Stride — Case Study · Illuminating Visionaries

Project Overview

Stride isn't just a fitness app.
It's a movement philosophy.

Imagine a running experience that goes beyond the physical — tapping into the power of both body and mind. Whether you're a seasoned runner or just starting out, Stride provides personalized goals, guided journeys, and mindfulness tools, ensuring every run is a journey of fitness and mental clarity.

The challenge wasn't just designing an app. It was distilling something as personal as movement — and as complex as mental wellness — into a system that feels intuitive, warm, and human.

Role

Lead Designer — UX/UI + Brand Identity

Platform

iOS Mobile App

Deliverables

Brand System · User Research · Wireframes · High-Fidelity Prototype · Marketing Assets

Context

NIU Senior Capstone · April 2024

Tagline

Your Journey. Your Speed. Your Stride.

The Challenge

Where physical progress
meets mental clarity.

"How might we design an app experience that supports both physical progress and mental well-being — for beginner and experienced runners alike?"

Most fitness apps stop at the data. Steps counted. Calories burned. Distance tracked. But running is rarely just physical. It's how people process stress, build confidence, find quiet, and prove something to themselves.

Stride was designed to honor that. The challenge was to build a system that felt personal and motivating — not clinical — while handling the complexity of wellness tracking, goal setting, community, and spiritual content all in one place.

Even naming the app was a design decision. "Stride" wasn't just about running faster. It was about holistic growth, forward momentum, and meeting people exactly where they are.

Research & Discovery

Designed from the
inside out.

Before any screens were designed, I conducted surveys and interviews with runners across different ages, lifestyles, and experience levels — from college students to corporate executives to casual walkers.

52%

Primary Age Range

20–30 year olds

The core audience skewed young adult, active, and social — prioritizing efficiency and motivation alongside community features.

57%

Wearable Adoption

Already own a smartwatch

And 100% of watch owners use it to track workouts — signaling a data-aware audience who expects integration and real-time feedback.

80%

Goal Success Target

Active users reach their goals

Personalization was the key driver. Users who felt the app adapted to them stayed longer and performed better.

Stride wireframe challenges and guided runs

Early wireframes — Challenges & Guided Runs UI

Brand tagline exploration — Your Journey. Your Speed. Your Stride.

Design Process

Balance, forward momentum,
and visual clarity.

The visual identity started from a single concept: the yin and yang. Balance. The logo — a figure striding out of a circle — represents continuous growth, the idea that every step moves you further than where you started.

The process moved from mind mapping through paper prototypes, user flows, and wireframes — each stage building toward a high-fidelity system that felt consistent across every screen.

Stride app — goals, dashboard, map screens

Goal Setup · Dashboard · Run Map

Stride app — moments, journeys, challenges

Moments · Explore Journeys · Journey Detail

Explore Journeys — Full UI Screen

Key Features

A system built around you,
not the other way around.

01

Personalized Setup

Every user begins by selecting their goals — stress relief, new healthy habits, weight loss, increased activity, or creating custom targets. The app adapts its content, challenges, and interface to match what each individual actually needs.

02

Stride Control Panel

A central dashboard tracks steps, calories burned, and weight — with visual progress graphs that make wins visible. Users can connect music and set goals directly from the run screen without leaving the flow.

03

Journey System

Curated multi-day challenges across four categories — Faith, Mind & Body, Athletic, and Custom. Users can browse current journeys or explore new ones. Each journey includes guided runs, stretching sessions, and mindfulness content.

04

Faith Integration

A unique differentiator: the "Run With Faith" journey blends Bible reflection, prayer, and guided running into a two-week spiritual wellness challenge — serving an audience rarely considered in the fitness app market.

05

Moments & Community

Users capture and revisit meaningful running moments — affirmations, meditations, favorite memories. Community features support social fitness, group challenges, and accountability with friends or the broader Stride network.

06

In-Run UI

Clean, minimal design that delivers data without distraction. The run experience was designed to stay out of the way — giving users what they need in the moment and nothing more.

Brand in Action

A brand that lives
beyond the screen.

The Stride identity extended beyond the app into marketing materials, merchandise, and advertising — proving the brand system was built to scale. Bold, energetic, and human: the same person crossing a finish line you'd see on a billboard would feel right at home in the app.

Reflection

"Stride taught me how to simplify complex ideas and turn emotional insights into tangible design systems. Thoughtful UX isn't just about usability — it's about making people feel capable, seen, and supported."

— Gabriella Kersey, Lead Designer

100K

Target Downloads
Within 6 Months

4.5★

App Store Rating
Goal

60%

Gamification
Engagement Rate

50K

Active Community
Members

StrideMind & Bodyin Motion.

Stride isn't just a fitness app.It's a movement philosophy.

Where physical progressmeets mental clarity.

Designed from theinside out.

Balance, forward momentum,and visual clarity.

A system built around you,not the other way around.