Locker Instruction Poster for a Local Gym
Locker Instruction Poster for a Local Gym
Overview
Overview
A local gym owner approached me with a recurring issue: members frequently asked the front desk staff how to use the free lockers provided by the gym. While the lockers were meant to be a self-service amenity, the lack of clear instructions created unnecessary interruptions for staff and friction for gym-goers. I was tasked with designing an instructional poster that clearly explained how to use the lockers, helping to reduce confusion and improve the overall member experience.
A local gym owner approached me with a recurring issue: members frequently asked the front desk staff how to use the free lockers provided by the gym. While the lockers were meant to be a self-service amenity, the lack of clear instructions created unnecessary interruptions for staff and friction for gym-goers. I was tasked with designing an instructional poster that clearly explained how to use the lockers, helping to reduce confusion and improve the overall member experience.
Role & Timeline
UX UI Designer, Web design, User Research, Prototyping & Testing,
Jan 2025 - Feb 2025
Role & Timeline
UX UI Designer, Web design, User Research, Prototyping & Testing,
Jan 2025 - Feb 2025
Goal: Design a clear, visually engaging poster that instructs gym members on how to use the free lockers — minimizing staff interruptions and enhancing the self-service experience for members.
Goal: Design a clear, visually engaging poster that instructs gym members on how to use the free lockers — minimizing staff interruptions and enhancing the self-service experience for members.
The Challenge
The Challenge
Despite the lockers being simple to use, many gym members were unsure how they worked — leading to frequent questions at the front desk. This disrupted staff and created unnecessary friction in the member experience.
How might we create a clear, easy-to-follow instructional poster that empowers members to use the lockers confidently without needing to ask for help?
The poster needed to communicate quickly, work for a diverse audience, and align with the gym’s space and visual style — all while reducing the number of locker-related inquiries.
Despite the lockers being simple to use, many gym members were unsure how they worked — leading to frequent questions at the front desk. This disrupted staff and created unnecessary friction in the member experience.
How might we create a clear, easy-to-follow instructional poster that empowers members to use the lockers confidently without needing to ask for help?
The poster needed to communicate quickly, work for a diverse audience, and align with the gym’s space and visual style — all while reducing the number of locker-related inquiries.
Defining the Problem
Defining the Problem
Client Interview
I spoke with the gym owner to understand the scope of the issue, what questions members frequently ask, and where the poster would be displayed. This helped clarify the most common pain points and set constraints for content and placement. During our conversation, he:
Walked me through the full locker process, demonstrating how a member would lock and unlock their belongings using the built-in combination mechanism.
Pointed out all locker locations across the gym, including high-traffic zones like near the entrance and weight room. This helped determine where the posters would need to be placed for maximum visibility.
Specified that the poster should be designed to fit on a standard A4 sheet, so that it would be easy to print in-house and quickly replace if damaged or worn out. This constraint shaped both the layout and level of detail the design could include.
Client Interview
I spoke with the gym owner to understand the scope of the issue, what questions members frequently ask, and where the poster would be displayed. This helped clarify the most common pain points and set constraints for content and placement. During our conversation, he:
Walked me through the full locker process, demonstrating how a member would lock and unlock their belongings using the built-in combination mechanism.
Pointed out all locker locations across the gym, including high-traffic zones like near the entrance and weight room. This helped determine where the posters would need to be placed for maximum visibility.
Specified that the poster should be designed to fit on a standard A4 sheet, so that it would be easy to print in-house and quickly replace if damaged or worn out. This constraint shaped both the layout and level of detail the design could include.
Notes Made from client interview on paper
Hands-On Locker Walkthrough
I personally tested the lockers and documented each step of the locking and unlocking process. This helped me break the experience down into clear, logical steps and identify moments where confusion might occur.
Hands-On Locker Walkthrough
I personally tested the lockers and documented each step of the locking and unlocking process. This helped me break the experience down into clear, logical steps and identify moments where confusion might occur.
Competitive Analysis
To explore how other gyms approach locker instructions, I researched both online examples and reached out to friends who attend various commercial gyms.
Online Search: I came across an example from EOS Fitness, which provided a step-by-step guide in text form. While informative, it lacked visuals or diagrams, making it harder to absorb quickly — especially for first-time users or non-native English speakers.
Peer Outreach: I also contacted friends who attend other commercial gyms to see if similar signage existed. Most reported that no clear instructions were available, and when signage did exist, it resembled the EOS approach — text-heavy with little visual support.
This confirmed a clear opportunity: there was a gap in simple, visually driven signage for locker use. By combining visuals with minimal text, I could create a more effective, intuitive solution than what most gyms currently offer.
Competitive Analysis
To explore how other gyms approach locker instructions, I researched both online examples and reached out to friends who attend various commercial gyms.
Online Search: I came across an example from EOS Fitness, which provided a step-by-step guide in text form. While informative, it lacked visuals or diagrams, making it harder to absorb quickly — especially for first-time users or non-native English speakers.
Peer Outreach: I also contacted friends who attend other commercial gyms to see if similar signage existed. Most reported that no clear instructions were available, and when signage did exist, it resembled the EOS approach — text-heavy with little visual support.
This confirmed a clear opportunity: there was a gap in simple, visually driven signage for locker use. By combining visuals with minimal text, I could create a more effective, intuitive solution than what most gyms currently offer.
Notes Made from client interview on paper
Design
Design
Design Requirements
Must fit on a standard A4-sized sheet for easy in-house printing and replacement.
Should be legible from a short distance, likely in varying lighting conditions (e.g., locker rooms, hallways).
Should use clear step-by-step instructions
Should include visuals (not text-only) to support users with different language proficiencies or learning styles.
Should match the gym's aesthetic and tone.
Design Requirements
Must fit on a standard A4-sized sheet for easy in-house printing and replacement.
Should be legible from a short distance, likely in varying lighting conditions (e.g., locker rooms, hallways).
Should use clear step-by-step instructions
Should include visuals (not text-only) to support users with different language proficiencies or learning styles.
Should match the gym's aesthetic and tone.
Sketching
To begin visualizing the poster, I created rough sketches that broke the locker process into two clear sections: Locking and Unlocking. This separation helped minimize confusion, especially for first-time users who might only need one set of instructions at a time.
Each section included:
Step-by-step breakdowns, with numbered actions to guide the user through the process in order
Hand-drawn sketches illustrating each step, focusing on hand placement, lock rotation, and key actions
A clean vertical layout, allowing the two sections (Locking and Unlocking) to be scanned quickly from top to bottom
Sketching
To begin visualizing the poster, I created rough sketches that broke the locker process into two clear sections: Locking and Unlocking. This separation helped minimize confusion, especially for first-time users who might only need one set of instructions at a time.
Each section included:
Step-by-step breakdowns, with numbered actions to guide the user through the process in order
Hand-drawn sketches illustrating each step, focusing on hand placement, lock rotation, and key actions
A clean vertical layout, allowing the two sections (Locking and Unlocking) to be scanned quickly from top to bottom
Low fidelity mockup
After finalizing the structure and flow in my sketches, I translated the layout into a low-fidelity digital mockup. The goal was to test spacing, hierarchy, and alignment without focusing too much on visuals or styling yet.
In this phase, I focused on:
Translating the two-section format (Locking and Unlocking) into a clean, readable layout
Establishing typographic hierarchy, including a clear header, numbered steps, and supportive subtext
Blocking out space for illustrations using simple shapes and placeholders
Ensuring the entire layout fit cleanly on a standard A4 page, leaving enough white space for legibility
Low fidelity mockup
After finalizing the structure and flow in my sketches, I translated the layout into a low-fidelity digital mockup. The goal was to test spacing, hierarchy, and alignment without focusing too much on visuals or styling yet.
In this phase, I focused on:
Translating the two-section format (Locking and Unlocking) into a clean, readable layout
Establishing typographic hierarchy, including a clear header, numbered steps, and supportive subtext
Blocking out space for illustrations using simple shapes and placeholders
Ensuring the entire layout fit cleanly on a standard A4 page, leaving enough white space for legibility
High-fidelity mockup
With the layout and content validated in the low-fidelity phase, I moved into creating the high-fidelity mockup. This version incorporated visual polish, brand alignment, and final graphics to make the poster both functional and visually engaging.
Key refinements included:
Adapting the gym’s style guide, including typefaces and spacing conventions, to ensure the poster felt consistent with the overall brand environment.
Creating custom vector illustrations for each step, showing hand positions and lock movements with clarity and precision.
Using the gym’s signature red to highlight section headers, step numbers, and key actions — drawing attention to the most important areas of the poster and improving scannability.
Balancing visuals and text more effectively, ensuring each step had just enough explanation without overwhelming the user.
High-fidelity mockup
With the layout and content validated in the low-fidelity phase, I moved into creating the high-fidelity mockup. This version incorporated visual polish, brand alignment, and final graphics to make the poster both functional and visually engaging.
Key refinements included:
Adapting the gym’s style guide, including typefaces and spacing conventions, to ensure the poster felt consistent with the overall brand environment.
Creating custom vector illustrations for each step, showing hand positions and lock movements with clarity and precision.
Using the gym’s signature red to highlight section headers, step numbers, and key actions — drawing attention to the most important areas of the poster and improving scannability.
Balancing visuals and text more effectively, ensuring each step had just enough explanation without overwhelming the user.
Iterations
After presenting the high-fidelity mockup to the gym owner, he was very pleased with the clarity, layout, and visual appeal. However, during our review, he pointed out an additional need that hadn’t come up earlier: many gym members forget which locker number they used after their workout.
To address this, I made one final iteration by:
Adding a reminder section at the bottom of the poster that prompts users to note locker number.
Visually separating this note from the main instructions, while still using the gym’s red highlight color to ensure it stood out.
Impact
Impact
The poster was put on the lockers within the gyms on both ends of the lockers. After a month I reached out for an update. with the feedback received i saw this project as a big success.
Staff reported fewer questions about how to use the lockers after the poster was put up.
The owner may have mentioned this directly, or you can say something like:
“After installation, staff noted a visible drop in repetitive locker-related questions.”The gym owner was happy with how the poster solved a real problem at a low-cost
Because of the A4 format, the gym could reprint and replace the poster easily whenever needed — adding long-term value without extra design work.
The poster was put on the lockers within the gyms on both ends of the lockers. After a month I reached out for an update. with the feedback received i saw this project as a big success.
Staff reported fewer questions about how to use the lockers after the poster was put up.
The owner may have mentioned this directly, or you can say something like:
“After installation, staff noted a visible drop in repetitive locker-related questions.”The gym owner was happy with how the poster solved a real problem at a low-cost
Because of the A4 format, the gym could reprint and replace the poster easily whenever needed — adding long-term value without extra design work.