App Showcase: BodyFast

What it does

BodyFast is a mobile coach for intermittent fasting. It guides users through personalized fasting schedules designed to help them lose weight, improve their health, and gain energy. The app provides tools to track fasting and eating windows, monitor progress, access fasting-friendly recipes, and receive daily motivational coaching.

Where it shines

BodyFast stands out with its highly structured and psychologically-driven user journey. The onboarding is a masterclass in building user investment, culminating in a unique 'commitment contract' at 01:58 where users physically sign to pledge to their goals. The main dashboard (04:33) is clean and effective, centered around a clear visual timer that shows the current fasting or eating status. The app also excels at providing layered information, such as the detailed fasting stages infographic (05:07), which educates users about the biological processes happening in their body.

UX highlights

• Commitment Contract: The request for a physical signature (01:58) is a powerful behavioral nudge that fosters a strong sense of accountability right from the start.
• Gamified Rewards: The app provides immediate, positive feedback by awarding trophies for initial actions like logging water (09:44) or taking measurements (10:38), encouraging feature discovery.
• Clear Data Visualization: The progress screen uses simple bar graphs and progress bars to effectively visualize weight loss and water intake, making it easy to see achievements at a glance (10:00).
• Layered Information: Features like the fasting stages (05:07) and coaching articles (05:51) offer deeper insights for users who want to learn more, without cluttering the main interface.
• Contextual Help: The 'Fasting SOS' section (06:19) provides readily accessible tips for common challenges like hunger, showing an understanding of the user's potential pain points.

Monetization & growth

BodyFast employs a soft paywall strategy. After a comprehensive onboarding, it presents a subscription screen at 02:08 that highlights 'Popular' and 'Best price' options to guide user choice. Crucially, users can skip this and access a functional free version. Monetization is then woven throughout the app with contextual paywalls. Locked recipes (07:11), advanced coaching (06:14), and premium features like 'Joker Day' (04:02) consistently prompt users to upgrade at the moment of intent. A surprise 'welcome gift' discount also appears later (07:13), creating an additional conversion opportunity.

Who it’s for

This app is designed for individuals new to or already practicing intermittent fasting who seek structure, guidance, and motivation. It appeals to users who are goal-oriented and appreciate data tracking for weight, water, and body measurements. The extensive library of recipes and coaching articles also makes it suitable for users who want to educate themselves on the lifestyle, not just track their hours.

Notes & opportunities

While the app is robust, the user experience could feel slightly fragmented by the frequent paywall prompts within the content sections. The sheer number of locked coaching articles and recipes in the free version could be discouraging for some users. Additionally, the initial onboarding quiz is quite long; while it adds to personalization, it could also be a point of drop-off for less patient users. Streamlining the path to the main dashboard could improve initial engagement.