Fitbit’s Material You Makeover: A Fresh, Expressive Look
▼ Summary
– The Fitbit redesign introduces Material 3 Expressive to the Android app, featuring new shapes and fluid motion.
– A shorter bottom bar with four tabs allows users to pull down to sync devices, triggering a loading animation.
– The app uses a floating toolbar with a FAB to switch between time periods for viewing metrics like Steps and Sleep.
– Each feed (Today, Fitness, Sleep) has a sheet motif with themed colors, but the app lacks Dynamic Color, using a default blue accent.
– This redesign, including an AI-powered coach, is launching next year and is currently in a US-only public preview.
Fitbit’s latest redesign introduces a significant visual overhaul for its Android application, adopting the expressive principles of Material 3. This update brings a more fluid and personalized interface, enhancing how users interact with their health data. A standout feature is the new bottom navigation bar, which is now more compact. Users can initiate a sync for their Pixel Watch or Fitbit device by simply pulling down from any of the four main tabs. This action activates a unique loading animation that cycles through the fresh M3E shapes. Once the sync completes, the “fitbit premium” label vanishes from the app bar, replaced by a straightforward linear progress indicator.
Material 3 Expressive shapes are prominently featured throughout the app, including as containers for checkmarks that confirm goal achievements. When viewing various metrics, a floating toolbar equipped with a floating action button allows seamless switching between different timeframes. For categories such as Steps and Sleep, the options are abbreviated to D(ay), W(eek), M(onth), 3M(onths), and Y(ear), while other sections display the full terms: Week, Month, 3 Months, and Year.
Each pill-shaped navigation element is paired with a floating action button that provides quick access to the new personal health coach. The Today, Fitness, and Sleep feeds utilize a sheet-based design motif. Important statistics at the top rest on a background layer that influences the color of the status and app bars. As you scroll, cards expand to fill the entire screen, with Fitness screens adopting a teal theme and Sleep screens featuring purple.
Despite these updates, the app has not yet incorporated Dynamic Color support. The bottom bar, toolbar, and floating action button continue to use the default blue accent color. Another major aspect of the Material 3 Expressive integration is the emphasis on fluid and natural motion. Transitions, such as moving from a statistics page back to the main tabs, feel smooth and organic. When the app first launches, charts animate in from left to right, adding to the dynamic user experience.
This redesign represents what is arguably Google’s most thorough implementation of Material 3 Expressive to date, particularly due to its advanced motion design. The level of M3E integration here surpasses even the recently updated Google Home app. The revamped Fitbit application, complete with its AI-powered coaching features, is scheduled for a full release next year. For now, this public preview is exclusively available to users in the United States.
(Source: 9to5 Google)
