Designing an end to end mobile application for intermediate to advanced weight lifters

Weightlifters rely on tracking workouts to outline each session and monitor progress. Many follow programs from influencers and experts, often downloaded or purchased as files. However, existing mobile apps lack the ability to seamlessly import these programs and then follow them, requiring time-consuming manual entry.

My initial goal was to validate this with research and then design an app that automatically imports workout programs, eliminating the need for manual entry. However, research revealed that lifters need more than just data entry; they need insights to help them overcome plateaus and continuously build upon their performance in the gym.

Design and test an app that simplifies program imports and offers advanced progress tracking and analytics, giving users valuable insights to improve performance and stay focused on their goals.

Intelligent Program File Importing

Program Calendar

Algorithm/AI-Powered Insights

Active Workout Tracking

To discover what users truly needed, I conducted multiple research activities to better understand the problem. These activities included:

Conducted in-person and remote user interviews with 5 participants

Wrote up and sent out a survey with dozens of participants, 5 of which became the volunteers for the user interviews.

Conducted an in-depth competitive analysis of 5 different strength training mobile apps.

The research revealed a crucial insight: lifters desired more than just a convenient way to track their workouts; they sought meaningful, actionable insights to understand their progress and continually improve. While digital tracking devices offered convenience, they often fail to provide significant benefits over traditional pen and paper methods. This gap highlighted the necessity for a solution that not only simplifies workout tracking, but also delivers valuable insights, helping lifters overcome plateaus and achieve their goals.