Spot Me
At a glance
Many lifters start casually without guidance, often risking injury as they increase weight with poor form. Spot Me helps with solo workouts by using AI-driven pose estimation to "spot" your form. It gives real-time feedback, so you can focus on lifting your best without the worry of getting hurt.
Principle Designer
4 months
Mobile App
As people increasingly shift to digital fitness, how can we improve their experience?
Since the pandemic disrupted many people's exercise routines, there's been a growing trend towards online experiences and health-tracking devices that have only continued to grow. I was curious to explore these emerging technologies to see if they could lead to a new kind of solution.
~ 1/2
Of Americans use virtual workouts and other digital solutions.
$6.86 bn
Predicted size of the global fitness app market for 2024 to grow to $10 bn in 2028.
24%
Expected annual expansion of the global virtual fitness market between 2024 - 2031.
Statista (2024)
How do people at different fitness levels use technology in their workouts?
To create a solution that would really help people, I first wanted to understand how they currently use technology in their fitness routines. I conducted preliminary interviews with a wide range of users, from beginners (< 1 year) to veterans (10+ years) and those who don't use any tech to power users.
I asked them why they started working out, what their current routines are, and what motivates them. This approach allowed me to identify 3 key problem spaces, which informed my ideation process.
Problem Space #1
Physical changes take a long time to see, so changes in data are very motivating.
Market.US, 2023
53% of respondents reported using a wearable device to monitor their fitness activity.
Dennis
weight lifting, biking
"It can take so long to see results, that's why it’s good to see you’re improving through the data. That’s how you know you're getting fitter, getting better, and getting faster."
ANGELIKA
weight lifting, CARDIO
“It was the best investment. I hate to workout without my watch. I have the tick if without it- where is it?”
Problem Space #2
Prefers coaching but find trainers too expensive. Instead, they follow online programs and routines.
National Library of Medicine, 2003
1-on-1 training is effectively changes attitudes and increases physical activity.
SOPHIA
CARDIO
"I would so love to have a personal trainer but who can afford that?"
NICOLE
RUNNING
"Instead of trying to come up with my own routine, I decided to try and see if the fitness watch program can actually get someone who doesn't work out at all to become active."
Problem Space #3
Hesitant to try new exercises because of fear of getting injured.
National Library of Medicine, 2017
Exercise-related injury was common in non-elite exercise participants.
HANA
CARDIO
"That's why I don't like to experiment too much as well because if I do it wrong, then I could injure myself."
VERA
running, yoga, weights
"One of the things I don’t like is when they only show the exercise video from one angle so you don’t know how to position yourself correctly."
1
How might we use biometrics to provide personalized feedback?
2
How might we digitally guide users in real-time through workouts tailored to their goals?
3
How might we leverage tech to teach users about correct form and prevent injury?
How will I address the pain points and problem spaces in my design?
I developed 4 divergent concepts to test with users and elicit strong reactions from them. I created low-fidelity prototypes to focus their reactions on the ideas rather than the design so that I could identify which solutions resonated with them and which to leave behind.
Concept 1: Quiz Generates Workout Routine
Concept 2: Alerts Prevent Overexertion
Concept 3: 360° Viewable Poses
Concept 4: Responsive Form Correction
Users were most drawn to real-time coaching and injury prevention-focused solutions, as they struggled with this when working out alone.
Progress Tracking Over Time
Highlight even minor improvements in statistics and leverage streaks to keep users motivated.
Visual and Audio Guided Workouts
Step-by-step guidance on which muscles to activate for each set. Planned weights, reps, and exercises.
Correctional Feedback
Use smartwatches and trackers to analyze biometrics, abnormalities should prompt personalized feedback to prevent injury.
How might we teach gym-goers the correct form and prevent injury during solo workouts?
Based on user feedback, I combined injury prevention (Concept 2) and form guidance (Concept 4) into a mid-fidelity prototype for testing. I narrowed my testing group to gym-goers who loved using apps and tech in their fitness routines. This led to 2 key insights that gave me my "A-ha!" moment.
Can it provide form correction instead of just showing it?
Users loved the idea of real-time feedback for their form correction and muscle targeting.
How can biometrics tell if I’m going too far when weightlifting?
It's difficult to tell if the muscle ache you feel is progressing or injuring when weightlifting.
And then I began to see a pattern —
Hao
weight lifting
"I hurt my shoulders really badly before because I wanted to make the weight heavier. I tried to train my chest, but I didn't know the right degree to do it in."
DENNIS
Weight lifting
"I kept pushing myself on the bench press until I ended up getting a really serious shoulder injury. Turns out, my form was wrong the whole time."
shaurya
weight lifting
"I was doing deadlifts and the posture wasn't right and I was alone at the gym without a trainer and I really hurt my back."
priyana
weightlifting
"I was doing bench presses wrong the whole time till last year. Just by memory, you can always still do something that’s incorrect form."
Dhruvil
weight lifting
"Since I don't have a lifting trainer, there's no one who's gonna correct me. This is very helpful because you can see how to do it correctly."
Casual weightlifters struggle to tell if their form is correct when lifting alone, which could lead to a severe injury.
Every weightlifter I spoke with had experienced serious injuries from lifting alone and pushing too hard, often without realizing their form was off. Unlike cardio workouts, where signs like shortness of breath or lightheadedness signal overexertion, weightlifting makes it hard to tell if the muscle strain you're feeling is from progress or injury.
Spotters help the athlete complete the lift, ensure proper technique, and prevent injury. They also boost an athlete’s confidence level and morale, leading to better performance during their workout.
61%
Of injuries in weight lifting are due to technical errors.
National Institute of Health, 2023
1 in 4
People reported doing weight-lifting activities weekly.
CDC via Everyday Health, 2022
0
Association between injury occurrence and gender, age, or BMI.
National Institute of Health, 2023
HPE gets the most attention in AI fitness applications, as it can analyze the movement of athletes in different scenarios using just a smartphone camera.
Based on the interviewed weightlifter's personal stories of how they injured themselves, I created a journey map to narrow down the feature goals into achievable design solutions.
I prioritized outlining the correction feedback and post-workout analysis flow in order to gain perspective on what's missing, what's important, and what isn't necessary.
Tailoring the experience to weightlifting needs.
After synthesizing all my focused research and narrowing down my potential features, I moved on to refining the prototype with my concentrated target user in mind- casual weightlifters. I started by sketching out different screens with elements my users resonated with, including coach-led routines, video for form analysis and tracking, correction alerts, and post-workout analysis.
I turned these sketches into mid-fidelity prototypes to enhance my UI elements. I tested them with casual weightlifters who had just started lifting and those who had been doing it for years to ensure the UX could easily be introduced into their routine.
Key Finding #1
Lifters focus on the quality of each rep rather than how quickly they can finish a set.
Place less emphasis on time tracking
Remove the timer and progress bar from 'Spot Me' mode
Emphasize exercise name, number of reps, and weights
Key Finding #2
Prefers to read detailed information on form correction after the workout.
Correction alerts should be bite-sized
Large text and fullscreen modal to capture the user's attention
In-depth form analysis information should be given post-workout
Key Finding #3
Curious to see how this workout’s accuracy compared to past ones.
Easily compare statistics over time
Allow users to switch between different period lengths to analyze progress
Leverage statistics to highlight improvements
An AI-driven fitness app that corrects your form in-real time so that you can keep the focus on lifting at your personal best.
Step-by-step Guide to Your Workout
Easily track this week's progress, motivating you to keep up the hustle. Workout cards and coach-led video tutorials make it easy to follow along each set and alleviate the stress of routine planning.
Pose Tracking for Real-Time Form Feedback
Easily toggle between coach-led video tutorials and 'Spot Me' pose tracking mode. When incorrect form is detected, it triggers bite-size audio and visual alerts on how to correct yourself- as a coach would! Modal disappears once your form has been safely corrected.
Diving Into Analysis Post-Workout
End the workout with a brief recap on how you did and gives an option for detailed information on each set's form accuracy. Lets you see all alerts to understand your mistakes and tips on how to improve.
Tracking Progress Over Time
Beyond today's workout, you can track your progress with that set over time including accuracy, alerts, and weight carried. Highlights even the smallest statistical improvements since it often takes longer to see changes physically.
What Did I learn?
Design Isn't a Linear Process
At the start of this project, I was uncertain about which fitness problem to tackle. It wasn’t until my mid-fidelity interviews that I focused on weightlifting. The process involved revisiting my research, but that’s the thrill of design— drawing, researching, testing, and repeating. Keeping the user’s needs as my north star guided me to a genuine area of opportunity.
Don't Forget About The Tech!
I love getting into UI and UX design, but that’s just one piece of the puzzle. Researching AI has shown me how crucial it is to stay updated with the latest tech to keep innovating. I think it’s all about balancing the tech we have with imagining what it could be to keep pushing the boundaries.