Kirsten Geiger
Work
About
Team
Self, Product Designer
Lin and Brodowski, Advisor
Timeline
16 weeks
Parsons School of Design
Major Studio 2
Area
Mobile App
Challenge
Incorrect lifting form can lead to serious injury.
There's no significant association between injury occurrence and gender, age, or body mass index. However, there is a significant association between injury occurrence and weight carried while lifting weights. Since casual lifters struggle to correct their form when lifting alone but continue increasing the weight carried, they risk serious injury.
Why is this problem important?
1 in 4
People reported doing weight-lifting activities weekly.
CDC, 2022
61%
Of weightlifting injuries are due to technical errors.
CBI Insight
Research & User Interviews
What is the current weightlifting experience?
To create a solution that would really help people, I first wanted to understand the current lifting experience. I conducted 7 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. Based on my insights, I identified 3 key pain points which informed my ideation process.
Correctly doing the exercises leads to better results, but it’s difficult to figure out what that ‘right way’ is on your own.
Trainers Are Too Expensive
Watching through videos or reading up on form is not as effective or safe as having real-time feedback as you are doing the movement. However, users didn't want to spend on a personal trainer.
Fear of Injuring Themselves
Lifters care about the correct form because they're nervous about getting hurt or pushing themselves too far.
Who am I designing for?
The Lifting Newbie
Weightlifting for 3 months
Behaviors
Just began lifting and following fitness influencer workout videos. They worry about getting hurt when trying a new set but find the personal trainers too expensive to start off with.
Goals
To get personalized guidance during workouts to make sure their form is correct and prevent injury.
The Dedicated Learner
Weightlifting for 5+ years
Behaviors
Working out is an essential part of their routine. They started researching proper form after a serious injury, not realizing they'd been doing the exercise incorrectly the whole time.
Goals
To consistently improve their form to optimize progress and see results like a new 'personal best' in weight carried.
The design challenge
Divergent Concepts
How will I address the pain points in my design?
I developed 3 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.
Low-fidelity prototypes
Biometric Tracking for Injury Prevention
When abnormal biometrics are detected by the user's smartwatch, the routine pauses.
Video Tutorials with
360° Viewable Poses
Users can see all angles of the proper form instead of just a video from 1 point of view.
Responsive and Visual correctional Feedback
Smart mirror tracks and analyses the user's form, providing real-time corrections.
What do users think?
After testing these concepts with 4 weightlifters, I gathered 2 key user feedback to that helped refine my design solution.
Desire for Real-Time Coaching
Users wished they had a trainer but found it too expensive. By creating a digital product, I could make these services accessible and affordable.
Feedback for Injury Prevention
Users wouldn't invest in a smart mirror but wanted the real-time feedback it provided.
Narrowing the Scope
How are lifters currently trying to solve this?
'Spotting' in weight training is supporting the person lifting.
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.
However, most choose to lift alone.
All the users I spoke to work out alone regularly and rarely go to the gym with a friend or coach because they schedule their workouts according to their schedules.
Could we 'spot' weightlifters digitally?
Human pose estimation for corrective feedback gets the most attention in AI fitness applications since it can analyze the movement of athletes in different scenarios using just a smartphone camera.
Identifying opportunities in the user journey
Outlining key features
Tailoring the product to the weightlifting experience
Track Users Form During Workouts
Do users want to choose when they're tracked, or would that be the default?
Alerts Ensure Safe, Optimal Lifting
How much form analysis information would be the most helpful for users, and when?
Personalized Progress Tracking
Will users want to compare the day's workout results with their progress history?
Iterations & Testing
Developing a product that teaches weightlifters the proper form
I started by sketching out different screens based on insights from my interviewees, including coach-led workout routines, form analysis and corrections, and post-workout analysis. To gain perspective on which screens were missing, important, or unnecessary, I created a system map outlining the correction feedback and post-workout flow.
Sketching
Home Page, Weekly Progress
Workout Video
Human Pose Estimation Tracking
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.
Mid-Fidelity Prototype
The Solution
Coach-Led Workout Videos
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.
Final design
Design decision
Focus on Quality Over Speed
✕
Timer and Progress Bar
Lifters prioritize quality over speed, so time indicating UI is unnecessary. Rather than taking videos, users prefer live analysis.
Remove Timers, Emphasize Rep
Removed the timer and progress bar. Highlight exercise names, reps, and weights instead. Toggle easily switches between modes for feedback.
Form Analysis and Corrections
Easily toggle between coach-led video and 'Spot Me' pose tracking mode. Incorrect form triggers bite-size audio and visual alerts- as a coach would! Modals disappear once the form has been safely corrected.
Final design
Instructional Video
Real-Time Form Feedback
Design decision
Alerts in Real-Time
✕
Lengthy Feedback
Need real-time feedback for immediate correction. Alert size and text were too small to read from afar. Prefers to read further information after the workout.
Bite-size, Real-time Alerts
Form alerts are large, simple, and audible. Fullscreen modal to capture the user's attention. An in-depth form analysis is given post-workout.
Post-Workout Analysis
End the workout with a brief performance recap and an option for detailed information on each set. See all alerts to see your mistakes and learn how to improve.
Final design
Post-Workout Analysis
Accuracy of All Workout Sets
In-Depth Analysis of a Set
Design decision
Personalized Progress Tracking
✕
Surface Level Achievements
Stats are too general- users want a set-by-set accuracy breakdown.
In-Depth Insights Into Workout
Show progress over week, month, and year. Highlight improvements in accuracy, alerts, and weights lifted.
Final design
Alerts Detected
Accuracy, Alerts, and Weights Carried Over Time
Reflections
What did I learn from this project?
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.
It's Important to Stay Curious
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.
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