Muze | Pole Dancing App
RESPONSIBILITIES
Product Design, Mobile, Digital, User Research, UI/UX Design
Tools
Figma, Photoshop
Project Overview
Muze is a self-initiated concept project created to explore the intersection of product design, fitness, and digital education. From initial research through high-fidelity designs, I challenged myself to design a complete end-to-end experience that balances business goals with user needs, while showcasing my approach to UX strategy, interaction design, and visual storytelling.
As the sole designer on this project, I was responsible for the entire product design process, including:
Product strategy and concept development
UX research and competitive analysis
User flows and information architecture
Wireframing and interaction design
UI design and design system creation
Interactive prototyping
Subscription and onboarding experience
Visual branding and product direction
The Problem
Pole dancing is one of the fastest-growing movement disciplines, yet the digital learning experience remains fragmented. Quality instruction isn't always accessible, free online tutorials often lack structure and progression, and many existing platforms fail to represent the diverse reasons people pursue pole.
As a result, beginners are left navigating inconsistent content without a clear, supportive path to build confidence and develop their skills.
Summary
Muze is designed to feel more like a premium lifestyle brand than a traditional fitness app, combining an editorial aesthetic with an inclusive, body-positive approach. The experience prioritizes technique, structured learning, and thoughtful instruction while celebrating progress through skill development rather than physical appearance.
Every aspect of the product is designed to create a welcoming environment where dancers of all backgrounds, body types, and experience levels feel supported in their journey.
Target Audience
The primary users were mostly adult females, practicing from the comfort of their own home. Global pole dance participation has grown roughly ten-fold over the past decade — driven by home installations during and after the pandemic, and by the rise of pole as fitness, art, and performance rather than only nightlife.
Constraints
Solo practice safety
Users practice at home, often alone, on poles of varying quality. The product cannot send anyone into a move they're not ready for. Progressions must be explicit, prerequisites enforced where it matters, and every advanced class must include grip and conditioning prerequisites.
Mobile bandwidth
Many users stream on home WiFi but a meaningful share practice in non-traditional spaces. Offline downloads must be a first-class feature, not an upsell. Video must adapt aggressively to bandwidth.
Cultural sensitivity
Pole spans communities — from strippers and exotic dancers, where the practice originates, through fitness pole, performance pole, and Chinese pole. The app honors that history. Curriculum, instructor representation, and language all reflect this rather than sanitizing it.
The Approach
Muze's approach can be stated as a single sentence: build a curriculum-first, body-positive, editorial pole learning product that respects both the practice and the practitioner.
Product Strategy
A subscription model at a single accessible tier ($14/month, $120/year), seven days free. The catalogue launches with around 200 classes across foundations, technique, flow, and stretch, growing weekly.
Original programs anchor the catalogue and create marketing moments. Offline downloads, slow-motion, and chapter markers are launch features, not roadmap items.
Design Strategy
Editorial-first visual system: vibrant feminine tones over cream, Fraunces (display serif) paired with Inter Tight (UI sans), generous typography, organic gradient meshes instead of stock photography.
Every screen privileges hierarchy and breathing room over information density.
Content Strategy
Instructors recruited for both teaching skill and lived diversity — body type, age, race, gender, performance background.
Each class is shot with multiple camera angles to support slow-motion close-ups on grip and footwork.
Brand Strategy
Muze positions itself as the editorial pole brand and the app you'd be proud to be seen using. Brand voice is warm, direct, and adult: it never talks down to users and never euphemizes the practice.
The brand makes room for both the strength-and-technique camp and the sensual-performance camp without privileging either.
Competitive Analysis
A look at competitors provides insights on best practices and unique selling points. Here’s what competitors often emphasize:
Fit2Flaunt
Strengths: Sells its own home poles alongside the app, removing the biggest home-practice barrier.
Lacking: Feels more like a fitness community than a design brand — leans on badges and leaderboards where Muze leans on calm vibes.
Steezy
Strengths: Polished UX, broad catalogue, strong continue-watching mechanics.
Lacking: No pole content. Aesthetic skews young and urban. Doesn't fit pole's adult audience.
YouTube instructors
Strengths: Authentic teachers, real community, free access.
Lacking: No structure, no progression, no curation, no offline. Hard to find the right next class.
Key Takeaways
And these were just a few of the key takeaways that we gathered for what needed to be included in the Muze app:
Brand is the product.
The people we designed for kept saying the same thing: they wouldn't be caught using a tacky pole app. So the look isn't decoration. It's the whole reason someone taps subscribe.
The serif, the cool tones, classes that say "Slow morning" instead of "Beginner Flow 04." That's what sells it.
Built, not burned.
Muze counts what you can do, not what you weigh. Streaks, classes finished, hours on the pole, moves you've landed. No scale. No body-comp. No before-and-after.
What we left out says more than what we put in.
Ambient, not separate.
The library isn't a place you go. It's right there on the home screen. Three little rows of chips, one tap, and you're in a class. No detour, no search, no thinking.
That's how something turns into a daily habit instead of a chore.
The Solution
Muze is a mobile-first pole learning app that solves four problems at once.
It makes quality instruction accessible anywhere through a full on-demand library with offline downloads for home practice.
It replaces the YouTube rabbit hole with a real curriculum of structured programs and personalized weekly plans that always tell you what to learn next.
It's built as a brand learners are proud to be seen using, through an editorial visual system and inclusive language throughout.
It reframes progress around what the body can do (streak, classes, hours, moves unlocked) rather than what it weighs, with no scale, body-comp, or before-and-afters anywhere in the product.
Personas
Lucy Ramirez
Lucy has always been interested in trying pole dance but has felt intimidated by walking into a studio for the first time. She enjoys learning new hobbies through apps and online courses because they allow her to practice at her own pace in a comfortable environment. She's looking for a fun way to stay active while building confidence and strength.
Age
28
Occupation
Project Manager
Location
Portland, OR
Personality
Ambitious
Curious
Creative
Introverted
Quiet
Health-conscious
Goals
Learn pole from the ground up
Build upper body strength and flexibility
Gain confidence before attending an in-person class
Stay consistent with a structured routine
Frustrations
Doesn't know where to begin
YouTube tutorials feel disorganized and overwhelming
Worried about using incorrect technique
Studio classes are expensive and don't fit her work schedule
Needs
A clear beginner roadmap
Step-by-step lessons that build on one another
Encouraging guidance and progress tracking
Flexible workouts that fit into her evenings
Motivations
Lucy wants to prove to herself that she's capable of learning something completely new while improving both her physical strength and self-confidence.
Maya Chen
Maya has been practicing pole for nearly three years and attends studio classes once a week. Between work and family commitments, she wants a way to continue progressing outside of class without relying on random online tutorials. She's focused on refining technique and mastering more advanced skills.
Age
36
Occupation
UX Designer
Location
Seattle, WA
Personality
Disciplined
Independent
Goal-oriented
Analytical
Motivated
Extroverted
Goals
Improve technique and execution
Build strength for inversions and advanced tricks
Supplement studio classes with structured practice
Track long-term progress
Frustrations
Difficulty finding advanced content organized into learning paths
Limited opportunities to practice between studio sessions
Existing fitness apps lack detailed technical instruction
Hard to measure progress over time
Needs
Advanced programs with clear progression
Slow-motion demonstrations and technique breakdowns
Personalized recommendations based on skill level
Performance and milestone tracking
Motivations
Maya is driven by personal growth and enjoys mastering challenging skills. She wants a platform that supports long-term progression and makes every practice session feel purposeful.
These personas represent two of Muze's primary audiences:
Lucy represents the newcomer who needs reassurance, structure, and confidence-building.
Maya represents the committed learner who values technique, progression, and advanced instruction.
These personas also reinforce many of the design decisions in your case study, such as the personalized onboarding, structured learning paths, progress tracking, and video features like slow-motion playback and instructor tips. They create a strong narrative that ties your research directly to your design solutions.
Information Architecture
Visual Design and Mockups
Design System
Typography
