Role
UX Researcher
Interaction Designer
Team
5 members
Timeline
6 weeks
The Challenge
Many fitness experiences assume solitary participation, overlooking opportunities for community-driven engagement.
While current fitness applications facilitate limited social engagement among acquainted individuals, they fail to extend these connections beyond in-app communication.
Our Solution
Say hello to your game-changer: MoveMate. Meet people in your area to keep you accountable for getting your movement in.
By leveraging the communal nature of gyms, the platform encourages users to connect, share progress, and motivate one another in shared local spaces.
This approach addresses the challenges new gym-goers face in maintaining routines by creating opportunities for mutual support, balancing individual success with collective motivation, and fostering engagement through social accountability.
Join & motivate others in local workouts
Schedule sessions in your area to avoid long commutes
Confirm workouts through simple photo check-ins
Earn recognition and incentives for consistency
Our Approach
Through piggyback prototyping, we were able to rapidly test our ideas and observe how 38 users engaged with the MoveMate experience firsthand.
Apps we used to simulate the experience
User Flow
The user flow illustrates how new users navigate through MoveMate — from onboarding and pairing with a workout partner to completing daily challenges and tracking progress. Mapping this flow helped us clarify key decision points, simplify interactions, and ensure a smooth experience that motivates consistent engagement.
Prototyping V1
We conducted a “Wizard of Oz” live prototyping session with 38 users to observe real-time interaction and community dynamics. This method allowed us to test key social behaviors and identify moments of friction and engagement before committing to full product development.
Onboarding
Through Airtable, users were asked a series of questions related to their availability & personal goals.
User Profiles
The Airtable was synced via Zapier to Trello and users were able to locate their profiles populated with their information.
Meet your Movemate
Users were matched according to their availability and were asked to find the person with the same fruit as them.
Moment of Movement
Users were prompted to take their accountability picture with their partner.
Post to the feed
To simulate the social feed experience, users uploaded photos with their Movemate to a Padlet board, enabling interaction through comments and likes.
Prototyping V1
Users completed a post-session survey to help us collect feedback to improve the social interaction prompted by MoveMate.
“Will you be matched with the same person every day, and if so, what happens if your partner does not go but you do?”
“Is this an everyday activity? Consider how you might simulate the passage of time.”
“Seeing other people with their pairs was another extrinsic motivator besides the obvious prizes.”
Considerations for Next iteration:
How might we organize partnerships so that the individual users are not penalized if their MoveMate is not available one day?
How can we simulate multiple days in a prototype session to create a more realistic experience?
While using a third party application to piggyback our prototype, how might we elaborate on the design to improve the user’s experience?
Prototyping V2
During this live session with 40 individuals, we incorporated user feedback to strengthen MoveMate’s emphasis on autonomy and personal progress.
Individual Progress
To sustain motivation and flexibility, we designed a daily challenge wheel that assigns users a new physical activity each day. MoveMates can continue earning points toward their goals even when their partner isn’t available.
This feature maintains the spirit of collaboration while recognizing that fitness journeys must adapt to real-life circumstances.
Final Prototype
While UI design wasn’t the core focus of this project, clarity and ease of use were still essential to the experience. In this iteration, we translated feedback from live sessions into interface refinements that improved flow, accessibility, and user confidence.
Wire frame for check-in process