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The Problem
Most fitness apps are not designed for users with limited mobility. They lack personalization, accessible interfaces, and emotional support, leaving many users feeling excluded, frustrated, and unmotivated.
How to solve it?
To design an adaptive, user-friendly fitness app that empowers people with limited motor function to exercise safely, track their progress meaningfully, and stay motivated through personalized support and community connection.
My role:
As the UX/UI Designer for the Remotion app, I led the end-to-end design process, guiding the project from early research to the final prototype. I shaped the user experience by translating insights from real users into thoughtful design solutions, ensuring accessibility was at the core. My role also involved making strategic decisions about layout, navigation, and interaction design, while continuously testing and refining to align the product with user needs and goals.
Responsibilities:
my responsibilities included conducting user and market research to identify key opportunities, developing wireframes and low to high-fidelity prototypes to visualize the app's design, executing usability studies to gather user feedback, and refining the design based on insights to ensure an optimal and engaging user experience.
User research: summary
I started with the assumption that users with limited mobility mainly needed simpler interfaces. Through persona development and competitive analysis, I learned their deeper needs include personalization, emotional support, and motivation. This shifted my focus from just usability to creating a more adaptive and empowering experience.
Persona
Aisha needs adaptive workouts that align with her variable balance and stamina because generic fitness apps don’t account for her prosthetic use or offer personalized feedback, leaving her feeling overlooked and unsupported.
"Some days are tougher than others, but moving forward even a little matters. I just want tools that understand that."
User journey map
Users personalize settings, follow adaptive workouts, track progress, and share achievements in a supportive community.
Paint Points
Lack of Personalization : Generic workout plans don’t adapt to users' physical limitations or energy levels.
Complex Interfaces : Too many options or unclear instructions overwhelm users with cognitive limitations.
Accessibility Barriers: Small touch targets and fast-paced content are not suitable for users with tremors or limited hand control.
Limited Social Support : No place to ask questions, share achievements, or get emotional support.
Starting the design
Sitemap
The sitemap is organized around a simple bottom navigation structure that prioritizes core user needs: accessible workouts (Home & Coach), progress tracking (Track), and personalization (Profile), ensuring ease of use for individuals with limited mobility.
Paper Wireframe
I began designing Remotion by sketching paper wireframes to quickly explore layout ideas. Using the crazy 8s technique, I generated multiple versions to focus on accessibility and user needs before moving into Figma.
Digital Wireframe
To boost motivation, I added a progress tracker that celebrates small achievements (like completing part of a workout). This feature helps users feel encouraged even when full workouts aren’t possible, directly addressing feelings of discouragement and inaccessibility in traditional apps.
Low-fidelity prototype
In this User Flow , the user logs into the Remotion app and goes to the Progress section to view their activity. If a workout was only partially completed, they can still log it and receive a micro-win to celebrate their effort. They have the option to reflect on the session, and the flow ends with a visual summary and motivational feedback to encourage consistency.
Usability study
To evaluate the effectiveness and accessibility of Remotion, I conducted two rounds of usability testing with users who have varying mobility limitations. The goal was to observe how easily participants could navigate the app, complete a workout, and track their progress.
Round 1 findings
Edit Button Visibility: Users struggled to find the "Edit Workout".
Font Size Preferences: Several users noted that some text was still too small
Home Screen Overload: Some users felt the home screen has too much information at once
Round 2 findings
Navigation Clarity: Users had trouble distinguishing between “Track” and “Progress,” leading us to simplify labels and icons.
Progress Feedback Timing: Users appreciated the micro-wins screen but suggested showing it immediately after completing a workout
Mockups
During the usability study, we discovered that users often overlooked the "Edit Workout" button, leading us to reposition it next to the workout title at the top of the screen for better visibility and easier access.
In the first version, we could only access achievements in the "Track" section, but after a usability study, we added a new page at the end of the exercise with the points and badges earned.
Accessibility Considerations
Customizable Workouts with Audio and Visual Guidance : The app allows users to adjust workouts to their ability level and includes simple visual cues and optional audio guidance, supporting a wide range of mobility and learning needs.
Simplified Navigation with Clear Icons and Labels: Navigation is streamlined with intuitive icons and clearly labeled sections (like “Home,” “Track,” “Coach”) to reduce cognitive load and make the app easy to use for users with motor or cognitive limitations.
Large, High-Contrast Text and Buttons ,accessible font sizes (16–20px+) and strong contrast between text and background, making it easier to read for users with visual impairments or cognitive processing challenges.
High-fidelity prototype
For the high-fidelity prototype of the Remotion app, I began by translating wireframes and user flows into detailed, interactive screens using a consistent visual style, accessible colors, and real content. I focused on clarity, usability, and alignment with our personas' needs. This process allowed me to test how users would interact with the app in a realistic way before development. The main advantage was that it helped me quickly identify usability issues and gather meaningful feedback, making the design stronger and more user-centered.
Link to Figma:
Takeaways
Impact:
The design of Remotion helped users feel more confident and motivated during their workouts, with participants highlighting how “finally, an app feels like it was made with my body in mind.” The accessibility-focused features made navigation and engagement smoother for users with mobility challenges.
What I learned:
Through this project, I learned how vital it is to design with empathy, especially when creating for users with mobility challenges. I deepened my understanding of accessibility standards, user research, and how small design choices (like button placement or font size) can significantly impact usability. Most importantly, I learned that inclusive design is not just functional, but empowering.
Next steps:
I would begin preparing documentation for handoff, collaborate with a developer to explore technical feasibility, and refine the design for an MVP launch.
I would plan initial outreach to potential users or partners in the accessibility and fitness space to gather feedback and build early support.
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