HUSH has created four all-new games for Equinox's trademark in-studio competitive digital cycling platform 'The Pursuit by Equinox.' HUSH's suite of unique cycling experiences inspire participation while also helping users reach optimal performance.
"The first version of 'The Pursuit by Equinox' created a lot of interest, so our job was to augment and elevate the experience with games that integrate the instructor and game to deliver the most effective, physiology-driven workout possible," explained HUSH Founding Partner/Creative Leader David Schwarz. "The challenge was to really understand the way both the body and mind work in the context of a 40+ person group fitness experience - and how digital interaction, interface and technology can amplify that experience in both competitive and collaborative ways."
Compelled by the sociological nature of 'The Pursuit by Equinox,' HUSH drew up a design strategy and developed the four new games: Daredevils, Earthquake, Firestorm, and The Chase.
'Daredevils' turns riders into a virtual glowing ball of fire, which grows brighter as speed and resistance increases, eventually launching the ball into the air to determine the rider's score. 'Firestorm' has riders circled around a central glowing 'sun' in which they compete to pull in visualized energy (points) by faster pedaling. 'Earthquake,' on the other hand, tests upward mobility as riders, represented as white circular graphics, must move level to level to avoid a seismic natural disaster. Lastly, 'The Chase' evokes the aesthetics of Tron as riders pair up to race on a z-axis down an endless, minimalist road.
Despite the varying themes and scope of the new 'Pursuit by Equinox' experiences, HUSH had to maintain several unifying design components. This included visualizing consistent information (structure/data and metrics) as part of the overall UI, developing a compelling narrative arc for each game, allowing useful instructor integration, as well as highlighting the benefits of collaboration and competition while reducing any discouragement of failure.
However, these goals proved little challenge as HUSH and Equinox worked closely to rapidly concept, prototype, design and develop, and test each game. "Our iterative design and testing cycle was a hallmark to our experience approach," Schwarz commented. "This testing informed tons of decisions around game timing, effort, visuals, and how the instructor could facilitate a successful experience that feels natural to them and their audience."