Fasting Coach-Fasting Tracker

The Marathon Onboarding: Personalization Overload?

Fasting Coach doesn't rush things. It takes users through a staggering 23 onboarding steps. Why? It's all about hyper-personalization and building commitment before the ask.

From the moment you open the app, it dives deep:

📊 Body Data Deep Dive: It’s not just height and weight. The app asks for current weight, target weight, body shape (Apple, Pear, etc.), estimated body fat percentage, and even target body fat percentage. This level of detail immediately signals a highly tailored experience. Units can be switched between kg/cm and lb/ft, accommodating user preference.

🏃‍♀️ Lifestyle Assessment: It doesn't stop at physical stats. Users input their work schedule (9-5, night shifts, flexible, retired) and daily exercise levels (from infrequent to high-level). This paints a picture of the user's routine, crucial for recommending realistic fasting windows.

🎯 Goal Setting & Expectation Management: The app calculates BMI based on inputs, provides feedback ("Normal," "Easy goal"), predicts a target completion date (e.g., 12/12), and asks users how much weight they expect to lose per week, offering a recommended sustainable speed. This grounds the user's aspirations in reality.

🤔 Addressing Pain Points: It proactively asks, "Are you facing the following problems? I don't know how to pick the right fasting program for me?" This preempts user uncertainty and positions the app as the solution before revealing the plan.

The entire process feels less like setup and more like a consultation. While long, each step reinforces the idea that a truly custom plan is being generated, increasing perceived value.

Engineering the Conversion: Soft Paywall & Urgency Plays

After meticulously gathering data and generating a "Your exclusive plan is being generated..." screen (complete with progress bars and social proof testimonials), Fasting Coach presents its paywall. It's a classic soft paywall – you see the promise of the plan, but access requires payment.

Key tactics observed:

💰 Aggressive Discounting: The yearly plan is heavily favored, often shown with steep discounts like "83% OFF," framing the monthly cost ($2.50/mo) as significantly cheaper than the standalone monthly option ($14.99/mo).

⏱️ Urgency Triggers: Pop-ups like "ONE TIME OFFER" with further reduced weekly pricing ($0.48/week) and banners like "Get your special discount - Expired in 00:29:49" aim to rush the decision.

✨ Value Reinforcement: The paywall often reiterates key plan aspects ("For Beginner," "For woman Ages: 31~35," "16-8" fasting type) and promises "Cancel Anytime" to reduce commitment friction.

This strategy filters for users already invested after the long onboarding, maximizing the chance they'll convert to unlock the plan they just spent significant time creating.

Inside the App: A Feature-Rich Fasting Hub

Once past the paywall (or if accessing limited free features), Fasting Coach offers a comprehensive toolkit:

⏱️ Fasting Timer: The core feature, allowing users to track fasting windows (e.g., 12-12 "Easy Mode", 16-8), showing time elapsed, start/end times, and providing information on fasting stages like Ketosis and Fat Burning (Lv. 5).

🥗 Meal & Calorie Logging: A detailed food diary. Users can log Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks. It includes a searchable recipe database with nutritional info (calories, macros per 100g), options to adjust portion sizes (grams), and even add custom foods. Adding items shows an "Added to calorie log" confirmation.

🏋️‍♂️ Exercise Tracking: Users can log various activities, from common options like Bicycling and Dance (with intensity levels and duration) to creating custom activities with estimated calorie burn. Logged exercises appear in the diary.

🎥 Workout Library: Offers guided video workouts categorized (e.g., "Hot Ranking," "Premium Member's Choice") like "Body energy activation" or "Full body fat burning." Users can preview exercises and log completed workouts, seeing estimated calories burned and muscle groups worked. Workout reminders can also be set.

📈 Progress & Insights: A central diary tracks daily calorie intake vs. goal, calories burned, and logged meals/exercises. A dedicated 'Me' or profile section tracks weight changes over time with graphs, BMI updates, and progress towards the target weight. "Daily Insights" offer tips and Q&A relevant to fasting.

🍽️ Dietary Guidance: Beyond tracking, the app provides info on different diet types (Paleo, Vegetarian, Mediterranean, Low-sugar, Muscle-gaining) and outlines "Fitting" vs. "Forbidden" groups for fasting based on health conditions.

Retention Hooks & Engagement Loops

Keeping users engaged in a long-term goal like weight loss is key. Fasting Coach incorporates several tactics:

Personalized Journey: The custom plan and ongoing tracking provide a sense of individual progress.
Visual Feedback: Graphs, BMI gauges, and calorie counters offer constant visual reinforcement.
Content Drip: Daily insights and Q&A aim to provide continuous value and education.
Reminders: Workout and potentially fasting reminders help build routine.
(Potentially Fake) Social Proof: Elements like "Susan has won the premium" might be used to create perceived activity and incentivize upgrades, though their authenticity is questionable.

Final Thoughts: A High-Commitment Strategy

Fasting Coach employs a deliberate, high-friction onboarding process designed to deeply personalize the user experience and build significant investment before presenting the paywall. While its public metrics appear low, its strategy—combining detailed data collection, strong paywall psychology, a feature-rich core app, and active ad spending—suggests a focus on attracting and converting highly motivated users willing to pay for a comprehensive tool.

Analyzing flows like these reveals the intricate strategies apps use to guide users from first tap to loyal subscriber. Understanding these hidden patterns is crucial for anyone building or marketing a mobile app today.