14er App Redesign
Concept
Summer is in full swing and you want to go hike one of Colorado’s incredible 14,000ft peaks. You search and find the only large hub of info is 14ers.com. The site has great information but is clunky, a-rhythmic, and possess an outdated aesthetic.
This project looked to fix these issues while seeing what further UX changes could be made to improve overall usability.
Role
Graphic Designer, UX and UI Design, User Research
Duration
3 Week Sprint
Background
Every year tens of thousand of Coloradans venture into the alpine to climb one of the 58 peaks above 14,000 ft. Known as 14ers, these peaks bring unique challenges, both physical and logistical. Planning is key for such activities and many have turned to the internet for help.
We know our audience, but what do they need?
How Might We?
Incentivize seasoned hikers to share trail information and current conditions?
Convey this information to novice hikers in a useful, useable and compelling manner?
Alpenglo
A visual-forward trip report and photo-sharing platform.
Hikers are encouraged to submit trail reports by earning ‘applause’, culminating in brand discounts.
Novice hikers are educated by using a simplistic conditions rating system and description tags.
Novice hikers can also instantly match with routes based on their varied desires.
Current Issues
The current industry leader in this exchange of outdoor information is 14ers.com. Although the site contains a plethora of information, its clunky UX and unappealing UI could be refreshed. Needed information is scattered with no through-line for navigation.
Proposed Changes
Rebrand platform identity
Create a step by step flow to help guide users through the trip planning experience.
Incentivize experienced hikers to share trail and condition reports.
Goal 1: Knowledge Sharing
Trip Reports
Homescreen content is user generated and contains recent route conditions and photos.
Brand discounts are given to users based on their historical contributions and ‘level.’
Applause given on homescreen are used to ensure quality content is posted.
Such models exist in outdoor industries and are used by brands to place their products on “influential” individuals.
Calculator Results
Goal 2: Planning Made Easy
Trail Calculator
Users are first asked the general location they wish to hike. They are then able to choose distance from home or mountain range.
Users then input the difficulty of hike desired. Sliders add a simple and gamified method of data input.
Lastly, users enter the technical grade of hike desired and utilized iconographic attribute tags.
Users unsure with hiking grades can learn more via the question mark icon.
Ideation
Sketching (a handful of the later stage concepts)
Reflections
Increased Technical Control
One limitation was that this project was a redesign of a current platform and not a blue sky product concept. In order to create the perfect tool for hikers additional engineering would be needed. I limited myself to only adding front end features as without this it would not be a redesign but a new product. Working with the creators of the current platform could yield greater flexibility.
Further User Testing
Further field user testing would be necessary before rolling out this redesign. With most use taking place outside the home, specific issues may arise.