SoFiit
Multi-dimensional approach to wellness through movements, social engagement, and AI-enhanced data insights.
ROLE
Ui/Ux Designer
TIME
March 2023 - January 2024
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
User research, Ui/Ux design, Product Design, Research Analysis, Prototyping, User Testing
Through a multi-dimensional approach, SoFiit offers students the tools to set fitness goals, connect with workout partners, and participate in group activities—all powered by AI-driven data insights. The platform's mission is to foster a sense of community and improving overall wellness an easy, social experience for students.
As a design intern and then months later the founding Ui/Ux designer, my mission was bringing the SoFiit mobile app to life from the ground up. My responsibilities included conducting user research, crafting user flows, and developing wireframes and prototypes. I also helped with A/B testing and continuously refined the interface based on user feedback to ensure an intuitive and engaging user experience.
Everything started with a Google Form
When I first joined SoFiit, the platform was a simple Google form where students would answer questions about their fitness goals and preferences for a gym buddy. From there, we manually matched users based on what "felt right."
My task was to transform this manual process into a seamless, fully digital experience, designing an app that provided a personalized, data-driven approach to fitness matching and goal tracking.
The first stage of the design process was researching the problem.
Our team conducted user interviews with 80+ students as well as university staff members from various backgrounds.
Here are some pain points that we found:
Student Pain Points
University Pain Points
Current fitness solutions lack personalized features and social integration.
This results in missed opportunities for students to build community support that enhances their overall well-being and fitness commitment.
We found that…
of University students struggle with mental health and experience psychological distress.
of individuals express a desire to improve their fitness but don’t know how and where to start.
increase in commitment to fitness routines is observed among students with workout partners over those who exercise alone.
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Goals
To effectively address the identified pain points, I outlined specific design goals that guided my approach:
Competitive Audit
To differentiate SoFiit in the crowded fitness app market, I conducted a competitive audit of similar platforms, analyzing key features, user experiences, and engagement strategies.
By focusing on personalization, community-building, and user retention, I identified strengths and gaps in the market, gaining insights that informed SoFiit’s unique value propositions and guided design decisions throughout development.
User Flow
Based on these insights, I created user personas and mapped out the ideal user journey, ensuring that the app would cater to both fitness goals and social connections.
This informed a foundation for the app's design, guiding decisions throughout the process.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
To address the identified pain points, we developed tailored solutions from both the student and university perspectives.
For Students
= Providing the SoFiit app
For University
= Providing dashboard
[Onboarding]
[Home, Progress Dashboard, Buddies, Profile]
[To Match with a Buddy]
[Schedule a workout with your buddy]
Learnings
1. Vision into Action
When I joined SoFiit, it was just a concept—an idea waiting to be developed into a fully functional app that the community would actually use. Inspired by the team's passion and dedication, I found myself motivated to create something impactful, aligning with my mission as a creator to make a positive difference. One of the most fascinating aspects for me was running A/B tests on different user interfaces—changing wording or presenting information in a different order directly influenced user behavior. It was incredible to see how even small changes could affect user engagement and outcomes.
2. Cross-Department Collaboration
Working closely with different departments—product managers, finance, design, and engineering—taught me the importance of collaboration and teamwork. Each team had its own priorities, insights, and goals, which often led to spirited discussions where we had to align our visions and find a common path forward. My most valuable learning experiences came from cross-functional collaboration, where diverse perspectives enriched our process and sparked innovation. The challenge was not just in sharing ideas, but in listening, compromising, and finding solutions that balanced creativity, technical feasibility, and business goals. It reinforced for me that great products are born not from individual effort, but from a collective passion and dedication to a shared visionThis informed a foundation for the app's design, guiding decisions throughout the process.
Impact
Thank you!
Thank you so much to the entire SoFiit team for welcoming me to the SoFiit family as an intern and trusting me to lead the visual design months later.
Special shout out to Ruby Zhang, Kenny Wang, and Sam Siu, who made this experience extremely rewarding. Could not have done it without your support and guidance!
