case study / real project
slayfitvili
Scaling personal coaching into a smooth digital service
- Ngoc
- 48
timeline
Platform
my role
(8 months)
(Responsive)
• Service Design
• Product Design
Introduction
Project Overview
SlayFitVili is a science-backed fitness coaching platform designed to help users build strong, confident bodies through personalized training and nutrition.
- The project began with Vili Pekkala, a stylish personal trainer based in Uusimaa, Finland, who had been coaching clients manually through scattered apps and informal channels.
- There was no brand name yet at the beginning of the project, just a clear vision and a need to scale.
Together with Vili (Business Owner) and Giang Nguyen (Developer), I led the transformation from a one-person coaching service into a digital-first product.
- My role spanned UX/Product Design, Product Owner, and Scrum Master responsibilities.
- I covered everything from business and design requirement gathering and design system integration to sprint planning and delivery.
introduction
Business Story
SlayFitVili reflects Vili’s identity
Authentic Identity
Approachable Style
Transformation Role Model
Discovery
Business Problems
- Manual operations capped growth and risked burnout.
- Hours lost weekly on repetitive onboarding tasks.
- No centralized system for leads, retention, or automation.
- Decision: Introduce structure, automation, and clarity to free up time and enable sustainable growth.
How I gathered these requirements
Unmoderated workshop (30 minutes): Kickoff project
As is business (priority-level defined by Vili)
Get price info for 1-on-1 or duo packages
- Step 1: Client sends DM via WhatsApp or Instagram
- Step 2: Vili replies manually with package options by copy-paste content from his Notes app (provided by Apple)
- Step 3: May require back-and-forth clarification
- Possible issues: Delayed response, inconsistent info, clients hesitate or drop off
Contact & reserve a slot
- Step 1: Client messages Vili via the agreed platform (WhatsApp, Instagram, or Facebook) to ask for availability
- Step 2: Manual scheduling via chat and Google Calendar
- Step 3: Get confirmation via chat, email and/or Google Calendar/OS-synced calendar
- Possible issues: Delays or missed follow-up, double bookings, no reminders
Get to know Vili & his training style
- Step 1: Clients relies on word-of-mouth, social media posts (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Linkedtree), or direct chat
- Step 2: Unstructured but customized introduction depending on the level of connection
- Step 3: Provide training philosophy and explain adhoc
- Possible issues: Inconsistent messaging, limited reach beyond personal network, hard for new clients to understand vile/style
View a curriculum of a packages
- Step 1: Vili explains verbally and personalizes the coaching contents based on each client’s needs
- Step 2: Vili visualizes the content as a slides (Google Slides, Canva, or MS Powerpoint) and export it as a PDF file format
- Step 3: Vili sends PDF after inquiry via agreed platform before every session
- Possible issues: No standardized format, clients may forget or misunderstand, info overload, hard to compare packages
View before-after photos of other clients
- Step 1: Client scrolls through Instagram or asks Vili
- Possible issues: No centralized gallery, may miss key transformation stories, scattered content, low visibility of success stories, missed trust-building opportunity
Discovery
Target Customers & Their Problems
Target customers
- Vietnamese-speaking office workers and restaurant staff in Finland, those who have sedentary jobs and various health awareness
- Their motivations come up when they’re looking for accountability services, consistent and sustainable lifestyle changes, or preparing for life events (e.g., weddings)
- Their decision drivers come from cultural alignment, approachable vibe, affordable pricing, social proof via Facebook group and Instagram
Customer’s problems
- Confusion about packages and onboarding
- Lack of guidance led to hesitation and drop-offs
- Needed frictionless experience that built confidence
Improvement opportunities
- Enhance onboarding: Standardize the first session with goal setting, roadmap explanation, and training plan logic
- Support self-learners: Provide structured resources (e.g., guides, articles, book recommendations)
- Offer optional add-ons: For dietary coaching and advanced goal setting
- Use scalable systems: CRM, workout tracking tools, and appointment schedulers
- Design upgrades: Simplify and improve the visual presentation of documents
How I gathered these requirements
Moderated workshop (90 minutes): As part of the business model canvas, we wanted to achieve the meeting point of Vili’s value map and his customer profile.
My retrospectives
What was good
- The workshop created a shared language between business owner and experience designer, clarifying how Vili’s strengths (approachability, transformation proof, cultural alignment) matched client motivations.
- Rich discussion surfaced hidden assumptions about customer pain points and unmet needs.
- The visual format of the canvas helped prioritize which values were most critical to highlight in the website.
What should be improved
- The session leaned heavily on qualitative insights without immediate validation from quantitative data.
- Documentation could have been more structured to capture decisions and rationale clearly.
My action to resolve/prevent in the future
- Supplement qualitative workshops with survey data or interview highlights to validate assumptions.
- Use a standardized template for capturing workshop outputs, including rationale for each decision, to ensure traceability.
How I gathered these requirements
Moderated workshop (90 minutes): Draw a rich picture of Vili’s customers to fill in a persona canvas. This is a good opportunity for me to understand his business domain and the process he had been applying.
My retrospectives
What was good
Rich discussion surfaced Vili’s customer archetypes and business domain knowledge.
Visualizing the persona canvas together built alignment and shared understanding.
The workshop format encouraged storytelling and revealed implicit processes Vili had been applying.
What should be improved
Some details were anecdotal rather than data-driven, which limited precision.
Time management: certain sections (e.g., motivations vs pain points) ran longer than planned.
Documentation could have been more structured to capture insights consistently.
My action to resolve/prevent in the future
Supplement persona workshops with quantitative data (surveys, analytics) to validate assumptions.
Introduce a timed agenda with checkpoints to balance depth and breadth.
Use standardized templates for capturing insights to ensure clarity and comparability across personas.
How I gathered these requirements
Moderated user interview (45 minutes): Understand client background, motivations, satisfaction, and unmet needs to inform the next iteration of Vili’s PT service offerings and website. We conducted a total of 8 clients who most have tried the combo of 10 training and plan sessions.
I was the script creator, facilitator, technical support, note taker, and observer. For the most convenient and comfort environment for clients, Vili was the interviewer.
My retrospectives
What was good
- Direct conversations revealed authentic backgrounds, motivations, and unmet needs.
- Clients provided detailed feedback on service delivery, communication, and pricing.
- Strong cultural and language alignment made participants comfortable and open.
What should be improved
- Some interviews drifted into casual conversation, reducing focus on key questions.
- Missing structured follow-up questions led to gaps in dietary and onboarding insights.
- Data consolidation took longer due to varied languages of notes.
How I gathered these requirements
Moderated user interview (45 minutes): Understand client background, motivations, satisfaction, and unmet needs to inform the next iteration of Vili’s PT service offerings and website. We conducted a total of 8 clients who most have tried the combo of 10 training and plan sessions.
I was the script creator, facilitator, technical support, note taker, and observer. For the most convenient and comfort environment for clients, Vili was the interviewer.
My retrospectives
What was good
- Ways of working: All interview questions were peer-reviewed by the business side, development side, and long-time client side
- User interview: With proficiency in user research, I saved 1 week of work by delivering a sufficient question list, onboarding the business owner and developer on how to conduct qualified interviews, and asking the right questions to customers that saved their time and went straight to their long-term pain points. Feedback on the way we conducted interviews was consistently positive.
What should be improved
- Project constraints: Conducting workshops, interviews, and research in two languages took 1.5–2x more time due to translation, cultural adaptation for expats, documentation, and analysis
- Dependencies: Technical limits for small businesses meant insufficient tools/platforms for professional studies (e.g., data privacy, encryption). We relied on open-source and free platforms like OBS, Discord, Google Meet, When2meet/Doodle, ensuring they were user-friendly for any background.
define
Personas & Journey Maps
define
Service Blueprint
annotations
Goal: Map the internal actions, processes, and people needed to support a customer journey
Mood scale reference
- Positive (green): Excited, proud, hopeful, loyal
- Neutral-positive (yellow): Curious, interested
- Uncertain (orange): Hesitant, unsure
- Fluctuating (blue): Motivated but tired, busy
- Negative (red): Guilty, distant, overwhelmed
Key terms
- Touchpoints: where the client directly experiences the service (e.g., WhatsApp message, Instagram profile)
- Artifacts: Tangible tools, templates, or documents (e.g., onboarding PDF, goal tracker, progress collage)
- Opportunities: High-impact areas to improve or innovate based on research insights and user behavior
define
Business Requirements
Suggested internal improvements (from research insights)
- Clear info material: Create a simple “Get started with Vili” PDF or web link with steps & prices
- Intake &goal trackin: Standardize onboarding form with fitness, diet, schedule & goals
- Progress visualization: Use Google Sheets or Trainerize to show weekly habit & body progress
- Motivation & re-engagement: Build WhatsApp message templates to check in, celebrate, and bring back lapsed clients
- Referral system: Create a branded ref code system & bonus program for referrals
To-be business (priority-level defined user studies & approved by Vili)
Get price info for 1-on-1 or duo packages
- Step 1: Website displays clear pricing tiers for solo and duo packages
- Step 2: Fit quiz suggests best match based on goals
- Step 3: Read each package based on recommendation/manual discovery
- Impact: Save time, reduce confusion, improve conversion
View before-after photos of other clients
- Step 1: Website features curated gallery with testimonials
- Step 2: Optional filters by goal or package
- Impact: Build trust, reinforce transformation proof
Contact & reserve a slot
- Step 1: Website includes contact form and calendar integration
- Step 2: Automated confirmation and reminders
- Impact: Reduce friction, improve booking reliability
Get to know Vili & his training style
- Step 1: Website includes “About Vili” section with bio, transformation story, training philosophy, and values
- Step 2: Embedded testimonials and media reinforce credibility
- Impact: Build brand identity, increase relatability, attract culturally aligned clients
View a curriculum of a packages
- Step 1: Website shows structured curriculum per package
- Step 2: Visual roadmap and FAQs clarify expectations
- Impact: Improve transparency, set clear expectations
define
Project Scope
Ways of working
- Lean team: business owner, developer, and designer
- Scrum with 2-week sprints, total of 8 sprints
- Process flow: Plan, execute, review, retrospective
- Tools: FigJam (mapping), Figma (design), Google Docs (documentation), Google Forms (survey), Discord (structured communication)
- Trade-off: Prioritize MVP features and iterative delivery
Constraints & Dependencies
- Technology: Initial approach was WordPress for simplicity but research showed WordPress wasn’t ideal for scaling. Decision: Build from scratch with Contentful as CMS
- Dependencies: WhatsApp (quick contact), Google Workspace (contact forms, documentation), Contentful (content management)
- Design: Needed a UI kit for consistency but time scope wasn’t ideal for building one from scratch. Decision: leverage a simple design system in Figma
design
A glimpse of product design works
After developed and deployed
Usability Test
Overview
- Test goal: Evaluate the clarity, content, and usability of the SlayFitVili website. Identify any barriers users may encounter when trying to understand offerings, compare packages, and make decisions.
- Test type: Moderated remote usability test (desktop).
- Platform: Participants will access the test site at: https://pt-website-ecru.vercel.app/. They will share their screen and give consent to record the session.
Participant criteria
- Women aged 20 – 40
- Office workers or busy professionals
- New or relatively new to personal training
- Comfortable browsing websites on desktop
How I gathered these requirements
Moderated usability test (45 minutes):
Structure
- Introduction (5 min)
- Usability tasks (35–40 min)
- Post-test survey (5–10 min)
Moderators
- Moderator: Vili
- Guide participants through all tasks
- Observe their behaviors, expressions
- Ask follow-up questions if needed (don’t be too leading or bias)
- Note taker and technical support: Ngoc
- Send each task right before the participant begins it
- Observe their behaviors, expressions
- Take timestamped notes and flag any usability issues or user quotes
My retrospectives
What was good
- Participants were engaged and provided detailed feedback on clarity, navigation, and package understanding.
- The test confirmed that the fit quiz improved task completion rates by ~70%, showing strong alignment with user needs.
- Using Maze and structured tasks allowed us to capture both quantitative metrics (completion, time-on-task) and qualitative insights (confusion points, satisfaction).
- The bilingual moderation (Vietnamese + English) ensured inclusivity and cultural relatability, making participants more comfortable.
What should be improved
- Some tasks were too broad, leading to varied interpretations and inconsistent data.
- Documentation of observations was fragmented across tools (Maze analytics, Google Docs notes, OBS recordings), which slowed synthesis.
- A few participants struggled with technical setup (joining Maze, sharing screens), causing delays.
- Limited sample size (8 participants) meant insights were directional but not statistically robust.
My action to resolve/prevent in the future
- Refine task scripts to be more specific and scenario-based, reducing ambiguity.
- Standardize documentation with a single template that integrates metrics, quotes, and observations for faster analysis.
- Provide a simple onboarding guide for participants (step-by-step instructions with screenshots) to minimize technical friction.
- Plan for a larger, more diverse sample in future rounds to validate findings with stronger confidence.
After six months, nineteen existential crises, twelve redesigns, and one unhealthy amount of coffee, my personal training website is officially LIVE - both PC and mobile version! And honestly? I couldn’t have done it without my two insanely talented teammates Giang Nguyen and Ngoc Nguyen Le Khanh who somehow turned my chaotic vision into something clean, smart, and beautiful. They deserve a medal… or at least a very strong drink. This website isn’t just about training plans or “get abs in 12 weeks” nonsense. It’s about real people, real struggles, real progress that built on science, empathy, and those tiny daily wins that add up to a whole new life.
After iteration & before beta launch
Expert Design Evaluation
Meta
- Link: https://pt-website-ecru.vercel.app/
- Reviewer: Ngoc Nguyen
- Role: UX designer
- Date: 29 October 2025
Overview
This review evaluates the user experience of the website pt-website-ecru.vercel.app using heuristic evaluation, usability principles, and design best practices. Each issue is tagged with a confidence level to guide prioritization and collaboration between design, development, and business stakeholders.
How I gathered these requirements
Annotation
- Assumption: based on design principles but not yet validated
- Need to validate: requires user testing or analytics
- Based on proof: confirmed via data, accessibility tools, or direct observation
