Phase One

Problem Statement

Existing fitness and social media platforms prioritize false advertising of exercises and diets, neglect health, and focus solely on monetization and algorithmic bias of user accounts. Our app will fill this void by offering an enjoyable, personalized, and welcoming merging experience, featuring an overview of weekly statistics, an engaging community feed, and a customized profile page.

Method

In this project, we employed the Goal-Directed Design (GDD) process, a product design methodology developed by Alan Cooper. This approach prioritizes crafting designs that align with user needs and goals while also addressing business requirements. The subsequent sections will walk you through each phase of GDD, starting from Research to Refinement. Within these sections, you'll find documentation that highlights insights, challenges, and solutions identified by our design team. This project was undertaken as part of the IAD3000 (Interaction Design I) course at Kennesaw State University under the supervision of Dr. Michael Lahey.

Phase Two

Research

The Research phase of Goal-Directed Design focuses on collecting qualitative data and pertinent information about the subject, domain, and potential users relevant to the product. This phase consists of four major steps: Kickoff Meeting, Literature Review, Competitive Audit, and User Observation/Interviews.

Kickoff Meeting

During Kickoff Meetings, stakeholders introduce the project idea to both design and development teams, which delve into discussions about users, competitors, and challenges, engaging in brainstorming sessions to address fundamental questions. In our class project, there was no official kickoff meeting.

As the team leader, I chose a collaborative approach for the Kickoff Meeting and Stakeholder Interviews. I conducted an affinity map session to brainstorm and collaborate, then assigned each team member a specific part of the research process.

Literature Review

The Literature Review allows designers to dive deeper into relevant literature concerning the upcoming product and its domain. This step is crucial as the gathered insights serve as the foundation for more informed stakeholder and subject matter expert (SME) interviews. I tasked my team individually in this section, focusing on researching nutrition, social media, fitness, influcencers, and current technology that is thriving in the market.

Competitive Audit

In the Competitive Audit phase, the design team reviews systems, interactions, and interfaces of existing products in the same domain. This helps designers understand the strengths and limitations of specific features, along with trends and design patterns in comparable products on the market.

In this research phase, my team and I extensively explored our competitors to comprehend their perspectives and approaches to product development. We specifically studied successful fitness apps like Nike Run & Training Club, Apple Fitness +, Fitbit, Strong, and MyFitnessPal. Analyzing these apps enabled my design team to identify areas where we could enhance our offering in the market. Through thorough observation and analysis of each platform, we gained a clearer understanding of our objectives. Moreover, aligning with our kickoff meeting statement, my design team and I will concentrate on features, reminders, pricing, and the capability to export/import data from wearables like Apple Watch, FitBit, or Samsung Watch, to grasp an understanding of what's been working in the market.

Phase Three

User Research Interviews

In Goal-Directed Design, ethnographic interviews are used to gather essential qualitative data, providing a deeper insight into users and their goals. This approach combines interactive observation with guided interviews, seeking to understand interviewees' contexts and comprehend their attitudes, beliefs, and values related to the product's domain.

The user research process started with creating the Persona Hypothesis, a set of assumptions about potential users and the behavior variables to be observed. The team decided to focus on variables related to interviewees' activities, attitudes, motivations, and skills. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, in-person user observations were not possible. However, we conducted five online interviews with college students who matched our Persona Hypothesis profile, all conducted via video calls.The majority of our users were in their early twenties and had embraced a fitness lifestyle at some point. With each interviewee having a unique approach to staying fit, we aimed to design an app that brings together individuals with various fitness preferences to connect and learn. Additionally, we inquired about their nutrition practices, including whether they track calories, engage in meal prep, or follow a specific diet to complement their lifestyle.

Through the conduction of five user interviews, my team was able to gather patterns, responses, and diverse viewpoints from individuals to pinpoint and finalize an improved comprehension of our data to create our user personas.

Affinity Mapping

Affinity mapping enabled my team and me to observe recurring characteristics in each interview. As we conducted interviews, we identified a consistent pattern of overlapping behaviors, thoughts, and observations that caught our attention. After completing the interviews, we collaboratively discussed our notes, identifying similarities and connecting points to create groups that incorporated the main observations derived from each interview.

Phase Four

Modeling

The modeling phase in Goal-Directed Design required my team to craft primary and secondary personas, portraying the perspectives of users. Personas, though fictional, are models constructed based on behaviors and goals, representing a broad user group. They offer a clear insight into how different users may behave and their reasoning. Personas play a vital role in Goal-Directed Design as they guide the development process, focusing on user goals. Informed by research and behavior patterns, our personas enabled us to design for specific individual types, addressing various challenges that can hinder product development. They served as a powerful means of communication and analysis, ensuring that the design was thoroughly understood and appreciated by users.

Roxie serves as our primary persona, representing the central focus for Physique. She embodies behaviors like the desire to incorporate exercise into her daily routine, along with motivation and consistency to attain her fitness goals. She desires to be part of a community that inspires her to become a better version of herself.

Lucas, our secondary persona, mirrors behaviors such as maintaining a structured schedule and fitness routine, displaying a passion for workouts, and actively sharing fitness information.

Phase Five

Requirements

The Requirements phase in GDD is important since designers turn their research and observations into solutions that meet user needs. They consider technical constraints and ensure alignment with business goals. As a team, we crafted context scenarios—narratives illustrating the imagined activities of the persona. This approach facilitated the identification of requirements aligned with the structure and functionality of our app. Essentially, our primary goal was to deliver an app where Roxie could learn and explore the path to health within a positive and supportive community.

Key requirements include:
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A visually appealing integration of fitness and social media
A dashboard displaying weekly statistics on nutrition and personal stats
A feed to observe the journeys of those you follow
A Profile Page for sharing personal fitness journeys, routines, and accessories.

Phase Six

Frameworks

In the context of GDD, the frameworks phase allowed us to sketch a rough draft of Physique by incorporating key paths and validation scenarios. This phase enables visualization of user goals, behaviors, and needs in a wireframe, outlining the user's journey through a low-fidelity prototype. Once we had a clearer understanding of our requirements, we seamlessly transitioned to frameworks to bring our vision to life. Our wireframes maintained simplicity from start to finish, primarily focusing on outlining the app's structure. They served as a tool to illustrate how we intended to structure and incorporate functionality into the app, emphasizing simplicity and effectiveness. As each team member crafted their wireframes, various user paths became evident, streamlining the prototype process for everyone.

Regarding our wireframes, I realized that I overlooked the importance of this phase, which led to delivering inadequate skeletons. Underestimating wire-framing was the root of complications my team came across because it affected our comprehension and performance of our final prototype. We didn’t value the importance of a design system, components, and a visual system as a whole in the framework stage. Tackling the user interface design in small increments didn’t work effectively as we prioritized the overall appearance, rather than the entire experience.   

Phase Seven

Refinement

In the final phase, our focus shifted to prototyping on Figma, emphasizing the functionality of the app. We aimed to maintain a functional and user-friendly structure, transitioning from a low-fidelity framework to a fully functional, high-fidelity prototype. Our goal was to deliver an app that is both informative and helpful while being engaging and powerful. To provide a sense of comfort and balance, we incorporated certain characteristics from popular social media apps. We opted for simple, welcoming, and balanced colors to ensure a positive user experience.

Following two usability tests, we received feedback confirming a seamless flow and an effective overall experience. Acknowledging this feedback was crucial to avoid potential complications and frustration for users, a priority we aimed to uphold, particularly in the context of social media.

Furthermore, I created our logo to finalize the brand identity of Physique for my team. This served as a visual representation to convey the value, communicate the brand's identity, establish a memorable and distinctive presence, and foster recognition among the target audience. As a team, we knew it would create brand awareness and leave a lasting impression on consumers.  

^{Logo Alternative}

^{Black and White Logo}

^{Official logo}

^{Secondary Logo}

Phase Eight

Takeaways

Physique was my first experience in Interaction Design where I inclusively led and managed a product design project. It was an interesting opportunity to observe how we all collaborated to solve a problem. My team’s performance was always prioritized, therefore learning to balance out my team’s strengths and weaknesses to execute an efficient workflow was part of the challenge. However, we managed to circulate our schedules and tackle our pain points to get past our limitations.
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After all, I understand the importance of organization and the Frameworks phase. If additional time was given, I would’ve implemented a stronger overview to structure our design insights during our weekly check-ins and project timelines. I think this would’ve helped my team to grasp a clearer perception of Physique, especially during the Frameworks phase. It all bounces back together, which demonstrates that an improved structure could’ve led to improved wireframes by following principles of information architecture and performing more well-rounded user interviews.
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It was an exciting experience to not only create but lead a product design project from beginning to end. I learned the significance of creating seamless experiences requires patience, communication, and structure. I also learned that I enjoy guiding individuals and implementing a positive space to share and grow together. Thankfully, I can apply my knowledge and expertise in future projects and a team of designers!

The Problem

Existing kiosks prioritize transactions over people

Most retail kiosks are built for contactless speed, not for connection. They handle transactions efficiently but miss the moment entirely: the shopper who wants guidance, personalization, and a reason to feel confident in their purchase. Aura was designed to fill that gap, an interactive kiosk that integrates with retail stores to deliver seasonal color analysis, streamlined online order pickup, and item reservation, all within one cohesive, personalized experience.

Research

What we learned before touching a screen

Using Goal-Directed Design, we grounded every decision in qualitative data. The research phase moved through a literature review, a competitive audit, and five in-depth user interviews, each layering our understanding of how people actually shop and what consistently frustrates them.

_{Two of five interviews were clustered into behavioral themes that shaped every downstream requirement.}

The patterns were consistent: users felt overwhelmed by options and under-guided by existing tools. The insight that shaped Aura most is that people don't just want to buy faster; they want to feel more confident doing it.

Modeling

Designing for two distinct users

Based on our research, we built two personas that informed every subsequent decision.

Gabriela — Primary persona
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A frequent shopper who values comfort and efficiency. She wants the kiosk to remember her preferences, surface relevant recommendations, and get her in and out without friction, while still feeling like the experience was made for her.

Steven — Secondary persona
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A less frequent shopper who needs more guidance. He's open to the color analysis feature but needs it to feel intuitive and non-intimidating, not clinical or overly complex.

^{Research-backed personas that kept design decisions anchored to real user behavior, not assumptions.}

One major insight from the modeling phase: users needed greater control. The complexity of color analysis and pickup flows created anxiety, not confidence. That became the design mandate: reduce friction without reducing depth.

Key Design Decisions

Where the real thinking happened

Camera scan vs. guided quiz — why we built both
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The seasonal color analysis could run via camera or a short guided input flow. In a public retail setting, not everyone is comfortable being scanned. Rather than defaulting to automation, we designed a hybrid where users choose their path. This preserved speed for confident users and gave control to those who needed it, without compromising either experience.

Dual pickup pathways
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We designed two distinct order pickup flows: direct checkout and try-before-you-buy via dressing room reservation. The second flow was a deliberate bet on reducing purchase hesitation, giving users a low-stakes way to confirm their order fit before committing. This supported both user confidence and potential conversion lift for retail partners.

Information architecture before wireframes
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We mapped the full navigation system and user flows before any screens were drawn. This kept the team aligned on structure and ensured the two distinct user journeys, color analysis, and order pickup, never created confusion or overlap in the interface.

Design system as a foundation, not an afterthought
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After earlier projects in which skipping a design system led to downstream inconsistencies, I advocated establishing one early. The Aura design system, such as color, typography, and components, anchored our high-fidelity work and kept the visual language coherent across every screen and state.

Process

How we moved through GDD

Research

Literature review, competitive audit, 5 user interviews

‍Established domain context, identified white space in the kiosk market, and collected behavioral data that shaped our personas and requirements.

Modeling

Personas + context scenarios

Translated interview patterns into Gabriela and Steven, then built context scenarios that grounded requirements in real user behavior rather than assumptions.

Frameworks

IA, wireframes, user flows

Mapped the full navigation system before wireframing, a deliberate choice to prevent structural drift during high-fidelity work. Wireframes served as true blueprints, not decorative sketches.

_{Low-fidelity blueprints that defined element placement, user flow, and overall structure before any visual decisions were made.}

Design System

Color, typography, components

Established before high-fidelity screens to ensure visual consistency across every state and screen, and to give the product a cohesive brand identity from the start.

^{A structured set of reusable components, color tokens, and typography that kept every screen visually and functionally consistent.}

Refinement

High-fidelity prototype in Figma

Transitioned from low-fidelity to a fully functional prototype. Focused on simplifying cognitive load, improving screen structure, and ensuring the overall flow felt intuitive for both returning and first-time kiosk users.

Reflection

What I'd do differently

The frameworks phase was where we lost the most time. Underestimating wireframing, treating it as a box to check rather than a structural foundation, filtered into the high-fidelity work, creating rework that ate into our refinement time. If I could do it again, I'd invest more heavily in wireframe fidelity and run at least one more round of usability testing before moving into final screens. The insights we got late in the project could have shaped earlier decisions and produced a tighter, more validated outcome.

^{Dashboard Menu}

^Logout

^Orders

^{View Order}

Overview

The Problem

Organizations struggle to ensure employees meet mandatory vaccination and health requirements for international travel. The result: project delays, team disruptions, and compliance gaps, not from lack of care, but from a lack of clear, centralized tooling. For busy employees, navigating country-specific medical requirements while managing their workload is overwhelming. The process is fragmented, time-consuming, and stressful, with real consequences if action items aren't completed on time.

Solution

What we built

MedPass is a digital passport for corporate international travel, automating and organizing medical documentation through dynamic email notifications and real-time status updates. The app reduces administrative burden, keeps employees informed on exactly what's required, and gives organizations visibility into team health compliance before travel. Our target audience was large corporations and their employees: busy professionals who needed clarity on medical requirements without it disrupting their workload or their team's momentum.

Key Design Decisions

Designing for context, not ideal conditions

‍Corporate travelers are busy, stressed, and not thinking about health compliance, they're thinking about their meetings. Every design decision was made with that reality in mind: clear language, minimal steps per screen, and a flow that respects the user's time and cognitive load.

Information architecture first

‍Before any screens, we mapped the navigation system and user flows to ensure the app served two distinct users: the employee completing requirements and the organization tracking compliance, and getting this right early kept development and design in sync throughout the sprint.

Automation as the UX

‍Rather than relying on users to check in manually, we built dynamic email automation and status updates as core UX features, reducing the mental overhead of tracking requirements by surfacing the right information at the right time.

Beyond Design

Brand & presentation

With the prototype taking shape, Elizabeth and I shifted to packaging the work. I designed the MedPass logo to establish brand recognition and build initial trust with the judging panel, a simple but intentional mark that made the product feel real, not just functional. We created the full presentation deck, coordinated our 4-minute pitch, and ran through multiple practice rounds to tighten our delivery. We both knew that how we communicated the idea was just as important as what we built.

Key Takeaways

Results

Winning first place was such an amazing feeling we felt as a team. We were very proud of each other and how Team Black Cats managed to remain positive and trust the process. Because of our hard work and dedication, Black Cats was awarded first place and received the $5k prize. We were ecstatic with the outcome, and we celebrated our success by having dinner together to celebrate, reflect on our work, and express our gratitude towards each other.

Learnings

Because this was my first hackathon, I was nervous but excited about the experience. I learned so much and was satisfied with the outcome and the people I met. Some major takeaways were:

‍Communicate and comprehend effectively
Working with two individuals who had never worked with UX previously on a cross-functional team forced Elizabeth and me to justify our choices and involve them thoroughly in our user-thinking process. Therefore, communication was key to our team because we had to ensure our each team member needed to understand our approach towards the project.  
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‍Ask questions, get answers
It was important to ask questions when we had problems or concerns to move forward with our decision-making. Given our short timeframe, we used our resources and asked our mentors to decide on our design and development decisions.
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Balance out the strengths and weaknesses
Acknowledging our team's strengths and weaknesses allowed us to work in pairs and tackle the project with what we knew best and the positive impact it would bring. Through this decision, we were comfortable with our responsibilities and trust each other with the process despite the challenges we still faced.

Organize and structure
We had a short timeline to create and submit our deliverables as a team. We took our time to construct a plan and to execute productively to receive the best outcome.‍