Product direction · UX design · Workout app

STRIDE: Designing for workouts that change.

I designed and directed STRIDE, a mobile-first workout planning and logging app built for the realities of active training.

Plan → Build → Train → Review → Repeat
STRIDE home dashboard showing a live workout, upcoming planning actions, and recent workout history. STRIDE Active Workout screen with editable strength and cardio entries during a three-exercise workout. STRIDE completion review showing saved workout totals and a completed Back Squat exercise summary.
Project
STRIDE
Year
2026
Type
Independent workout app
Status
Personal project
Role
Product direction, UX design, information architecture, prioritization, prompt engineering, review, manual testing, and product validation
Technical partner
Codex for AI-assisted implementation
Platform
Mobile-first web application
Tools
React, TypeScript, Vite, Supabase, Playwright, Codex
The opportunity

From faster logging to a full workout lifecycle.

I built STRIDE because the workout tools I used felt slow, fragmented, and difficult to adjust during training. Logging speed was the original problem, but planning, building, tracking, and reusing workouts also felt disconnected.

STRIDE connects planning, active logging, and review so the workout remains continuous from setup through completion.

Active workout

The workout could change without losing momentum.

Equipment becomes unavailable, exercises change, and the interface needs to keep pace.

I redesigned completed exercises as compact summaries so logged work stayed accessible without competing with the current movement. Exercise replacement preserves compatible values and confirms changes that could remove existing work.

The interface should become lighter as the workout progresses.
Earlier
Earlier STRIDE Active Workout design showing three completed exercises as fully expanded cards.
Current
Current STRIDE Active Workout design showing the same completed exercises as compact green summary cards.
Completed exercises moved from fully expanded cards to compact summaries that remain accessible when needed.

Exercise replacement

Replace an exercise without breaking the flow.

Choose a replacement, confirm the change, and continue in the active workout.

  1. 01 Active workout
    Active Workout before replacement, with Back Squat values and completed sets alongside two other exercises.
  2. 02 Choose
    Movement picker searching for Bench Press while replacing Back Squat.
  3. 03 Confirm
    Confirmation dialog explaining that compatible Back Squat workout data will be preserved when replacing it with Bench Press.
  4. 04 Continue
    Active Workout after replacement, with Bench Press retaining the compatible weights, reps, notes, and completion state.
Automation + Recovery

Automation that stays reviewable

STRIDE reduces the effort of repetitive setup while keeping important decisions in the user’s control.

Paste a workout, review uncertain matches, resolve them, and turn the result into an editable plan.

  1. 01 Paste
    STRIDE workout import with a pasted Lower Body Day plan ready for review.
  2. 02 Review
    Imported workout review showing matched movements and a Leg Curl entry that needs a movement selection.
  3. 03 Resolve
    Imported workout review after Leg Curl is resolved to Seated Leg Curl and all movements are matched.
  4. 04 Edit
    Editable STRIDE Builder plan created from the reviewed workout import.
Role & AI-assisted process

Product direction, accelerated by AI.

STRIDE is the result of product thinking, design decisions, and continuous iteration, supported by AI-assisted implementation.

I conceived and directed STRIDE—its priorities, workflows, interaction rules, and completion standards. I wrote implementation briefs and reviewed every change in the working product.

Codex accelerated implementation, testing, and iteration. Product direction, UX judgment, prioritization, and final acceptance remained mine.

AI handled the repetitive.
I handled the decisions that matter.

Vanessa

  • Identify the opportunity and define the problem
  • Set product priorities and success principles
  • Design workflows and interaction rules
  • Write implementation briefs and requirements
  • Review in context, test, and accept changes

Product direction, UX decisions, and final acceptance stay with me.

Codex

  • Implement features and components
  • Write and run automated tests
  • Refactor and optimize code
  • Validate changes and prevent regressions

Implementation support and verification.

Review → Test → Refine

Each cycle improves the product. Nothing ships without review and testing.

Continuous iteration builds a better workout experience.

Directed Product strategy, UX, priorities, and requirements
Implemented Codex handled the build, tests, and automation
Tested Every change was tested on mobile
Refined Requirements evolved through real-world use and iteration

Reflection

Building STRIDE changed my understanding of what makes a product feel finished. I expected visual polish to be the hardest part, but the deeper challenge was making every interaction feel as considered as the interface looked.

I originally thought the Build page would be the center of the product. Through real use, I realized the active workout mattered more. Planning happens occasionally; logging happens every session. That shifted my focus toward speed, continuity, and removing anything that interrupted the workout.

My standard became simple: a feature was finished when I could use it without thinking about the interface. Working with Codex made it possible to turn ideas into working experiences quickly, but the real value came from testing those ideas, recognizing friction, and refining them until the product felt natural.

  1. 01

    Look beyond the screen

    A product can look polished and still feel difficult. The experience has to carry the same level of care as the visual design.

  2. 02

    Design around real behavior

    The most important workflow is not always the one you expect. Real use revealed where attention and refinement mattered most.

  3. 03

    Refine until the interface disappears

    The strongest interactions support the user's goal without calling attention to themselves.

STRIDE reinforced something I'll carry into every product I build: the most meaningful improvements rarely come from adding more. They come from understanding where people lose momentum, then designing experiences that help them keep moving.