PulseFit workout app

People use workout apps in the least forgiving conditions: sweaty hands, glaring gym lights and thirty seconds between sets. PulseFit’s logging screens needed four taps and a keyboard per exercise, so most users stopped recording after a week.

I spent three sessions at a local gym watching rather than asking. Thumbs did the work, and glances lasted barely two seconds. We set a rule that every key action must work one-handed, then prototyped swipes and timers to feel their rhythm before committing. Early testers wore gloves, which taught us more than any survey.

Large high-contrast set cards, a swipe to log and a rest timer that follows you across screens. Colour carries meaning, such as effort and recovery, so the interface reads at a glance. Motion is short and purposeful, never decorative. Every screen was checked against a thumb-reach map for both left and right hands.