Case study: An essay on the Down Dog app from a user perspective

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Bootcamp

10 min readAug 3, 2021

Down Dog is such a complete app in terms of experience that I felt like writing about it.

In case you don’t know it, I’ll explain: it’s a Yoga app. In fact, the name is inspired in a famous posture of this practice.

I am a person diagnosed with anxiety, and exercising, especially Yoga, is one of my remedies to feel less anxious. So, when I found myself unable to go to gym classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I started looking for apps that could help me maintain an exercise routine. I found some and tested them all. None are as awesome as Down Dog. I’ll explain why.

Down Dog app screen. There is a woman in a yoga pose in the background and on the top in the center there is the question “What’s your experience with yoga? You get more variety at higher levels, so don’t be afraid to challenge yourself!” Bellow the question are the options: Beginner 1, Beginner 2, Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2. Down, in the center of the screen, there is a button written SELECT. — What's your experience with Yoga? Image 1

Set up

The login is pretty simple — as it should be — with no big news and asking me only real essencial data.

So I’m going to jump to the first screen you are shown after registering: it is the screen where you are asked about your yoga level and explains what each level means. Does it sound simple? Well, of all different apps I tested out, only few did this question.

Believe me, it makes all difference when you are practicing. It is really frustrating when class demands so much more you can get. I risk to say that it is one of the reasons why people give up. Also, as a user, I felt more secure and, of course, with a “hm. customization! I like it!” feeling.

At first, I confess that I found this “Select” button a little redundant. “Wouldn’t it be better to just click in the option and go straight?” But, later, I understood that this button gives better security to click on each option, read better what is written (when the option is not selected, text is a little blurry) and prevents you from accidentally clicking on some wrong option and being taken to the next page. What Down Dog proposes here is for you to read and observe with calm, just like Yoga!

Down Dog app screen. There is a woman in a yoga pose in the background. On the top in the center it’s written Pick your favorite voice. Tap to listen. Bellow this sentence are the options: Chad, Mars, Isaiah, Sammi, Carina and Xinia. Down, in the center of the screen, there is a button written SELECT. — Pick your favorite voice! Image 2

Next step

Choose the voice to guide you through your practices. You can listen to each one and decide the one you most identify with.

You can think: “Really? It's too much. I just wanted to practice my yoga and not to think about so many things!” Perfect! See that button in the upper right corner? Just skip these steps and you’ll be able to start your practice with the default settings.

Just like Yoga, each person has its own process and it is all right!

Down Dog app screen. There is a woman in a yoga pose in the background and on the top in the center there is the sentence “Now for some tunes. Choose a music style” Bellow the question are the options: Spiritual, Piano and Strings, Brain Waves, Nature Sounds, None.” Down, in the center of the screen, there is a button written SELECT. — Now for some tunes. Image 3

Music to your ears

Yoga is a whole-body experience, so selecting what you want — or not — to hear while practicing can help you focus better.

There are people who prefer to practice in complete silence. And Down Dog gives this option too.

But, if you’re curious like me and don’t have big problems with practicing yoga with some sound, you can listen to each option and decide what is your favorite.

Oh, but don’t worry. It is not an irreversible choice. You can choose a sound for each practice.

Actually, there is nothing you can not change later. In fact, it wasn’t something that crossed my mind as I went through the experience, but I would suggest that Down Dog give this information at the beginning of the set up.

Something like "Not sure? Don't worry. You can change your choice at any time."

Down Dog app screen. There is a man in a yoga pose in the background and on the top in the center there is the sentence “Choose a style of yoga” Bellow the sentence are the options: Full practice, Hatha, Gentle, Restorative, Quick Flow, Yin, Chair Yoga, Ashtange, Sun Salutations, Yoga Nidra. Down, in the center of the screen, there is a button written SELECT. — Choose a style of yoga. image 4

What is your style?

If you are a person who already knows the different types of Yoga you will like to know that you can select your favorite style at this moment. If you didn’t even know there were different styles, you’ll learn the basic ones and their differences just by reading the options. What I think is pretty cool.

Note that on this simple screen you already learn that Hatha is a bit slower style, that in Ashtanga you will be in posture for a few breaths, ETC.

Thus, it doesn’t matter if you are a super advanced Yoga practicer or a beginner. You won’t feel lost. — And if you disagree with me, I’ll be happy to know your opinion in the comments — .

However, an improvement that I would suggest in this step would be a target for the user who doesn’t know the differences and is undecided. Something like: “Let us decide for you” or “If you are a beginner, this is the best option for you”. After all, sometimes all we don’t want is to make a decision. Right?

Pace

Almost there. Let’s select the pace you want to do your practice? I particularly love this feature because, as an avid user of fitness apps, I find it quite frustrating when the voiceover is so fast that I can’t keep up. And I know people who get annoyed with very slow locutions. Anyway, it is also a feature that can be used by the same person according to the practice schedule. Perhaps in the morning, a normal or fast pace is interesting to wake up. At night, a slow pace can help relax and sleep better after the practice.

I confess that when deciding, I thought they had too many options.

Fast, normal and slow wouldn’t be enough? Probably not. I believe — and hope — that Down Dog researched, talked to its users and saw that all these options were relevant.

Down Dog app screen. There is a woman in a yoga pose in the background and on the top in the center there are the words “Boost: choose a practice area or body part to focus on”. Bellow, are the options: "Breathing, Neck stretches, Foot and Ankle Stretches, Hand Wrist and arm Stretches, Quad Stretches and Glute strength.” Down, in the center of the screen, there is a button written SELECT. — Boost: Image 6.

Want to focus in an area or body part?

Do you have a tense neck and want to focus on stretching this part of your body? Down dog gives you that option. Or maybe you want to focus more on breathing? Your wish is an order!
It’s almost as if you had a professional and you could ask him or her to set up a custom class for you. Isn't it amazing?
However, even though the application is great, it is evident that it does not replace and will never be better than the look of a specialised person who can correct and help you in the evolution of Yoga or any other activity.

Relax!

Finally, it’s time to select how long you want to stay in Savasana, the resting posture. Every Yoga practice always ends in Savasana and in Down Dog you can select how long you would like to stay in it.

Down Dog app screen. On the left there is a man in a yoga pose in the background. On the top, in the center there are the words “Let's get started on your first practice”. In the middle it’s written 15 minutes rounded by a blue circle. Below, in a black background its written "Type Restorative and Instruction Full Explanation." Down, in the center of the screen, there is a button written START PRACTICE. On the right side there is the same image, but instead of 15 minutes it is written 40 minutes — “Let’s get started on your first practice” image 8

Ready to go

Now just drag your finger on the blue circle to increase or decrease the time you have available to practice. The maximum time Down Dog allows you to practice Yoga is 90 minutes and the minimum is 5.
Ready to get started? No? Do you want to change something from the previous settings? No problem. Just drag it up and…

On the left there is black screen written on the top: "Here are your settings! Swipe down to start practicing." Bellow it, there are all the settings. On the right, there is other screen, where there is a woman in a yoga pose in the background. On the top, in the center there are the words “How much instruction do you want? Tap to list a sample”. Below, there are the options “Full explanation, Default, Default plus silence, Least explanation plus breaths, Least explanation plus silence". — Settings and Explanation. Image 9

…Your settings are here! Just click and modify as you wish.
On this screen, I noticed an — yet — unseen feature called “Instruction.”
As we see the image on the right, it concerns how you want the voiceover to guide your practice.
Do you want the postures and their transitions to be explained in as much detail as possible, even if it slows down the practice a bit? Or do you prefer the voiceover to guide you until you reach the posture and then remain silent? Or, for the most experienced, you just want to know the name of the posture?
Have no idea? I didn’t, I choose the “Default” option and I’ve been very satisfied with my choice ever since.

Five photos of the same woman in different yoga poses. — Video. Image 10

Practicing

The videos are filmed in a minimalist and beautiful space, have great resolution and the postures are displayed from different angles. It is possible to push the video forward (want to see what is coming next?) and backward (lost something?).
In the upper left corner, there will always be the name of the posture that is currently being shown and in the upper right side, you will always see the name of the song that is playing.

Post practice

The last screen has, in my opinion, everything you could want at the end of the experience.

Did you have a problem and want to communicate? This is the first item on the final screen. You do not have to go through several links and menus looking for a contact support.
Did you love some music — or several — and want to listen to it later? The app gives you the list of all the songs played during your practice.
Are you striving to improve your postures or do you want to learn and study the names of them? Well then, this is the third item on the list.
Very typical of social networks, Down Dog also allows you to share your practice with friends.
Last but not least, the app makes it possible to add the practice to your favorites. It looks pretty basic and, in fact, this is a feature I’ve seen in other apps. However, one of Down Dog’s arguments is precisely that you will never repeat a practice. That’s because the app works to always deliver different sequences and that’s great for those who don’t like to repeat. But it happens that sometimes you fall in love with a sequence and feel that it was exactly what we needed, or, maybe, feel that there is a lot to evolve in certain postures from that sequence. In that case, if you could never find that practice again, it would be frustrating. But Down Dog thinks of everything and it lets you save favorite practices and repeat them whenever you want.

Dark screen. In the middle and centered it is written in Portuguese: Thank you for practicing with Down Dog. Bellow, there is a list in the following order: Send feedback, Music list, Pose list, Share this practice, Add to favorites. Down there is a button written: EXIT. — Post practice screen. Image 11

Dark screen with a list of all practices the user has already done. Informations for each practice are: Time, day of the week, day of the month and what was the practice. — History. Image 12

And, more than that, it gives you — and you find in a very simple way — all your practice history throughout your trajectory within the application. Isn't it cool to look back and see everything you’ve done? Or, maybe, redo a practice you liked but forgot to add to favorites. In this app, nothing is lost.

When I was telling my friends that I was taking classes on app, I heard that it’s difficult to maintain discipline when you don’t have an appointment with a teacher or with a class schedule at the gym. Perhaps for knowing this, Down Dog has a goal setting feature: you select how many times a week you intend to practice and that becomes a commitment to yourself. And of course you will receive push notifications to remind you of that appointment.

Two images of two different screens, both dark. On the left side it is written “Journey”. There is a space to set the weekly goals and it also shows the total of practices. On the right side it is written on the top “Set a weekly goal. How many practices will you aim to do each week?" Below, there is a list of options from 2 until 9. Down, there is button written “Select”. — Weekly goal. Image 13

I have also frequently heard the question “But is it just Yoga?”. That’s where Down Dog definitely won my heart. No! It’s not just Yoga. Down Dog subscription gives you access to four other apps: HIIT (high-intensity interval training), Meditation, Barre (method that mixes Ballet, Pilates and Yoga) and Prenatal Yoga. Isn't it great? I truly believe Down Dog has an amazing team thinking about everything.

Dark screen, on the top it is written Account Settings. Bellow, there is a list of all Down Dog apps and features as sharing, Facebook community and Instagram. — Account Settings. Image 14

Icing on the cake

To me, the icing on the cake was at the end of my trial, when I saw in home screen a text saying "Can't afford Down Dog?". I found it amazing! It means that, Down Dog gives free access to people who can not pay for the subscription. They give this option because, according to them, their mission is to provide great affordable fitness to the world. I think this is one of the biggest and best branding actions I’ve ever seen.

Down Dog is my favorite app and I think I let it clear that I am a big fan! However, I still have some suggestions in addition to the ones I already mentioned earlier in the text. Here I go:

Final suggestions

First, according to Ayurveda, ancient Indian medicine, women should not practice vigorous exercise, nor do inverted positions during the menstrual period. Regardless of Ayurveda, many women do not feel well to exercise during their menstrual period.

Thinking about it, wouldn’t it be amazing if Down Dog managed to sync data with the app Flo — which is an application for monitoring and self-awareness of the menstrual cycle — and did specific practices for this period?

Looking at the list of all available languages it seems that you want to reach a lot of people around the world. Thinking of it, these thin bodies in the images and videos bring your public closer or further away? That is not a rhetorical question. I really do not know the answer, but if I was in the Down Dog team, I would think if it would not be worth thinking about having more representative body sizes in the app.

note1: This is my personal review of the experience provided by the Down Dog app. I have no connection with anyone in the company that developed this application. Please feel free to give your opinion, agree or disagree in the comments. My objective with this text is precisely to share to learn.

note2: I explored the app in the three languages I understand: Portuguese, English and Spanish. And I found all written content concise, clear and useful.

note3: I didn’t get to analyze accessibility issues. It would be great to hear from you if Down Dog is really concerned about providing fitness to the whole word.

Thanks for reading this far!