YMCA Group Exercise Schedule Graphics

[ about ]

Fitness/Wellness branch leadership across Greater Somerset County YMCA agreed to onboard a new group exercise class scheduling and reservation system, GroupEx Pro.

APPROACH & OUTCOME

The centralized nature of class descriptions in GroupEx Pro’s system structure required a complete review and alignment of class descriptions across the five YMCAs set to migrate from fully independent Google Calendars to this new platform. All group exercise class descriptions were reviewed and edited for complete alignment in collaboration with program directors and fitness instructors. Fitness levels and suggested items for members to bring with them to each class were also assessed and standardized across the organization.

The graphical interface in GroupEx Pro provided branded fitness icons for well-known fitness programming, like Spin®, TRX®, and Aqua Zumba®. GroupEx Pro also allowed for limited customization in the form of uploading custom-branded graphics and icons. This created an opportunity to lean into YMCA national brand standards and elevate the perceived quality and value of Y classes amidst popular programming. A standard set of Y brand-compliant graphics was then created to represent categorized class offerings, including “Active Older Adults,” “Aquatics,” “Cycling & Spin,” “Dance & Zumba,” and “Strength & Conditioning.”

Additionally, GroupEx Pro’s WYSIWYG editor allowed users to copy/paste simple icon graphics within class description content, presenting additional visual branding opportunities in this frequent member-facing touchpoint. A custom set of icons representing suggested fitness levels per class (including suitability for Active Older Adults offerings) as well as recommended items to bring to class were also created.

Once fully onboarded and curated, the final result was complete visual and descriptive alignment for group exercise classes across all Greater Somerset County YMCA branches. Coordinated communications executed with seamless brand compliance helped alleviate friction for members when viewing and selecting the group exercise classes that were right for their ability level and fitness goals. That, in turn, supported branch-level member retention goals.

This project is an example of the player-coach role I pivoted into while at Greater Somerset County YMCA as the organization recovered from impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including significantly reduced staffing levels in areas like marketing, finance, and HR.

MY ROLE

Copyediting, Creative Lead, Graphic Design, Interdepartmental Liaison, Project Lead & Web Design

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & TOOLS

• Strategy: Brand Compliance | Brand Messaging | Communications Strategy | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Customer Experience (CX) Strategy | Customer-Centric Mindset | Nonprofit Marketing | Project Management | UI/UX Design
• Creative & Production: Color Theory | Copyediting | Creative Development | Creative Problem-Solving | Graphic Design | Iconography | Web Design
• Tools: Adobe Illustrator | Adobe Photoshop | Daxko GroupEx Pro