Created easy access for people who like backcountry skiing
Help people who want to explore the wilderness
Learn more from online users and in-app informations
Availability for people to track their adventure
Teach users how to plan out their hike and ski route in a few steps
Why do I do this?
As an intermediate skier and snowboarder. I want to create a community that allows people to share their experience and connect with each other. Although I only try backcountry for a few times, I want an app that allows user to easy access the terrain and knowing the avalanche dangerous while exploring the wilderness.
Problem
Skiers lack of backcountry knowledge and informations. Most of them do not have basic avalanche training.
Solution
I have created a solution that give users just-in-time information to access the backcountry. This also allow the user feel confident to explore and be safe at the same time.
Goals
Target Research
To better understand my target audience, I found out 49% of the backcountry skier does not have backcountry training. I also interviewed 3 participants with different skiing level. This helped me understand more information about what they need and what are they looking for.
Advanced skier will want to know the weather informations at all time
Beginner wants to see if there's a checklist before their ski trip
It is also important to know some basic safety and rescue knowledge
Design Thinking Process
Insights & Takeaways
Allow user to learn avalanche awareness from the app
Provides the user avalanche data and terrain options
Allow user to post and share their experience with the other app users
Encourage skier to explore wilderness
To start the project, it is always important to understand the problem of what I am trying to solve. I started to gain insight into the users. Developing the best possible understanding of the users, their needs and the problems that allows me to develop the product. This product was involved with a lot of research and data that need to be provide in the app. It is important to understand what kind of feature that I have to involve in the product for the users.
PERSONA
Bones James Architecture 39 years old Sacramento
"I enjoy my weekday working and go out for skiing during the weekend."
PERSONAL BIO
Bones is working hard during the weekday. He designs a lot of architectures in South San Francisco. He likes to travel out to the mountain to ski with his friends during the weekend. they like to do backcountry skiing, which require them to learn a lot of safety instructions.
NEED STATEMENT
Bones needs an app to make decision in avalanche terrain. He also wants to know where's the avalanche area through the app.
Sketch DESIGN SKETCH
Before I start designing my product, I did a rough sketch to understand a brief layout of what I was thinking. The process here is to understand what kind of feature I want to include in my product. All sketches here was finish by hand on paper. I found sketching is easier to show my thoughts and make changes right away.
USER TASK FLOW
Search and select a ski route for Echo lake and download with avalanche layer
Send invitation to friends from a planned ski route
Pull out the planned ski route as well as checking the avalanche area and start nevigate your ski trip
DESIGN PROCESS
MEDIUM FIDELITY
User Flow 1
Search and select a ski route for Echo Lake and download with avalanche layer
User Flow 2
Send invitation to friends from a planned ski route
User Flow 3
Pull out downloaded ski route with avalanche layer and start your ski trip with AR feature
Usability Testing 2 Rounds of User Testing
In the usability testing I did two round of user testing with 5 different users. The Users have test mid-fidelity wireframe in Figma Prototype. I have absorbed the user reactions and ask them if they have any confusion after the testing The users also give me some feedbacks.
Feedback from the users
User flow 1: Search and select a ski route for Echo Lake and download with avalanche layer
Change the plan page title to save or downloaded route / route page
Easy to follow and no confusion
User flow 2: Send invitation to friends from a planned ski route
can’t see the title text from the home page
what will the page changes after they accept the invite?
User flow 3: Pull out downloaded ski route with avalanche layer and start your ski trip with AR feature
make a AR button instead of putting it into a layer icon
downloaded page doesn’t seem the same as user flow 2
User Testing Refine
Redesign Screen - Home Page
According to the feedback, I have make some changes. I resolved the UI problems and improve the design to high fidelity.
Redesign Screen - Detail Page
Prototype for usability testing
Link to prototype
Click below to check the prototype link I used for usability testing. The prototype allows me to absorb the reaction from the users and know what confuses them during each task flow.
I started this project with learning how to ski safely outside of the ski resort. I also gather a lot of informations from a lot of non-profit ski organization and from my interviews.
During my research for my project, I have learned how to gather more informations and learned how to absord what user need. Through usability testing and design variation testing, I have learned that they are very important process for my project. This help me improve a lot for my app design.
If I Had more time, I would: - Keep improving my features in the app - Research on local organization and know how they promote their avalanche program - Expand the survey size and user testing
Final Screen Design
Concept Video
Want to work together?
If you like what you see and want to work together, shoot me an email!
