A workout timer you can read from three metres away
Live project · updated 18 Oct 2026
A live side project: a CrossFit timer for chalky hands and loud music, built by two people. This case study grows with every step we finish.
- Role
- Research Lead & UX/UI (team of two, with René)
- Methods
- Competitive analysisReview analysisApp benchmarkingSurveyConcept mockups
✦ Live project — this case study grows with the work. Next update: survey results and personas, early November 2026.
Context
Context
In a CrossFit class you start the timer with chalky hands, the music is loud, and you check the clock from across the room between burpees. Almost every timer app offers the same four modes. What they get wrong is everything around them: paywalls, ads, updates that add clutter, and beeps that drown in the music.
Process
Process
Done
Setup
Repository, task board and a first test build with a stopwatch that runs on both our phones. René owns the timer logic and the builds, I own research and UX/UI.
Done
Competitive analysis
Compared around ten timer apps and analysed 9,839 App Store reviews. The modes are standard everywhere. 35% of the 1–3 star reviews are about subscriptions, paywalls or price, not about missing features.
Done
Hands-on test
Tested five apps against our own benchmarks. None scored above 3 out of 5, and only one had a round counter, which was hard to hit mid-workout.
Now
Survey
A short survey for athletes in our box and beyond, open until 28 October 2026. It checks what the reviews suggest: that people want to train without looking at the screen.
Next
Definition & design
Synthesis, personas and an MVP workshop. Then flows, a Figma prototype and a usability test, a beta in the gym and finally the App Store.
Artefacts
Artefacts
Outcome
Outcome
Not finished yet, and that's the point. The screens above are an early concept. I update this page every time we reach the next step.