Fitness App — Solo & Coach-Guided Training
Mobile fitness app combining self-guided workouts with personal trainer matching
Domain
Fitness
My Role
Product Designer (end-to-end)
Scope
Research, UI/UX, Usability Testing
Status
In develompent
OVERVIEW
A mobile fitness app for people who want structured workouts but struggle with motivation and finding the right guidance. Some prefer following video programs independently; others want a personal coach. I designed a product that serves both — from research through tested high-fidelity prototypes.
RESEARCH
Problem
The idea for this project came from a small team exploring opportunities in the fitness app space. The initial hypothesis was that existing apps force users to choose: either follow pre-made video workouts alone, or find a personal trainer through a separate platform. No product combined both experiences seamlessly.
Stakeholders wanted to validate this gap before investing in development. My role was to lead the full design cycle — from researching whether the problem was real, through designing and testing the solution.
Key questions we needed to answer
What actually prevents people from exercising consistently?
How important is a trainer for long-term motivation — and what do users value in a coach?
Is there a real demand for an app that combines self-guided and coach-led training?
Competitor analysis
I analyzed both self-paced workout apps and coach-finding platforms, reviewing their functionality and user reviews from app stores. Key takeways:
Most apps excel at either solo workouts OR coach matching, rarely both
Top user complaints: repetitive content, poor personalization, and difficulty finding the right trainer
Successful apps emphasize video quality and filtering options
Survey
To understand general exercise habits and pain points, I ran a survey focused on how and where people exercise, what challenges they face, and their experience with fitness apps.
72% exercise at home at least partially
Most common barrier: lack of motivation to train alone
60% have tried fitness apps but stopped using them within a month
In-depth interviews (4 participants)
Based on survey patterns, I formed hypotheses and tested them through interviews with people who regularly exercise both at home and in the gym.
Two quotes that shaped the design direction:
I don't like the boring and monotonous workouts that are often in apps. They are often not in the form of videos, so it's not interesting and I'm looking for something else
It's important for me to like the coach personally, to match our personalities. You can't understand it at once, so you just have to try.
Define
Based on the research, I created personas for two user types — those who train independently and those who prefer coach guidance — along with user stories and value proposition canvases.
Information Architecture
The IA helped identify that the app needed four primary sections: home/dashboard, workout library, coach discovery, and personal program management. Original plans had coach features buried in settings — research showed it needed to be top-level navigation.
User flows for key tasks
Two primary flows were mapped:
Finding and selecting a coach — emphasizing trial and personality fit
Selecting or creating a training program — emphasizing structure and scheduling
DESIGN DIRECTION
Visual style
Two moodboard directions were presented to stakeholders. The selected direction emphasizes energy and dynamism through bold typography, dark backgrounds, and vibrant accent colors.
Main app flow
Home screen with personalized workout recommendations, program library, and quick-start options.
Adding to calendar
Program creation
Users can build custom workout plans — selecting exercises, setting duration, and scheduling across the week.
TESTING
Usability testing with target users validated the core flows and uncovered two specific issues that were fixed:
Issue 1: Users couldn't find their saved program
Users added a program successfully but didn't know where it went. The confirmation modal buried this information in body text.
Before: Modal with decorative illustration and text that mentioned the location but didn't emphasize it.
After: Replaced illustration with a calendar graphic showing the program being added. Shortened text to clearly state where to find it.
Issue 2: Bright category cards broke visual hierarchy
All testers noted the green workout category cards dominated the screen, pulling attention away from equally important sections.
Before: Vibrant green cards for body-part categories competing with other content.
After: Neutral gray cards with green accents. Section now sits comfortably within the visual hierarchy.
Backlog created for next iteration
Testing also generated a prioritized list of improvements including clearer program vs. workout distinction, flexible reminder scheduling, and customizable exercise duration.
Results
Designed complete app from zero — research through tested high-fidelity prototypes
Usability testing confirmed high effectiveness and efficiency scores
SUS score indicated positive user satisfaction
Two critical UI issues identified and resolved before development handoff
Improvement backlog created for future iterations
