Following my initial ideation, I discussed my early concepts with my lecturer, which helped me refine the direction of the project. Through this conversation, I began to focus more specifically on home fitness, rather than fitness in general, and started to explore how the experience of working out at home could be improved.

During this stage, I began questioning what a home gym could be beyond traditional equipment. Instead of simply replicating a physical gym environment, I explored the idea of a more immersive and responsive system, where the space itself could support and adapt to the user. Early ideas included environments where data could be displayed around the user, feedback could respond to effort or mood, and the overall experience could feel more engaging rather than repetitive.

I also explored how feedback could play a larger role in home fitness, considering how systems could track workouts, monitor performance, and respond to user input such as effort, progress, or emotional state. This included thinking about how tone, difficulty, and feedback could adapt in real time to create a more personalised experience.

Supporting research into home fitness behaviours reinforced this direction. It highlighted that lack of motivation and energy are key barriers to engaging in fitness, along with time constraints and busy schedules. It also showed a growing preference for working out at home, suggesting that improving the quality of that experience could have a meaningful impact.

I also looked at wider trends within the fitness industry, which showed increasing interest in personalisation, AI-driven systems, and connected technologies. These trends suggested a shift towards more intelligent and adaptive fitness experiences, rather than static or one-size-fits-all solutions.

Overall, this stage helped me move from general fitness ideas towards a more focused exploration of home fitness as an environment, and how technology could be used to make that experience more engaging, personalised, and responsive to the user.