Detailed

Simplified

What This Is All About

What This Is All About

OuchySport is a mobile app built from the ground up to support injured athletes - not just physically, but emotionally. During recovery, many athletes feel lost, anxious, and disconnected. Our mission was to build a platform that feels like a teammate, mentor, and support group all in one.

OuchySport is a mobile app built from the ground up to support injured athletes - not just physically, but emotionally. During recovery, many athletes feel lost, anxious, and disconnected. Our mission was to build a platform that feels like a teammate, mentor, and support group all in one.

OuchySport is a mobile app built from the ground up to support injured athletes - not just physically, but emotionally. During recovery, many athletes feel lost, anxious, and disconnected. Our mission was to build a platform that feels like a teammate, mentor, and support group all in one.

Timeline:

Timeline:

2 Months

Team

Design: Lead Product Designer (my role), 1 additional Designer

Engineering: 2 Developers (Flutter)

Product: 2 Product Owners

Tools:

Tools:

Figma

Whimsical

Google Meet

Flutter

Getting to Know the Problem

Getting to Know the Problem

Before building anything, we talked to real people and explored what already exists to truly understand the problem.

User Interviews

We spoke with injured athletes, sports therapists, and mental health experts. We wanted to know: What hurts most after the injury?

Key Pain Points – What Hurt the Most

Key Pain Points – What Hurt the Most

Lack of emotional support after injury

Uncertainty about rehab progress

No structured guidance for recovery

Hard to find trustworthy advice

Athletes didn’t know how to track their milestones

Felt like they were recovering alone

“I wasn’t just injured - I felt invisible.” - Collegiate athlete, ACL tear

Who We’re Helping - User Personas

Samantha

Age : 25

Occupation : Professional Dancer

Injury: Severe ankle sprain during a performance

Age : 25

Occupation : Professional Dancer

Injury: Severe ankle sprain during a performance

Bio

Bio

Samantha has been a dancer since childhood, and her career revolves around performing on stage. After suffering an ankle sprain, she feels frustrated and anxious about the long recovery process, fearing it might delay her career growth. She is tech-savvy and spends a lot of time online looking for recovery tips, consulting her physical therapist, and engaging with the dance community on social media.

Samantha has been a dancer since childhood, and her career revolves around performing on stage. After suffering an ankle sprain, she feels frustrated and anxious about the long recovery process, fearing it might delay her career growth. She is tech-savvy and spends a lot of time online looking for recovery tips, consulting her physical therapist, and engaging with the dance community on social media.

Goals:

Goals:

  • Recover quickly and get back to performing.

  • Learn specific exercises and treatments for dancers.

  • Find emotional and motivational support.

  • Recover quickly and get back to performing.

  • Learn specific exercises and treatments for dancers.

  • Find emotional and motivational support.

Challenges:

Challenges:

  • Anxiety about recovery delaying her career.

  • Difficulty navigating through scattered online information.

  • Anxiety about recovery delaying her career.

  • Difficulty navigating through scattered online information.

Michael

Age : 32

Occupation : Sales Manager

Injury: Knee ligament tear during a pick-up football game

Age : 32

Occupation : Sales Manager

Injury: Knee ligament tear during a pick-up football game

Bio

Bio

Michael is a former college football player who still enjoys staying active with recreational sports. After injuring his knee, he’s been frustrated by the slow recovery process and worries about not being able to play with his two young children. As a sales manager, he leads a fast-paced life and struggles to prioritize recovery amidst his work and family responsibilities. He looks for quick, effective solutions online and is motivated by the desire to stay physically active for the long term.

Goals:

Goals:

  • Heal efficiently to resume sports and family activities.

  • Stay active and physically fit.

  • Balance his busy schedule with recovery efforts.

  • Heal efficiently to resume sports and family activities.

  • Stay active and physically fit.

  • Balance his busy schedule with recovery efforts.

Challenges:

Challenges:

  • Struggles to find time for consistent physical therapy.

  • Feels isolated and frustrated with slow recovery progress.

  • Struggles to find time for consistent physical therapy.

  • Feels isolated and frustrated with slow recovery progress.

Emma

Age : 38

Occupation : Entrepreneur

Injury: Knee ligament tear during a pick-up football game

Age : 38

Occupation : Entrepreneur

Injury: Knee ligament tear during a pick-up football game

Bio

Bio

Emma is a self-employed businesswoman who balances her demanding career with her passion for fitness. She regularly participates in triathlons and prioritizes her health and wellness. After suffering a wrist fracture, Emma is determined to recover quickly so she can return to training. She is tech-savvy, uses fitness apps and wearables to monitor her progress, and enjoys researching alternative therapies like acupuncture and massage. She also seeks motivation from local fitness groups and online forums.

Emma is a self-employed businesswoman who balances her demanding career with her passion for fitness. She regularly participates in triathlons and prioritizes her health and wellness. After suffering a wrist fracture, Emma is determined to recover quickly so she can return to training. She is tech-savvy, uses fitness apps and wearables to monitor her progress,

Goals:

Goals:

  • Recover quickly to resume triathlon training.

  • Learn effective recovery methods, including alternative therapies.

  • Stay connected with her fitness community.

  • Recover quickly to resume triathlon training.

  • Learn effective recovery methods, including alternative therapies.

  • Stay connected with her fitness community.

Challenges:

Challenges:

  • Balancing a busy work schedule with her recovery.

  • Finding reliable, centralized information on recovery strategies.

  • Balancing a busy work schedule with her recovery.

  • Finding reliable, centralized information on recovery strategies.

Touchpoint Analysis - Every Step That Matters

We mapped the full emotional journey of an athlete:

1.

Awareness – Realizing something’s wrong

2.

Search – Looking for answers online

3.

Connection – Finding others going through the same thing

4.

Support – Talking, venting, feeling heard

5.

Inspiration – Discovering stories of recovery

6.

Education – Learning about treatments and exercises

7.

Progress – Tracking small wins

8.

Motivation – Feeling seen, feeling better

9.

Recovery – Getting back to the sport

10.

Continuation – Helping the next person

We designed OuchySport to support each of these moments.

What Others Have Tried - Competitive Analysis

We looked at apps like Strava, Kaia Health Facebook Groups and Reddit recovery threads.

  • Strava

    A popular fitness and performance tracking app with a strong athlete community.

    • Strengths: Social engagement, progress tracking, motivation through competition

    • Limitations: No support for injured athletes; competitive environment may feel discouraging during recovery

  • Kaia Health

    A digital therapy app focused on musculoskeletal pain and guided physical rehab.

    • Strengths: Expert-led routines, rehab-focused content

    • Limitations: Lacks community features and emotional support for athletes

  • Reddit & Facebook Groups

    Informal spaces where injured athletes share advice and experiences.

    • Strengths: Peer stories, relatable content

    • Limitations: Unmoderated, inconsistent, no structure or expert input


While each competitor touches on a piece of the recovery puzzle, none combine emotional support, structured recovery, and athlete-focused community in one experience.
OuchySport fills this gap—offering a safe, guided, and uplifting space for athletes on the road to recovery.

Turning Insight into Ideas

Turning Insight into Ideas

Why We Built This

Injured athletes need more than a rehab plan. They need community, encouragement, and guidance that understands both their physical and mental needs.

What Success Looks Like - Objectives 

Build a mobile app that:

  • Connects athletes with others recovering from injury

  • Tracks emotional and physical progress

  • Offers expert-verified content

  • Creates motivation through community

What We Designed

  • Mood check-ins + recovery streaks

  • Community feed and emotional support

  • Guided content from physiotherapists and mental health experts

  • Progress tracker with milestones

  • Post-injury journals and stories

  • Comments, reactions, and support badges

Trying Different Ideas

We explored different interaction models:

  • Community-first (like Instagram, but healing-focused)

  • Daily-guidance-first (like Headspace, but rehab-centric)

  • Hybrid approach – what we chose, because recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all

Planning the Layout - Structure

Planning the Layout - Structure

Organizing Everything Logically - IA

From signup to support, we mapped user flows:

  • Onboarding (language, login, profile)

  • Create your story (injury type, mood, goals)

  • Home (tabs for Feed, Tips, and Me)

  • Create post (image, story, mood, tag)

  • Profile (linked accounts, updates, bookmarks)

  • Visual metaphor:
    Dark theme in onboarding (reflects fear and uncertainty)
    → Light theme after (symbolizing clarity and support)

Everything was designed to feel friendly and calm—not overwhelming.

Basic Sketches of the Layout - Wireframes

Visual Design & Interaction Design

Visual Design & Interaction Design

Making It Look and Feel Good

Design System

Hi-Fi Designs

A special visual touch: The onboarding phase uses a dark theme to reflect emotional heaviness. Once onboarding ends, the light theme takes over - symbolizing hope, clarity, and recovery.

Prototyping and Testing

Prototyping and Testing

Interactive Prototype

Open in Figma

Open in Figma

Open in Figma

Trying It with Real People

Usability Testing & Iteration 

Conducted tests with 12 injured athletes and 3 sports therapists.

Conducted tests with 12 injured athletes and 3 sports therapists.

Key feedback:

Key feedback:

  • Improve font size for readability.

  • Optimize button response time.

  • Redesign top filters for better usability.

  • Enhance the home page to feel more complete.

  • Improve the app’s native experience.

  • Improve font size for readability.

  • Optimize button response time.

  • Redesign top filters for better usability.

  • Enhance the home page to feel more complete.

  • Improve the app’s native experience.

The Results

The Results

Since its launch, OuchySport has achieved significant milestones:


  • User Engagement: The app attracted over 10,000 users in its first six months, with 75% actively participating in forums and progress tracking.

  • Community Growth: Users formed over 500 discussion groups, with an average of 50 new conversations daily.

  • Recovery Success: 85% of surveyed users reported feeling more confident and supported in their recovery journey.

  • Content Impact: Educational resources like videos and podcasts recorded a 90% completion rate, indicating high relevance and usefulness.

Since its launch, OuchySport has achieved significant milestones:


  • User Engagement: The app attracted over 10,000 users in its first six months, with 75% actively participating in forums and progress tracking.

  • Community Growth: Users formed over 500 discussion groups, with an average of 50 new conversations daily.

  • Recovery Success: 85% of surveyed users reported feeling more confident and supported in their recovery journey.

  • Content Impact: Educational resources like videos and podcasts recorded a 90% completion rate, indicating high relevance and usefulness.

Challenges & Solutions

Challenges & Solutions

Challenge 1:

Challenge 1:

Problem: Users overwhelmed with content

Problem: Users overwhelmed with content

Solution: Personalized feed with one suggested item per day

Solution: Personalized feed with one suggested item per day

Challenge 2:

Challenge 2:

Problem: Some didn’t want public posts

Problem: Some didn’t want public posts

Solution: Anonymous journaling and private check-ins

Solution: Anonymous journaling and private check-ins

Challenge 3:

Challenge 3:

Problem: Lack of motivation over time

Problem: Lack of motivation over time

Solution: Added milestone celebrations and badges

Solution: Added milestone celebrations and badges

Challenge 4:

Challenge 4:

Problem: Dark mode confusion on CTAs

Problem: Dark mode confusion on CTAs

Solution: Improved contrast and added tooltips

Solution: Improved contrast and added tooltips

Next Steps

  • Integration with wearables (Apple Health, Fitbit)

  • Integration with wearables (Apple Health, Fitbit)

  • Expand expert content (rehab by injury type)

  • Gamification for streaks and milestones

  • In-app virtual therapy consultations

  • Community badges and role-based discussions (mentors, trainers)

Conclusion

OuchySport is more than an app. It reimagines the injury recovery experience by blending trusted rehab content, emotional tracking, and social support. It feels like a digital teammate—a place to vent, find guidance, and regain strength. It reminds athletes: You’re not alone. You’re healing. And we’re here with you.

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I love working with teams who care about great design and smart solutions.
Got something in mind?

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Tamara Hansani © 2025

I love working with teams who care about great design and smart solutions.
Got something in mind?

Let’s Connect

Tamara Hansani © 2025

I love working with teams who care about great design and smart solutions.
Got something in mind?

Let’s Connect

Tamara Hansani © 2025