Yashna Kumar | Product Designer

Highlights

The Challenge

Marlie's site read more like a personal blog than a service business. Visitors couldn't tell what she offered or how to book within the first few seconds.

My Approach

Clarify services immediately on the homepage, introduce scannable service cards, and create a direct, low-friction booking path with persistent CTAs.

The Outcome

+26%Active Clientele
7Consultations Booked
4New Recurring Clients

01

Overview

This was a project as the sole designer where I redesigned and implemented a website for a Bay Area-based personal trainer, nutritionist, and life coach. The goal was to improve how potential clients understand her services and reduce friction in converting visitors into booked sessions.

This case study focuses on the homepage and services experience.

02

The Problem

Marlie's existing website functioned more like a personal blog than a service-based business.

The homepage emphasized motivational quotes and imagery, but lacked clear communication of what she actually offered.

Marlie's original homepage with an ocean hero reading 'Clear your mind of can't,' a whistle photo, and motivational blocks but no clear list of services — Original homepage: motivational imagery, unclear services

Marlie's original services page showing three program cards with prices but no streamlined path to booking — Original services page: no clear path to booking

As a result:

Visitors had to leave the site (e.g. Instagram or phone call) to understand services.
There was no clear path to booking.
The value proposition was unclear within the first few seconds.

This created unnecessary friction at the most critical point in the user journey: the first impression.

03

Opportunity / Design Challenge

How might we

How might I clarify Marlie's service offerings and create a more direct path from landing on the site to booking a session?

04

Initial Explorations & Research

I surveyed 6 clients at the private gym where Marlie trains to understand how potential clients interpret and interact with her website.

Google Form titled 'Marlie Wiley -- Initial Explorations' asking participants about the services they think Marlie offers, first impressions, points of confusion, and likelihood to book — Initial exploration survey (Google Form) used to gather feedback from 6 gym clients

The high-level patterns that emerged:

1. Service offerings were unclear at first glance

Most participants were unable to clearly identify the full range of services offered. Several did not realize that Marlie provides personal training or behavioral coaching, indicating that the website did not effectively communicate her core offerings.

Most participants could not name Marlie's full range of services after viewing the site.

2. The booking flow introduced significant friction

Participants expected to be able to book directly through the website, but were instead redirected to a login page or required to reach out via email or form. This interruption created frustration and reduced their likelihood of continuing.

“I wouldn't go out of my way to email or DM just to figure this out.”

Participants consistently expected to book directly on the site.

3. Lack of personal context reduced trust and motivation to book

Participants expressed wanting to better understand who Marlie is, including her background, expertise, and approach. The absence of this information made it harder to evaluate her credibility and differentiate her from other trainers.

Credibility cues (background, expertise, approach) were missing for most visitors.

4. Low conversion intent due to time and effort required

When asked how likely they would be to book a session, the average response was 3/10. Participants noted that when searching for a trainer or coach, they prefer quick access to clear information and next steps, and are unlikely to pursue options that require additional effort or external navigation.

Average self-reported likelihood to book: 3 / 10.

05

Competitive Analysis

I evaluated three trainers and coaching platforms to understand how they communicate services, build trust, and drive booking.

Competitor	Overview	Competitive Advantage	Heuristic Evaluation	Notes
Massy Arias	Personal trainer with a large social following and a strong personal brand.	High visibility and trust built through personal branding	Services are clearly structured and presented early Clear CTA on the landing page Personal content (blog/social) reinforces credibility	Strong emphasis on personal story builds connection Homepage is content-heavy, which can dilute clarity
Caliber	Online coaching platform connecting users with trainers globally.	Scalable platform with structured onboarding and service clarity	Immediate clarity of services via headings Strong, repeated CTAs (“Start consultation”) Clean hierarchy and scannable layout	Consistent visual system improves readability Multiple CTAs reduce friction and guide users toward action
Holly Roser	Bay Area-based personal trainer with a personal studio and coaching services.	Combines personal branding with clear service offerings and local credibility	Services laid out in structured sections/cards Transparent pricing and packages Clear path to consultation	Strong balance of personal and professional content Some pages are dense and require scrolling

06

Competitive Insights

Across fitness coaching platforms and personal trainer websites, several consistent patterns emerged:

1. Services are clearly structured and visible early

Competitors like Massy Arias and Caliber present their offerings in clearly defined sections or cards, allowing users to quickly understand what is available without additional effort.

2. Strong, repeated calls-to-action drive conversion

High-performing sites consistently include clear CTAs (e.g. “Start your consultation”) at multiple points throughout the page, reducing the need for users to search for next steps.

3. Personal branding builds trust and differentiation

Individual trainers like Holly Roser emphasize their background, philosophy, and credibility to create a stronger emotional connection and justify why a client should choose them.

4. Reducing friction is prioritized in onboarding flows

Competitor platforms minimize external steps (e.g. email or DM) by integrating direct booking or onboarding flows, making it easier for users to take immediate action.

07

Insights → Opportunities

After analyzing both user and competitive insights, the next step was to convert the insights into actionable opportunities.

Insight	Opportunity
Services are unclear	Make services known immediately on the homepage and introduce cards for details on the services page.
Booking flow is frustrating	Introduce a direct booking CTA that persists throughout the site.
Lack of personal connection (not explored in this case study)	Highlight Marlie's story and credibility to build trust and differentiation.

08

Exploring Design Directions

I explored different directions to bring these opportunities to life on the site, weighing each option against the goal of clarity and a fast path to booking.

Opportunity: Make services known immediately

For the Homepage

Option AChosen
Include services directly in the hero heading
Option B
Display service cards right after the landing section
Option C
Introduce a scannable service highlight section

Decision: I chose Option A coupled with bolded phrases to establish the services provided right off the bat, without requiring a scroll.

For the Services Tab

Option A
Cards with icons (quick scan)
Option B
Detailed sections (more depth)
Option CChosen
Hybrid (summary + expand)

Decision: I chose Option C to encourage browsing services at a glance without information overload, with the option to learn more on click and route into an online scheduler and payment flow.

Opportunity: Introduce a direct booking CTA

For Booking

Option AChosen
Primary “Book a consultation” CTA on the landing page
Option BChosen
Sticky “Book Now” button in the nav / floating element
Option C
CTAs after each service description

Decision: I chose a combination of Options A and B so the option to book persists while the client navigates the site, letting them book at any time.

09

Iterations & Feedback

After defining the core design direction, I developed the first high-fidelity version of Marlie's website. The redesign leveraged a deeper sage green palette to reinforce her holistic approach to fitness and nutrition while elevating the site's overall credibility. To support business goals, I emphasized consultation booking throughout the experience, clarified service offerings, and introduced a more intuitive booking flow to help prospective clients take action with confidence.

Iteration 01

First-draft Marlie Wiley homepage with services framed in the hero, a 'You're in the right place' qualifier, testimonials, and a 'Follow Along' Instagram section — Homepage

First-draft services page listing single sessions and packages with prices and Get Started buttons — Services

First-draft scheduling page with a date-and-time calendar, available session slots, and a service details panel — Schedule

First-draft booking form with client details fields on the left and a booking summary with total price and a Book Now button on the right — Billing

Feedback

Early feedback from prospective clients at the gym confirmed that surfacing services directly within the page headings made the site's offerings easier to understand at a glance. Participants also responded positively to the persistent booking CTA, noting that it reduced uncertainty around next steps and made scheduling a consultation feel more accessible. However, reviewers still struggled to distinguish between individual services and requested stronger visual hierarchy and clearer pricing cues, which informed the final iteration of the designs.

10

Final Design

After incorporating user feedback, I refined the designs by introducing a dedicated Services section and creating clearer separation between individual services and bundled packages. These changes improved scannability, helped users better understand the available offerings, and made it easier to compare options before booking a consultation.

Final Marlie Wiley homepage with services-forward hero, a horizontal icon row of offerings including lifestyle and nutrition coaching, testimonials, an Instagram feed, and a free-consultation CTA — Homepage

Final services page with refined single-session and package cards, clearer pricing badges, and Get Started buttons routing to the scheduler — Services

Final scheduling page with a date-and-time calendar, available session slots, a Pacific time zone label, and a service details panel — Schedule

Final booking form with client details fields on the left and a booking summary with total price and a Book Now button on the right — Billing

11

Impact

Within one month of launching the redesigned website:

7

new clients booked initial consultations directly through the site

4

converted into recurring clients (3 training 2x/week, 1 nutrition)

+26%

estimated increase in active clientele vs. a baseline of 15

Where bookings previously happened via Instagram or phone call, clients now booked directly on the site. These results suggest that improving clarity around service offerings and creating a more direct booking path can meaningfully reduce friction in the conversion process.

12

Learnings

Clear communication of services is critical for conversion, especially for first-time visitors.
Users prefer a direct path to action rather than exploratory navigation.
Small structural changes (service sections, CTAs) can significantly impact user behavior.

13

What's Next

I would love to explore user behavior more deeply by implementing analytics to track behavior and drop-off points, further optimizing conversion over time.