EXHIBIT · PELOTON

Peloton — case exhibit

Peloton

Fitness meets gaming in Lanebreak, Peloton’s music-driven multiplayer cardio where cue-routine-reward loops had to feel native to the brand across platforms. I owned wireframes, interaction flows, leaderboards, and design-system components while partnering with engineering on A/B tests and analytics.

Role
Product Designer · UX/UI, interaction flows, design system
Year
2023–2024
Duration
Aug 2023 – Jun 2024
Tools
Figma · Jira · Google Analytics

BRAND SPECIMEN

01

THE BRIEF

Make cardio feel like a game, not a chore.

Lanebreak is Peloton's music-driven, game-like ride. The brief was to turn repetitive indoor cardio into a habit-forming experience that still felt unmistakably Peloton across bike, tread, and app. I joined as lead product designer in a small pod (head of product, creative director, and PM), owning the gameplay UX.

  • User engagementMotivate diverse members across fitness levels and music taste
  • Brand cohesionOne Lanebreak experience that holds across platforms
  • CollaborationStreamline design-to-dev handoff in Figma
  • Scalability & safetyShip fresh content without compromising a safe ride
  • Lanebreak in context: members choose it alongside Just Ride and Scenic Ride.

Peloton pod · Lead Product Designer

02

THE MECHANISM

A habit loop: cue, routine, reward.

Lanebreak runs on the same loop behind habit-forming apps like Duolingo. The cue is choosing a workout and a track; the routine is completing "Moments" while steering lanes to the music; the reward is points, stars, and a place on the leaderboard. Designed well, that loop turns a single workout into a standing habit.

  • Cue

    • Choose a workout and music track
    • Set a difficulty tier

  • Routine

    • Complete Moments: Runs, Streams, Breakers
    • Steer lanes in time with the music

  • Reward

    • Earn points and up to three stars
    • Rank on the global leaderboard
  • Three Moment types give the routine its shape: Beats, Streams, and Breakers.

Habit loop: cue → routine → reward · Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit (2012)

03

THE INSIGHT

Social validation is the strongest reward.

The reward that compounds isn't points. It's people. Gamification reliably lifts activity, but the lift fades unless the mechanics stay social and adaptive rather than merely novel. A post-ride leaderboard that ranks riders globally by difficulty turns a solo workout into a competition — and that competition is what brings members back. Social validation became the center of gravity for the design.

+12%player retention, attributed to the multiplayer leaderboard's social validationA/B testing · multiplayer mechanics
  1. Just RideSolo, self-paced cardio
  2. LanebreakGamified, music-driven ride
  3. CompetingRanked globally on the post-ride leaderboard
  4. Habit formedReturns for the loop; retention compounds
  • The post-ride leaderboard ranks riders globally by difficulty, turning a solo ride into a competition.

Gamification & physical activity meta-analysis · Mazéas et al., 16 RCTs, N = 2,407 (JMIR, 2022)

04

THE DESIGN RESPONSE

Difficulty tiers, Moments, and a world-ranked leaderboard.

This is where my work lived. I designed the gameplay wireframes and interaction flows, the difficulty system (Beginner through Expert, plus a Custom output mode), the three Moment types, and the multiplayer leaderboard with a star-based reward, all built as reusable Figma components so the experience held across platforms.

+20%session duration from the optimized gameplay flows and "Flow State" mechanicsLanebreak gameplay UX
  • By implementing the star-based reward system and clearer difficulty tiers, we achieved a 15% higher workout completion rate.
  • Difficulty tiers from Beginner to Expert, plus a Custom output mode.

05

THE OUTCOME

Gamification proved a real retention lever.

The redesign wasn't a visual overhaul. It was a data-driven result: across retention, session duration, and completion, the gamified loop beat standard rides. The bigger takeaway is directional. If social validation is what compounds, the loop is worth extending and measuring on longer horizons, not just shipping.

  • Proven

    • The habit loop is a retention lever, not a novelty
    • Social validation drives the core lift

  • Next

    • Extend the loop to more music and class formats
    • Adapt difficulty to each member over time
    • Deepen social layers: friends, cohorts, rivalries

  • Measure

    • Long-term streak retention, not just session lift
    • Engagement with social and leaderboard features
    • Completion by difficulty tier
  • Members reported that the 'Habit Loop' mechanics transformed their fitness routine from a chore into an addictive, rewarding experience that felt native to the Peloton brand.

Outcome and design direction · Peloton Lanebreak

  1. LANEBREAK

    Multiplayer Lanebreak: habit-loop gameplay where music, moments, and lane navigation earn points, stars, and leaderboard rank.

    Gameplay-aligned flows improved session depth and workout completion across platforms.

    View presentation →
Paul Banks[ ID: BANKS_P ]

CHARLOTTE_NC //

Paul Banks

Architect of Intent

Designing for humans, engineering for agents. After 19 years extracting human patterns, I've pivoted from crafting static interfaces to architecting autonomous systems — building the logic that helps agents understand what people actually need.

> INITIATE_DOWNLOAD: PAUL_BANKS_RESUME.PDF> SEE: BRAND_VOICE_WORK