The WOD Timer

A timer for working out.

Going from zero-to-shipped on the App Store using SwiftUI & AI-acceleration.

Role

Product designer & developer

Tools

Figma, SwiftUI, Xcode, Github, ChatGPT

Timeline

6 months (design to App Store approval)

Outcome

A privacy-focused, ad-free timer live on the App Store with 5-star ratings from local athletes.

1. The Problem

Current workout timers are poorly designed or are riddled with ads.

"Ads don't belong in a heavy squat session."

The Context

As a CrossFit coach, I witness the user journey firsthand.

Athletes rely on their phones to time their workouts, current timers prioritize ad revenue over user experience.

The Friction

Imagine you are about to attempt a max-effort lift on a timed interval to qualify for a competition.

You look at your phone, and suddenly a full-screen video ad for a mobile game pops up. It’s annoying, it disrupts the flow, and ruins the workout.

The Hypothesis

Athletes don't need "more features." They need reliability, high-contrast visibility, and zero friction. I set out to build a tool that does its job and gets out of the way.

Mood board + style guide.

2. Research & Design:

Designing for a gym is different than designing for a desk.

Designing for "The Red Zone"

  • Physical Constraint: Users have shaky hands, chalky fingers, and high heart rates (160bpm+).‍
  • Visual Constraint: The phone is often on the floor, or 6+ feet away from their eyes.
  • Auditory Constraint: Gyms are loud. The timer needs to cut through background noise, or play in sync with their headphone music.

Research Based Design Decisions

  • Typography: I moved away from the standard "digital clock" font to a massive, high-contrast sans-serif that is readable from 10 feet away.
  • Gestures: There are very few small buttons, precision tapping is impossible when you are exhausted. Most are quite large, and users can swipe back as well. 
  • Orientation: Added landscape mode support for athletes who want an even larger timer display.
Some design ideation.
Some design ideation.

3. Development: The "80/20" Reality of AI Engineering

While AI is a powerful accelerator, shipping requires a deep understanding of product logic and QA.

The Process

I utilized LLMs (ChatGPT) to accelerate the development process, moving from high-fidelity Figma mocks to functional SwiftUI code in days rather than weeks. This allowed me to act as a "Full Stack Product Designer."

The Challenge (The "Real" Work)

While ChatGPT got me to 80% completion pretty quick, it struggled with the nuances of a production-ready app. The final 20% required me to dive deep to solve complex issues:

  • AVAudioSession: Configuring the app to "duck" background music (Spotify) rather than stopping it completely when the timer beeps.
  • Background Modes: Ensuring the timer continues to run accurately even when the phone locks to save battery.
  • State Management: Fixing race conditions where the timer would desync if the user swiped out of the app.

4. Testing & Iteration

As a coach at a gym I was lucky to have plenty of eager testers readily available. I sent them links to the beta using Test Flight and collected their feedback.

The WOD Timer went through 6 iterations through testing.

Testers found bugs, and other required features that I had missed (like having the timer play when the screen is locked, or having music audio play at the same time as the timer audio.)

5. Results

& Roadmap

The Launch

The app passed Apple's strict App Store review process on the first submission. It is now the primary timer used by many members at my gym (and some friends and family of course.)

What's Next?

  • Android Port: Recreating the experience for the Google Play Store.
  • WearOS/WatchOS: I had a user request for Apple Watch integration.

Monetization: I want to keep the core timer free forever, but I can create a "premium" timer app with additional features.

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