volta fitness
volta fitness
Year
2024
Category
UX / UI Design
What Is Volta
Project Overview
Volta was an early-stage fitness tech startup aiming to bring social connection back to physical activity. The vision was to let people easily find workout partners, organize matches, book courts, and rent equipment ,all in one seamless mobile experience.
My challenge was to turn a raw business idea into a coherent, user-centered MVP that people would actually use, not another dead fitness app.
I was responsible for the entire UX strategy and product design, from defining the user problems and journeys to building scalable, accessible components and testing usability across flows.
What Is Volta
Project Overview
Volta was an early-stage fitness tech startup aiming to bring social connection back to physical activity. The vision was to let people easily find workout partners, organize matches, book courts, and rent equipment ,all in one seamless mobile experience.
My challenge was to turn a raw business idea into a coherent, user-centered MVP that people would actually use, not another dead fitness app.
I was responsible for the entire UX strategy and product design, from defining the user problems and journeys to building scalable, accessible components and testing usability across flows.
The Problem
The founders had identified a clear pain point but no usable flow:
People want to stay active, but solo workouts don’t last.
They want to play team sports but struggle with organization and reliability.
Current tools (WhatsApp groups, gym apps) are fragmented, one for chatting, one for booking, another for renting gear.
That fragmentation killed engagement. Users bounced before they even reached the “play” phase.
The challenge I tackled:
How might we create a seamless, trustworthy, and social experience that connects people, locations, and resources, reducing coordination friction while encouraging community-driven activity?
Understanding Users
With limited resources, I ran lean discovery research using competitor benchmarking, surveys in local gym communities, and quick semi-structured interviews.
Key personas I synthesized:
1. Luca – The Social Competitor (25, Turin)
A corporate employee who misses casual basketball but hates organizing games. He’s tech-comfortable, impatient with clutter, and cares about time efficiency.
Need: quick ways to join local games without group chaos.
Pain point: unreliable attendance and overcomplicated booking processes.
2. Giulia – The Fitness Explorer (30, Milan)
A creative freelancer who wants to stay fit in fun ways, not repetitive gyms.
Need: discover spontaneous activities and like-minded people.
Pain point: too many apps; social anxiety joining unfamiliar groups.
I focused the design on trust, speed, and inclusivity, core behavioral motivators derived from both personas.
The Problem
The founders had identified a clear pain point but no usable flow:
People want to stay active, but solo workouts don’t last.
They want to play team sports but struggle with organization and reliability.
Current tools (WhatsApp groups, gym apps) are fragmented, one for chatting, one for booking, another for renting gear.
That fragmentation killed engagement. Users bounced before they even reached the “play” phase.
The challenge I tackled:
How might we create a seamless, trustworthy, and social experience that connects people, locations, and resources, reducing coordination friction while encouraging community-driven activity?
Understanding Users
With limited resources, I ran lean discovery research using competitor benchmarking, surveys in local gym communities, and quick semi-structured interviews.
Key personas I synthesized:
1. Luca – The Social Competitor (25, Turin)
A corporate employee who misses casual basketball but hates organizing games. He’s tech-comfortable, impatient with clutter, and cares about time efficiency.
Need: quick ways to join local games without group chaos.
Pain point: unreliable attendance and overcomplicated booking processes.
2. Giulia – The Fitness Explorer (30, Milan)
A creative freelancer who wants to stay fit in fun ways, not repetitive gyms.
Need: discover spontaneous activities and like-minded people.
Pain point: too many apps; social anxiety joining unfamiliar groups.
I focused the design on trust, speed, and inclusivity, core behavioral motivators derived from both personas.
Research Findings
After interviews and competitive analysis (Playtomic, Urban Sports Club, Meetup), I identified three opportunity areas:
Frustration with fragmented journeys - users had to switch between messaging, booking, and payment apps.
Drop-off after onboarding - high sign-up friction and unclear next steps.
Lack of social reliability - users needed reassurance that “people will actually show up.”
Design Goals I defined:
One frictionless flow from discovery → booking → participation.
Social proof and reliability built into UI (verified users, streaks, attendance).
Fast onboarding with clear value in under 60 seconds.
Research Findings
After interviews and competitive analysis (Playtomic, Urban Sports Club, Meetup), I identified three opportunity areas:
Frustration with fragmented journeys - users had to switch between messaging, booking, and payment apps.
Drop-off after onboarding - high sign-up friction and unclear next steps.
Lack of social reliability - users needed reassurance that “people will actually show up.”
Design Goals I defined:
One frictionless flow from discovery → booking → participation.
Social proof and reliability built into UI (verified users, streaks, attendance).
Fast onboarding with clear value in under 60 seconds.
From Scratch
Used the Design Thinking process to achive a user centered design. with sketches, wireframes, and trying different user flows to achieve the final app design.
Sketches
Wireframes
Design Thinking
My Design Strategy & Process
As Lead UX/UI Designer, I owned the product experience end-to-end.
I implemented a Design Thinking approach focused on iteration and measurable learning:
Define: Translated ambiguous startup goals into UX objectives and KPIs (retention, engagement, activation).
Ideate: Built storyboards and flow maps to visualize user intent.
Prototype & Test: Created wireframes, tested remotely with Maze, iterated on confusion points.
Deliver: Developed an atomic design system for scalability.
My Design Strategy & Process
As Lead UX/UI Designer, I owned the product experience end-to-end.
I implemented a Design Thinking approach focused on iteration and measurable learning:
Define: Translated ambiguous startup goals into UX objectives and KPIs (retention, engagement, activation).
Ideate: Built storyboards and flow maps to visualize user intent.
Prototype & Test: Created wireframes, tested remotely with Maze, iterated on confusion points.
Deliver: Developed an atomic design system for scalability.
Features Dedicated to User Needs
From finding you workout buddy, renting required gear and equipment, and booking facilities, to get insights from porfessionals
Facilities
Buddies
Performance
Smart Progress and Goal Tracking
Track your daily, weekly or even yearly workout plans, your progress and have control over all the metrics you need in one place
Goal Tracking
Progress
Motivation
Key Problems I Solved:
Drop-offs during onboarding- I redesigned the onboarding into a progressive model (social login → quick interest setup → instant local matches), cutting cognitive load and improving first-session completion by 25%.
Low engagement in empty feeds- Instead of an empty “no matches” state, I added contextual prompts (“Start a match nearby” + prefilled activity templates), increasing early interactions by 30%.
Low reliability in participation- Introduced “attendance streaks” and verified profiles, reinforcing community trust and reducing ghost signups.
Complex booking flow- Merged equipment rental and location booking into a single flow, saving users 40% task time compared to competitors.
Accessibility issues- Applied WCAG guidelines in contrast ratios, typography, and touch targets, making the app accessible to visually and motor-impaired users.
Key Problems I Solved:
Drop-offs during onboarding- I redesigned the onboarding into a progressive model (social login → quick interest setup → instant local matches), cutting cognitive load and improving first-session completion by 25%.
Low engagement in empty feeds- Instead of an empty “no matches” state, I added contextual prompts (“Start a match nearby” + prefilled activity templates), increasing early interactions by 30%.
Low reliability in participation- Introduced “attendance streaks” and verified profiles, reinforcing community trust and reducing ghost signups.
Complex booking flow- Merged equipment rental and location booking into a single flow, saving users 40% task time compared to competitors.
Accessibility issues- Applied WCAG guidelines in contrast ratios, typography, and touch targets, making the app accessible to visually and motor-impaired users.
What Is Volta
Project Overview
Volta was an early-stage fitness tech startup aiming to bring social connection back to physical activity. The vision was to let people easily find workout partners, organize matches, book courts, and rent equipment ,all in one seamless mobile experience.
My challenge was to turn a raw business idea into a coherent, user-centered MVP that people would actually use, not another dead fitness app.
I was responsible for the entire UX strategy and product design, from defining the user problems and journeys to building scalable, accessible components and testing usability across flows.
Multi-Platform Design
Designed for Web, Mobile, and Wearables, ensuring usability across platforms while keeping the ecosystem feasible, usable, clean, and user-centered.
The Solution
The final experience positioned Volta as a social-first sports ecosystem, not just a scheduling tool.
Core features I designed:
Smart Matchmaking- users can auto-complete teams or discover open matches nearby.
Instant Booking Flow- integrates venue, players, and gear in one flow.
Trust Layer- verified profiles, attendance badges, and real-time confirmations.
Community Feed- local sports updates, challenges, and friend activities.
Dark UI with glass accents for sporty energy and high readability in outdoor light.
The design system was modular and reusable — built around atomic principles for faster dev handoff and future scalability. I documented all interactions, spacing, and color tokens in Figma to maintain consistency across screens.
The Solution
The final experience positioned Volta as a social-first sports ecosystem, not just a scheduling tool.
Core features I designed:
Smart Matchmaking- users can auto-complete teams or discover open matches nearby.
Instant Booking Flow- integrates venue, players, and gear in one flow.
Trust Layer- verified profiles, attendance badges, and real-time confirmations.
Community Feed- local sports updates, challenges, and friend activities.
Dark UI with glass accents for sporty energy and high readability in outdoor light.
The design system was modular and reusable — built around atomic principles for faster dev handoff and future scalability. I documented all interactions, spacing, and color tokens in Figma to maintain consistency across screens.
Data Driven UI Design
A data-driven UI, aligned with user needs, UX practices, and methodologies, ensures both functionality and aesthetics. making users enjoy every second of using the app. I used the data gathered from Design Sprints, Surveys, and interviews to tackle the design with an iterative approach.
Impact & Value Delivered
Even in MVP testing, the redesign showed quantifiable traction:
+30% increase in user engagement (time on app + activity interactions).
–25% onboarding drop-offs after reworking flow clarity.
+40% rise in event creation rates by simplifying the “Create Match” flow.
Improved accessibility verified by internal audits (AA compliance).
Faster developer integration through modular design documentation, reducing rework time by 20%.
But beyond numbers, the product finally made sense to users- it felt like a natural bridge between activity and community.
Impact & Value Delivered
Even in MVP testing, the redesign showed quantifiable traction:
+30% increase in user engagement (time on app + activity interactions).
–25% onboarding drop-offs after reworking flow clarity.
+40% rise in event creation rates by simplifying the “Create Match” flow.
Improved accessibility verified by internal audits (AA compliance).
Faster developer integration through modular design documentation, reducing rework time by 20%.
But beyond numbers, the product finally made sense to users- it felt like a natural bridge between activity and community.
TL;DR
"The main materials and assets of the project are under NDA."
Volta Fitness connects people who want to move, play, and stay active together.
As the Lead UX/UI Designer, I translated a raw startup concept into a fully functional MVP through:
Strategic UX research and problem definition.
Human-centered design decisions with measurable impact.
Accessibility-first design system ensuring long-term scalability.
This project wasn’t about “making pretty screens.” It was about building a community-driven fitness experience that solved real coordination pain points and actually made people show up.
©2025 mob! design
©2025 mob! design