BowFlex Ecommerce
Modernizing the BowFlex Ecommerce Experience
When I joined BowFlex, there was no dedicated UX practice for the web experience. I co-founded the company’s first Web UX team and spent five years leading UX across six brands: BowFlex, JRNY, Schwinn Fitness, Nautilus, Octane Fitness, and Modern Movement. BowFlex and JRNY were the primary focus, but the work spanned the full portfolio. This case study covers the BowFlex ecommerce redesign, where I led the transformation of an outdated purchase experience into a modern product-focused journey for high-ticket fitness equipment.
Strategic Impact
Took an ecommerce experience that hadn’t been meaningfully updated in years and rebuilt it around how users actually research and buy fitness equipment.
Restructured navigation so users could move from a general interest in fitness equipment to the specific product that fits their space, budget, and goals.
Redesigned product comparison so users could evaluate the differences between models without opening multiple tabs or scrolling through spec sheets.
Introduced mobile-first layouts for a purchase journey that often starts on a phone and finishes on a desktop.
Simplified cart and checkout for purchases that often include financing, delivery scheduling, and add-on accessories.
Wove the JRNY connected fitness story into the product experience so users understood they weren’t just buying hardware. They were buying into an ecosystem.
Business Landscape
- High-ticket fitness equipment with long consideration cycles
- Users comparing multiple models across price points and features
- Connected fitness (JRNY) as a differentiator against competitors
- Mobile research leading to desktop purchase completion
- Outdated interface with interaction patterns that hadn't kept up with modern ecommerce
- Confusing navigation that didn't map to how users think about fitness equipment
- Weak product comparison tools for high-consideration purchases
- Poor mobile usability across browsing and product evaluation
- Cart and checkout friction for purchases involving financing and delivery logistics
- No established UX practice to drive improvements systematically
Strategic Initiatives
Modernizing the BowFlex ecommerce platform required improving how users discover products, evaluate equipment options, and complete purchases.
Ecommerce Platform Modernization
Product Discovery & Navigation
Product Evaluation Experience
Checkout & Purchase Flow
The site looked and felt like it was built five years before users landed on it. I led the homepage redesign and established the mobile-first layout patterns that carried across every other page.
- Homepage redesigned around product discovery and category entry points
- Mobile-first layout patterns established as the default across the platform
BowFlex sells everything from adjustable dumbbells to full home gyms. The navigation didn’t reflect how users think about that range. I restructured it around fitness goals and equipment types.
- Simplified navigation labels organized around user intent
- Clearer pathways from general browsing to specific product categories
A $2,000 treadmill isn’t an impulse purchase. I redesigned the comparison and product detail pages so users could evaluate models side by side with the information that actually matters to their decision.
- Product comparison pages redesigned for clearer model differentiation
- Purchase-critical information prioritized above the fold
BowFlex checkout involves more than adding to cart. Users deal with financing options, delivery logistics, and accessory add-ons. I simplified the flow so those complexities didn’t become friction points
- Simplified cart structure that accommodates financing and delivery details
- Clearer checkout steps with fewer drop-off points
Optimization Framework
Every improvement was designed mobile-first and focused on the hierarchy of information that drives purchase decisions for high-ticket equipment. Product comparison clarity and connected fitness integration (JRNY) were treated as core to the experience, not add-ons.
Project Status
After I left, BowFlex went through a broader brand refresh that updated the visual identity across the site. The visual design has evolved, but the core UX foundations I introduced continue to power the current ecommerce experience.
JRNY Connected Fitness Platform
Pillar4 Media
Sleepopolis
