Content distribution & replayability

Content distribution & replayability

My role

As the sole Product Manager at Holodia, I worked with our multidisciplinary team and founders to define the product strategy and roadmap. I conducted user research and interviews, designed a new onboarding experience, and led the development of a groundbreaking AR experience from concept to launch. I collaborated closely with the CEO, COO, and lead engineer to ensure our goals aligned with both user needs and business objectives.

Product

Holofit is a VR fitness app with a subscription model that motivates users to work out with rowing machines, bikes, and ellipticals. With captivating virtual environments (Holoworlds) like Antarctica and underwater scenes, users can immerse themselves in their workouts. However, as a subscription product, maintaining user engagement was a challenge, especially with a small team and limited resources.

Problem definition

Holoworlds are the most loved feature by our users, but their lifecycle was short. Each world took 4–6 months to produce, meaning we could only release 2–3 Holoworlds per year. Users quickly wore out the novelty of a new Holoworld within 1–2 months, which impacted user engagement.

Additionally, while the game featured collectible trophies within the Holoworlds and seasonal events, they lacked meaningful rewards. Users collected trophies simply for the sake of it, with no incentives to ‘catch them all’ or showcase their achievements

Our challenge was twofold:

  • Extend the replayability of Holoworlds without increasing development time.
  • Increase user motivation to engage with collectible features.

Solution

To address these challenges, I first redesigned the release strategy for Holoworlds. By utilizing existing multi-path capabilities, we released the main track initially and followed up with additional paths each month. This transformed a single-month release cycle into a 3–4 month rollout, delivering consistent new content without added development effort.

Next, I introduced randomization to Holoworlds, making certain characters and elements appear unpredictably during sessions. This made environments feel dynamic and ‘alive,’ extending user interest and engagement.

Finally, I designed new unlockable rewards, such as holoships and avatar outfits, attainable only by collecting all trophies within an environment or seasonal event. This provided users with tangible, shareable incentives to fully engage with the collectible system.

Metrics

These changes led to significant improvements in user engagement:”,

  • 22% increase in total workouts during the first four months of Holoworlds released in chapters compared to previous releases.
  • A consistent trendline for workouts in the new Holoworlds, with a noticeable spike at the final chapter release.
  • 53% increase in overall trophies collected during a season.
  • 470% increase in users who collected all trophies in a season compared to the previous year.
  • 36.7% increase in average monthly time spent per user compared to the previous year.

Key takeaways

  • How to maximize content value through innovative release strategies, even with limited resources.
  • The importance of introducing variability and unpredictability to extend user engagement.
  • The power of meaningful rewards in driving user motivation and retention.
  • A deep understanding of user behavior and data analysis, enabling impactful product decisions.
  • The value of aligning user and business goals to achieve measurable success.