SUMMARY

FitUni in a nutshell?

FitUni supports college students in their health journey through personalized workouts, guided tutorials, and on-campus resources. From mental health to movement, it creates an accessible space where users build balance and confidence in their well-being.

THE PROBLEM

College life often disrupts or discourages healthy routines.

Between busy schedules, academic stress, and new independence, college students experience a drop in physical activity. Research shows that 60.9% of first-year students gain an average of 7.5 pounds, with inactivity considered a key risk factor alongside smoking and obesity (1, 2). Although exercise improves mental and physical health, many struggle to find motivation or structure to stay active. Regular movement also enhances focus and academic performance (3), yet these benefits are often overlooked.

How might we make wellness more accessible and sustainable for students within the demands of college life?

USER RESEARCH

What factors influence students’ relationships with fitness?

To gain user insights, I spoke with 4 students and collected survey responses regarding routines, challenges, and goals.

Rooted in user research, I developed a user persona that encapsulated the target audience’s needs, pain points, and goals.

MARKET RESEARCH

What gaps exist in the current fitness space?

Competitive analysis showed limited guidance and customization across apps.

Comprehensive and free apps are rare → not budget-friendly
Most apps prioritize tracking over learning → beginner inaccessibility
Exercise incentives are surface-level → short-term motivation
Marketed as inclusive → better suited to mid-advanced users

DESIGN OPPORTUNITY & CRITERIA

Educational → learning resources that appeal to varying fitness levels
Rewarding → reinforces positive habits and retains engagement
Affordable → access to quality content without additional costs
Personal → caters to users’ experience levels, goals, and preferences

Creating a highly educational and personal product.

After identifying a gap in the market, I defined 4 crucial design criteria.

IDEATION

Exploring product features!

I explored a wide range of potential features through mid-fi wireframes. While a final app would include more, I selected 3 features to develop further, focusing on the concepts with the strongest user impact.

SITE MAP

Laying out the information architecture.

DESIGN LANGUAGE

Developing FitUni’s design identity and system.

Create Your Own

For ultimate customization, users can design workouts by selecting muscle groups, equipment, and time. FitUni recommends matching exercises, and routines can be built from the library or saved favorites.

FINAL DESIGNS: INTRODUCTING FIT UNI

Filter Content

Learn: Fitness

FitUni delivers personalized, accessible fitness education. The app curates content based on users’ workout experience, preferences, and goals. Users can also filter by equipment and muscle groups to quickly find exercises that target what they need.

Learn: Well-Being

FitUni goes beyond fitness by offering well-being resources that are often overlooked in existing apps, especially for college students. Users receive guidance on mental health, nutrition, and self-care to support both their academic and fitness goals.

Tutorial Videos

Articles

Educational Quizzes

Mental Health Articles

Nutrition Articles

Self-Care Articles

Workout

FitUni features warm-ups, workouts, and cool-downs organized into an editable weekly plan tailored to each user’s goals and experience. Users can also filter by what they need, and every exercise includes a demo and instructions.

Campus Resources Link

Curated Weekly Split

Warm Up/Cool Down

Filter Content

Streamlined Building

Set Preferences

REFLECTIONS

This project refined my instincts in choosing what matters and designing with intent!

Figuring out which features to prioritize.
FitUni had many possible features, but with limited time, I could only explore a handful in depth. Focusing on core features helped keep the experience focused and meaningful.
Letting ideation run its course.
I mocked up a wide range of ideas surrounding the design criteria. Casting a wide net early on kept the project flexible and helped me later identify which ones had the most potential.
Building a brand and visual language that fits the users.
I centered the design kit around accessible color palettes and rounded components. I wanted to ensure that these choices enhanced the product’s purpose in making wellness content inviting and approachable.

FitUni

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FitUni ⋆

Empowering students to build lifelong fitness habits.