Vitruvian screens

Redesigning Vitruvian’s workout builder:

Cut workout creation time by 50% leading to significant reduction in user complaints

Vitruvian is a Perth-based fitness tech startup redefining at-home strength training through smart resistance hardware and a connected mobile app (think of it as a smart gym in your living room). One of our core features, the workout builder, was also one of the most criticised. From Instabug and app reviews to support tickets and social media posts, user frustration with this experience was loud and persistent.

As the lead product designer embedded in a lean, fast-moving team, I drove a full redesign of the workout builder from discovery through to delivery. There was no product owner at the time (just a mission and some chaos) so I identified the problem, prioritised the work, defined the vision, and led design delivery end-to-end.

The problem

The workout builder was designed around technical constraints, not user needs. It didn’t reflect how people actually train, especially advanced lifters who are used to supersets, circuits, or structured sets.

Users described it as slow, repetitive, and frustrating. Building even a basic program required re-adding the same exercise multiple times. Sets couldn’t be grouped. Workouts became long, cluttered lists.

Despite being central to the product, the builder was:

  1. Time-consuming and repetitive
  2. Not aligned with how users actually train at the gym
  3. Contributing to retention risk for our most engaged user group
  4. Generating the most support complaints across the entire app

⬇️

Had enough case studies? Skip ahead to see the pretty pictures and stats!

Discovery work

Example of how you would create a workout previously
Example of how you would create a workout previously

User testing

Competitor analysis

Ideation

Collaboration & delivery

As the main designer on this stream, I worked closely with the broader product team to ensure successful delivery:

Developers

  1. Worked in Kanban but stayed ahead to reduce blockers
  2. Brought devs into early design conversations and WIP critiques
  3. Developers had direct access to Figma, commenting async on flows and specs
  4. Joined moderated user testing sessions and research playbacks to build empathy and contexts
  5. Regularly discussed edge cases and feasibility to align UX with technical constraints

Coach

  1. Validate accuracy of exercise logic and program structure
  2. Review and iterate on training-specific terminology and flow
  3. Partnered to gather product content when no writer was available

Other designers:

  1. Reviewed work with a part-time senior designer, but primarily worked independently
  2. Ran self-directed design critiques and validated direction based on user insights and product goals

Product, UX Writing, and BA (roles I covered)

  1. Acted as stand-in product owner and BA, setting priorities, writing tickets, and managing scope
  2. Wrote all in-product copy and empty states, leaning on insights and SME input
  3. Aligned priorities with business needs and user impact, especially in the absence of a dedicated product team

Final solution

The final solution focused on enhancing user efficiency and satisfaction:

  1. Default Straight Sets: Adding an exercise now defaults to three straight sets, with additional sets copying the values of the preceding set, saving time for users.
  2. Grouped Straight Sets: All straight sets are grouped together, with their values displayed on a single card, reducing screen clutter and making it easier to review the entire workout.
  3. New Scroll Pickers for Weight: To address complaints about the time-consuming weight adjustments, we introduced scroll pickers that allow users to quickly set weights while ensuring safety by capping the maximum weight based on personal bests.
  4. Supersets and Circuits: These were introduced as optional features that users could easily integrate into their routines, offering more advanced workout customization without complicating the main flow.

Creating a workout with straight sets
Creating a workout with straight sets
Creating super sets in a workout
Creating super sets in a workout

⚠️

You’ll notice the branding shifted partway through. This change was the result of an unplanned but urgent rebrand initiated by the marketing team during the project.

Launch

When the redesign of the workout builder launched globally, it significantly reduced the steps involved in the workout creation process, cutting them by around half. The update was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback on social media, and user complaints regarding the workout builder dropped to almost zero.

Faster workout creation speed

+50%

With 50% fewer steps for workout creation, despite offering more advanced functionality.

Feature support tickets reduced to

0

By end of year, a dramatic shift from being the feature with the most customer support tickets.

Vitruvian launch screens

Looking ahead

This project taught the value of proactive UX leadership in ambiguous spaces. By starting with real user problems, validating insights, and iterating quickly, we shipped a solution that meaningfully improved both experience and retention; even without a formal product process in place.

Moving forward, there are opportunities to further personalise the experience such as:

  1. Customising default settings such as sets, reps, training modes, and rest times
  2. Drag-and-drop support for structuring workouts
  3. And maybe a dark mode. People love a dark mode.