From Play to Progress: Gamification Strategies for Supporting Long-Term Health Goals in Fitness Apps

Fitness apps in China show low user stickiness compared to other mHealth applications. Young Chinese adults often face body dissatisfaction, low physical activity, and disordered eating, while existing app features rarely support sustainable healthy lifestyles. This highlights the need to improve user experience (UX) to better motivate users and encourage long-term behaviour change. This study employs case studies and interviews to explore how gamification can motivate user engagement and support skill development. The findings suggest that: (1) tasks should accommodate users’ capacity for gradual growth, (2) digital rewards need to align with users’ interests, and (3) tasks and rewards should be designed to accompany users throughout their fitness journey. These insights offer practical gamification strategies for enhancing motivation and integrating meaningful engagement into fitness app design.