Scaling Expert Coaching: A Two-Sided Fitness Platform
Every trainer has more expertise to give than time allows. This project asked what happens when one coach's methodology reaches everyone at once.
Challenge
Fitness enthusiasts and busy professionals face real decision fatigue — juggling many disconnected apps for workouts, nutrition, sleep, and recovery, with no unified source of guidance. On the trainer side, the constraint runs the other direction: an elite coach builds a career's worth of expertise, but can only train so many people 1:1, and that window is finite — a coaching career has a shelf life long before the expertise stops being valuable. The product set out to close both gaps at once: give athletes a single, structured place to train, and let one trainer's methodology reach far more people than they could ever coach in person.
ROles
My role & contribution: Product Design | UI Design & Design System
Team contributors: Engineering | Users & volunteer testers | Trainers
User Research & Insights
A series of user observations and interviews indicated key features Athletes encounter when training.
From the interviews and survey’s foundation of key features Trainer goals and focus arose.
Persona of target users
Gym sessions revealed key pain points in workout logging and coaching:
Cumbersome data entry disrupted workout flow.
Tracking complex routines like DropSets and SuperSets was difficult.
Lack of structured reminders led to missed exercises.
Key Takeaways:
Optimized for one-handed use with essential actions placed for easy access.
Designed for quick logging with smart suggestions.
Interested in seeing more of the design?
Results & Reflections
Early Learnings from Alpha Testing:
✔️ Logging Workouts Needs Optimization: Users found manual entry tedious, prompting a more intuitive logging experience.
✔️ One-Handed UI Design Wins: Users praised the ergonomic layout, increasing engagement during workouts.
✔️ Dark Theme Preference: Half of test users found high-contrast mode improved readability.
Final Thoughts:
BawsHuman validated the need for a digital workout diary that reduces cognitive load and enhances workout efficiency. Despite development hurdles, this project reinforced the importance of real-world constraints, rapid iteration, and data-driven refinements to improve user experience.