critical retention bottleneck to delivering measurable business impact, reflects my 12+ years of experience leading complex redesigns in consumer products.

I thrive on turning user insights into strategic solutions that drive growth, and I’m excited to bring the same rigor and impact to your team.

Further +3–5% Day-1 retention through reduced choice paralysis
Higher completion rates for long-term programs
Stronger perceived personalization, increasing LTV

Split core functionality into two dedicated tabs — Tools (daily actionable content) and Programs (long-term structured plans). This reduces cognitive load even further by separating "what to do today" from "my overall journey".
Radically reduce on-screen content — focus on 2–3 high-value cards per section with progressive disclosure ("See all"). Users repeatedly told us they want simplicity first.
Evolve toward personalized pathways — use onboarding data to surface the most relevant program (e.g., Sexual Health, Hormonal Balance) from day one

Colclusion

Potential impact

Next functional ideas

Next steps & Future vision

“Anton is a great professional, with an attention to detail. Always willing to understand the business requirements and rationale. Collects stockholder's perspectives and applies them to design. Stays on track with the industry's latest trends.

Non-conflict and collaborative, always willing to learn something new. Wish Anton all the very best in his new professional challenges and endeavors!”

Victor Belogub ↗

Founder @the Coach