Sole Fitness is a global leader in high-quality home and commercial fitness equipment. Their current Sole+ app offers treadmill control and workout tracking, but lacks deeper integration between fitness data and motivational features like music – a critical factor in workout performance and enjoyment.

The Problem

Treadmill users often rely on music as motivation, but existing apps deliver generic algorithms that break focus and fail to sync with workout intensity.

While fitness running apps such as Strava allow for music service integration, the interactions between the two remain very separate. The current Sole+ app uses predetermined stations from Feed.fm, leaving users with no choice over their workout music.

Current Sole+ App

Competitive Analysis

Music and fitness apps work well on their own, but remain disconnected. This leaves a gap where performance and music should meet.

Music and Audio

These apps provide a variety of curated playlists and music recommendations. However, algorithm mismatches are frustrating and designed for general listening, not workouts.

Fitness and Running

On the other hand, fitness apps are powerful tools for tracking activity, analyzing performance, and providing workout coaching. But even when paired with music, the integration is shallow.

The Solution

A treadmill app that turns music into a performance enhancer

I designed a new Sole+ experience that integrates music data with performance metrics to create smart shuffle BPM playlists personalized to each user’s workout patterns. By syncing playlists with treadmill pace and mood, the app transforms music into a driver of focus, motivation, and enjoyment.

🔗 View final pitch deck here!

Secondary Research

Listening to upbeat music while exercising improves workout performance

I dove into a variety of academic research exploring how music impacts physical performance and well-being. My findings validated the idea that music isn’t just a background element, it’s a performance enhancer and a psychological tool.

Bood et al., 2013

User Interviews

I met with 11 regular exercisers to understand how music impacts exercise habits, performance, and motivation

I conducted in-depth interviews with PA associates who regularly exercise to gather insights on how music influences exercise habits, performance, and motivation.

4 key insights emerged from affinity mapping my findings:

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Music as a workout essential

When running indoors, music becomes a psychological necessity. It helps distract, maintain rhythm, and push through fatigue.

❤️

Personal and contextual preferences

Music taste varies by mood, activity, intensity. Algorithm mismatches frustrate users and disrupt workout focus.

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Emotional and Motivational Drivers

Users juggle dread vs accomplishment over the course of a workout. They are driven by health and competition, and want to see progress.

📱

Juggling fragmented ecosystems

Users struggle with managing multiple apps and devices, and lack a centralized music and fitness data hub.

Which helped me distill my focus into a specific problem space:

Information Architecture

Integrating music into the app interface

To merge the gap between music and fitness, I restructured the information architecture to include a music page into the navigation bar.

Reimagining the info architecture

Final Design

A music and performance-driven treadmill app experience

Onboarding Quiz

Quiz results assign each user a music personas based on their treadmill and listening habits.

Personas have predetermined sound settings that can be edited/adjusted if desired.

Pace & Music BPM Analyzer

Each workout activity music summary provides a running pace and music BPM comparison.

Click on checkpoints in the graph to see pace, song BPM, and the track that was playing in that moment.

Music Insights & Custom Playlists

Each workout activity music summary provides a running pace and music BPM comparison.

Click on checkpoints in the graph to see pace, song BPM, and the track that was playing in that moment.

Run Rewind

Inspired by Spotify’s Wrapped, each workout activity comes with a run recap of your treadmill performance and music statistics.

This fun social component of the Sole+ experience was designed for those motivated by fitness communities!

Sole+ Features and Flows

Brand Identity

Exploring playful and modern visual identity iterations

Given these brand considerations, I went on to develop a comprehensive design system to ensure consistency across the mobile app.

Design System

Reflection

Don’t wait to design

Getting too rigid with process stunted progress and creativity. I began to design while simultaneously solidifying my research and concepts in order to ship quickly.

Navigating design ambiguity

Being given an open-ended project meant defining my own problem space. I cast a broad research approach, but then funneled down into a single focus area.

Design cross-functionally

Leaning on AI tools (Figma, Midjourney, Miro, Google Stitch) and working cross functionally with Human Insights helped streamline my workflow, bring new perspectives to light, and solidify the validity of existing concepts.

🔮 Next Steps

I'm in the process of coordinating a project pitch to a partner at PA Consulting, the former CEO of Sole Fitness, and a Berklee music professor!

Process Overview

Project Timeline

Throughout these 3 months, I collaborated with Human Insights and UX Design associates to gather feedback and refine my design approaches.

User Research

Zeroing In on the Problem and Opportunity Space

I took all the notes from the 11 interviews and affinity mapped them into themes, insights, and opportunities.

Affinity Mapping User Insights

BEFORE

AFTER

User Stories

As a…

I synthesized my research insights into specific personas based on user needs and motivations when it came to their relationship with music during workouts. This helped me ideate features for different user groups.

Ideation

Sketches, Sketches, and More Sketches!

Ideation Workshop

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One of my main challenges

How do I narrow project focus after doing so much research and brainstorming?

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Solution: Ideation workshop

I hosted a concept exploration workshop with the DX team where I presented my problem space and key user insights. I then gave everyone 15 minutes to openly sketch ideas and features.