Rounds

A simple, reliable rounds timer I originally built for my own boxing and MMA training. Quick presets, a highly visible countdown, and clear audio cues make it easy to run sessions for yourself or others without babysitting a stopwatch.

Brief

When I first started training in Jeet Kune Do and boxing, I used a basic analog ring timer with fixed options for round and rest lengths. It worked, but it was hard to read across the room, easy to mis-set, and rigid enough that it never quite matched how we actually trained. When it eventually broke, I decided to design something better, especially for solo sessions where there isn’t a coach managing the clock.

Rounds began as a tool for my own pad work, bag work, and conditioning sessions. Over time, I refined it with feedback from training partners and instructors: fast preset selection, a bold countdown that’s readable across a gym, and trustworthy audio cues for round starts, breaks, and last-ten-seconds warnings. The goal was simple: keep attention on technique and athletes, not on the device.

Jobs to Be Done

Job Performer

Modern martial artist or exercise enthusiast (primary); coach/training partner (secondary).

Start round-based sessions quickly between drills
Read remaining time and interval state from across the room
Adjust rounds or rest mid-session without breaking flow

User Group

Born from my own JKD/boxing practice after a bulky analog timer broke, then refined with partners and instructors. The core user is training solo or with a small group, often in noisy gyms or shared spaces, and needs fast presets, a bold countdown visible at a glance, and trustworthy cues so attention stays on athletes, not the device.

Main Job

Time round-based training with clear, reliable cues during solo or coached sessions.

Top 3 Desired Outcomes

Minimize the time it takes to start a new round-based session from app launch or between drills.
Minimize the likelihood that audio or visual cues are missed or confused in noisy, crowded environments.
Minimize the effort it takes to verify remaining time and the current interval state from a distance.

Impact

🚀 Quick presets make session setup feel near-instant.
👀 Large, high-contrast countdown is readable across the gym.
🔔 Distinct, reliable cues keep focus on technique instead of timekeeping.

Design Concepts

Concept exploration centered on three constraints: setup had to be super quick between drills, time remaining needed to be glanceable from several meters away, and mid-round adjustments had to be safe to make without breaking flow. I experimented with different presets, control placements, and typographic treatments to keep the interface as close to “set it and forget it” as possible.

Design sketches — Sketches exploring preset models, large-type countdown treatments, and in-round controls that minimize accidental taps.