Case Study

PT Motivator

Bringing the battle buddy mindset to fitness.

A military-inspired fitness app concept exploring accountability, community, and motivation beyond organized physical training.

PT Motivator app screens in gold and black: the Motivate login, Home with Challenge a Battle Buddy, Videos with live instructors and pre-recorded workouts, Find a Battle Buddy with a map, and the Motivate quote and cadence of the day

Explore Figma Prototype

Role: UX/UI Design, Research, Prototyping
Context: Personal design project · Military-inspired
Tools: Figma, Maze, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Status: Interactive prototype

The inspiration

Inspired by my time in the Army

During my time in the Army, physical training was more than exercise. It was about structure, accountability, and the people who pushed you to keep going.

I wanted to explore how that same sense of camaraderie could translate into a fitness app for soldiers training independently.

What if a fitness app felt more like training with your unit?

Research & early exploration

From insight to idea

I explored what motivates soldiers to stay consistent with physical training, using early research and my own military experience to inform the concept.

The Battle Buddy idea became central to the experience, shaping how I approached accountability, challenges, and community.

I moved from sketches to wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes before developing the final interface.

Eight grayscale low-fidelity wireframes showing the layout of image blocks, lists, and text for each app screen — Early sketches and wireframes exploring the app's structure and navigation.

The solution

Designed around connection

I developed four features that bring different aspects of military training into a mobile experience.

Find a Battle Buddy

Connect with a training partner for accountability and support.

Challenge a Battle Buddy

Explore friendly fitness challenges, including challenges that honor fallen soldiers.

Live & Recorded Workouts

Access concepts for guided workouts that fit different schedules.

Daily Motivation

Explore motivational content designed to encourage consistency.

Outcome & reflection

What I learned

PT Motivator gave me an opportunity to combine my military experience with my growing UX design skills.

I explored user needs, sketched ideas, developed wireframes, and created an interactive Figma prototype centered on accountability and community.

Looking back, this project reminds me that good design starts with understanding the people you're designing for, not just the features you want to build.

Next step: If I revisited the concept, I'd test the Battle Buddy experience with soldiers and veterans to better understand how they would use it in their routines.

Explore Figma Prototype