Human-Powered Fitness

A workout app powered by people, not presets.

Mobile app

B2C

Fitness

[2024]

[2024]

📘 Overview

This was a mobile app for serious, goal-driven fitness users. But unlike typical workout apps, it wasn’t about templates - it was about human connection. Real coaches uploaded new workouts every week. Real voices guided you in real time. And when you were working out, others saw it. They could cheer. They could high-five. It felt alive.

Our goal was to design a platform that could:

  • Motivate people without guilt or pressure

  • Make training programs feel fresh, not recycled

  • Encourage consistency through real-time energy

Services

Product Design, UX Strategy, Interaction Design

Client name

Undisclosed Fitness Startup

Team

Vahan Kirakosyan, Lead Product Designer
Alex Rivera, Product Manager
Lena Cho, Head of Content
3 Coaches
1 Researcher

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Users & Audience

Primary Users were:

  • People training from the gym, at home or on-the-go

  • Users seeking flexible yet structured workout programs

  • Fitness fans craving accountability without 1:1 coaching

Secondary Users:

  • Beginners looking to ease into strength training with support

  • Community-focused people who enjoy peer momentum

🎯 The Challenge

"Most fitness apps feel cold, repetitive, or way too generic."

We heard this a lot. Users were tired of scrolling endless programs, only to be met with boring plans and no feedback. What they wanted was a sense of presence - someone there with them, guiding, encouraging, pushing.

Our challenge was to design a system that:

  • Let coaches upload new content every week

  • Delivered workouts with real-time voiceovers

  • Allowed users to log effort and weights without breaking flow

  • Created a social layer without becoming another feed

🧠 My Role & Team

My Role: As Lead Product Designer, I defined the product direction, mapped out the end-to-end experience, and led design execution across multiple stages. I collaborated closely with stakeholders and product leadership to balance coaching philosophy with usability.

Team Collaboration:

  • I owned the UX strategy, interaction flows, and core product decisions

  • Collaborated with a coaching team that provided weekly training content

  • Worked alongside researchers and copywriters to align tone, pace, and structure

🔍 Research & Insights

We spoke to fitness enthusiasts, new members, personal trainers, and users of competing apps like Nike Training Club and Centr. What stood out:

  • People love progress, but they need context

  • "Just tell me what to do today" came up constantly

  • Logging reps needs to feel like part of the workout, not homework

  • Audio makes or breaks trust — tone matters

This shaped our key experience pillars: clarity, guidance, connection.

78%

Users crave human interaction.

In interviews, over three-quarters said they stayed consistent longer when they felt "someone was in it with them."

78%

Users crave human interaction.

In interviews, over three-quarters said they stayed consistent longer when they felt "someone was in it with them."

64%

Workout apps felt too generic.

Most users said templated plans didn’t feel motivating or adaptable to their real-life energy levels.

64%

Workout apps felt too generic.

Most users said templated plans didn’t feel motivating or adaptable to their real-life energy levels.

82%

Audio guidance increased trust.

Users who heard real-time coaching said they felt more confident they were doing exercises correctly.

82%

Audio guidance increased trust.

Users who heard real-time coaching said they felt more confident they were doing exercises correctly.

70%

Community boosts commitment.

Seven out of ten users said knowing others could cheer them on made them more likely to finish their workouts.

70%

Community boosts commitment.

Seven out of ten users said knowing others could cheer them on made them more likely to finish their workouts.

✍️ Design Artifacts

We began with whiteboards and user flows focused on:

  • Workout navigation and journal views

  • How and when users log weights and reps

  • Placement and timing of audio prompts

We iterated through multiple versions of intensity sliders, daily calendars, and coach-to-user communication models.

Visual clarity and minimal interruptions were critical.

Before moving into high-fidelity, we also spent time refining core interactions in low-fidelity wireframes.
These early layouts helped us map the real workout experience — not just the screens.

We focused on:

  • The flow between browsing programs and starting a session

  • How users log intensity without breaking workout rhythm

  • Integrating live cheering without feeling distracting

  • Keeping navigation minimal during active workouts

Working in low-fidelity let us catch friction points early — and stay focused on experience first, visuals second.

Vahan Kirakosyan

Product designer

If you like what you see or have any questions, feel free to send me an email anytime.

Vahan Kirakosyan

Product designer

If you like what you see or have any questions, feel free to send me an email anytime.

Vahan Kirakosyan

Product designer

If you like what you see or have any questions, feel free to send me an email anytime.

🎨 Hi-Fidelity & Design System

Once the core interactions felt right, we moved into high-fidelity execution.

The focus was on creating an interface that felt intense, alive, and clear - without overwhelming users in the middle of a workout.

We built a system where:

  • Dark backgrounds kept users locked into their session

  • Accent colors surfaced milestones and progress moments

  • Typography stayed bold and direct, minimizing cognitive load

  • Microinteractions added energy without adding friction


Every design decision served one goal:

Keep users moving - physically and digitally.

The final UI tied together coaching, logging, cheering, and community with one consistent visual language.

📝 Case Study Summary

This project was about more than tracking workouts. It was about designing motivation, momentum, and connection into an experience people actually want to return to. With a deeply human approach to fitness, this app blended real coaching, community energy, and adaptive structure to help users stay consistent — without feeling robotic or generic.

As a Lead Product Designer, I led the entire design process from user research and flow mapping to UI, prototyping, and final delivery. This case study walks through how we built a truly social and flexible workout platform from the ground up.


✅ Outcome

The experience was warmly received. New users reported higher satisfaction in weeks 1–2 compared to benchmarked fitness apps. Community engagement grew 3x over baseline. People reported feeling more connected and more consistent.


🔁 Reflection

Designing for fitness is never just about reps. It’s about rhythm, voice, presence, and pace. This project pushed me to think like a coach, not just a designer - and reminded me that people don’t need more content. They need more connection.

Selected work

[2022 -2025]

Internal Operating System for Print Shops

Fulfillment, HR, reports — all in one.

Internal Operating System for Print Shops

Fulfillment, HR, reports — all in one.

Internal Operating System for Print Shops

Fulfillment, HR, reports — all in one.

Quoting, Rebuilt for the Field

Send jobs faster. Win work sooner.

Quoting, Rebuilt for the Field

Send jobs faster. Win work sooner.

Quoting, Rebuilt for the Field

Send jobs faster. Win work sooner.

Human-Powered Fitness

A workout app powered by people, not presets.

Human-Powered Fitness

A workout app powered by people, not presets.

Human-Powered Fitness

A workout app powered by people, not presets.

Transforming Leadership Online

A data-backed redesign for a coaching-first institute.

Transforming Leadership Online

A data-backed redesign for a coaching-first institute.

Transforming Leadership Online

A data-backed redesign for a coaching-first institute.

Los Angeles

Available for work

Let’s create something great together.

I'm not just here to design products; I'm here to connect with people.

Los Angeles

Available for work

Let’s create something great together.

I'm not just here to design products; I'm here to connect with people.

Available for work

Let’s create something great together.

I'm not just here to design products; I'm here to connect with people.