BrainActive
Strategy & Design
Details
BrainActive is a product–service concept designed to support people in building a more sustainable relationship with fitness, focusing on the mental and emotional dimension of training rather than performance alone.
The project combines a wearable device and a digital platform to create a connected experience that encourages awareness, consistency, and long-term engagement.
Services
Research & Strategy
Prototyping & Design
Year
2024
RESEARCH
The research phase combined qualitative and quantitative approaches to understand how users relate to fitness over time. Along with a survey, expert interviews and observational insights revealed recurring patterns such as hesitation, inconsistency, and difficulty maintaining routines, while broader data helped identify key drop-off moments. These findings were mapped into user journeys, highlighting in particular three critical points below where users disengage or feel overwhelmed.
STRATEGY
Building on these insights, the strategy reframed fitness as a gradual and adaptive process rather than a performance-driven activity. The aim was to design a system that reduces entry barriers, supports users through moments of uncertainty, and introduces structure progressively. The concept was also extended beyond the individual product to a broader service model, where BrainActive could be offered through partner gyms — creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem in which users have access to a more tailored and affordable experience, while gyms gain valuable insights to improve their services and engagement strategies.
CONCEPT
At the core of the experience is a wearable device designed to be used during workouts, acting as both a physical companion and an interface between the user and the digital platform.
Through integrated sensors, the device captures data related to brain activity and physiological responses, translating them into real-time feedback on the user’s mental state — such as focus, energy levels, or perceived stress. This information is then visualised within the app, allowing users to better understand the emotional benefits of movement and how their state evolves throughout the session. At the same time, the system adapts to the user’s current condition and builds a more tailored gym experience, suggesting activities or pacing based on energy and motivation levels. By connecting physical interaction, biometric feedback and adaptive guidance, BrainActive creates a continuous loop between action and awareness — supporting users in building more consistent, personalised and meaningful fitness habits over time.
PROTOTYPING
Prototyping focused on translating these principles into a tangible product. Early explorations included paper models and quick mock-ups to test scale, ergonomics, and interaction, followed by 3D-printed prototypes refined through sanding and spray painting. These physical iterations allowed for direct testing with users, helping validate usability, understand intuitive behaviours, and refine the relationship between gesture and feedback.
FINAL DESIGN
Credits
RESEARCH, STRATEGY AND DESIGN
Federico Maggi
PROTOTYPING
Federico Maggi
Michael Daniel
Marc Michalak
Peter Schmid
FUNDING
PHOENIX Design
