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Snowstee

Snowstee is an app created to enhance the experience of anyone traveling to a ski resort by utilizing social, booking, and statistical components.

Project Info

Duration: October 2021 – June 2022

Role: UX/ UI Designer 

Tools: Sketch, Adobe Suite, invision, Optimal Sort

Client: CareerFoundry (student project)

 

Research

Problem Statement

 

Snow lovers need a singular app to review weather conditions, mountain conditions, mountain exploration and a social environment to review and plan with friends.

Solution

Create an app that provides you with all your mountain needs. Trip information, friends and all.

Competitive Analysis

A competitive analysis was performed on two separate applications: OpenSnow and OnTheSnow. This was conducted to gather insights on the market. Below is the summary of the findings for both applications.

Strengths
– Detailed maps of locations for users
– Option to search for any mountain

Weaknesses
– In-depth information displayed sporadically
– Detailed information too specific for the average user

Opportunities
– User flow efficiency increase
– Rating system for weather forecasts/mountain experience

Threats
– Other apps that are tailored directly to a group of users within the desired  demographic 

Strengths
– Strong Online Presence
– Daily rating system for large quantity of mountains

Weaknesses
– Poor Navigational Display
– Information is limited to surrounding areas

Opportunities
– Allowing users to interact with mountain maps
– Gain a larger following through SEO work

Threats
– Apps that contain more data
– Limited ability, opposed to too much ability in other competitor  

User Research

User research was conducted with the intention to understand the research goals displayed below. This was accomplished with a session of surveys and user interviews.

Research Goals

• Identify levels of interest and consistency while using the app.

• Identify pain points within the overall experience of looking up the information needed for a day on the snow (using our app or other methods.)

• Determine behaviors and engagement of users while using the app.

• Reveal issues within the app and areas in which it can be improved.

User Interviews & Surveys

Affinity mapping (gathering qualitative information about users and grouping it by category) was used to understand the findings from surveys and user interviews.

Key Findings

Everyone interviewed likes to go to the mountain during the week; the fewer people on the mountain, the better. This can be a main focus of the app to display the volume of skiers on the mountain.

Participants will travel further to larger resorts in order to have more room on the mountain.

Potential users base their entire trip on what day they can make it up to a mountain in order to avoid large numbers of people.

It is a major deterrent if people spend their time waiting in line to get back up the mountain (lift lines).

Mountain conditions have a major effect on how participants get to the mountain and what they wear.

When planning large trips to mountains, plans can easily fall through due to a lack of resources holding participants accountable.

Synthesis

User Personas

Two user personas were created based off the reasearch conducted above. These personas define a realistic character that is likely to use the product Snowstee.

User Journey

User journeys are a visual representation of the user’s experience. The user journeys were a great way to expand upon the user personas and define requirements for the app. The personas were given tasks to complete which helped reveal pain points along with solutions that made the most sense.

User Flows

User flows further helped in understanding and anticipating the cognitive patterns of users by identifying areas where the navigational flow could be improved. This visual representation would ensure that SnowStee would be intuitive and efficient when it comes to accessing its most basic features.

Ideation

Information Architecture

An initial site map was created during the information architecture phase of the project, this captured all the content available in the SnowStee app. The goal of the initial site map was to identify the pages and categorize them in a way that makes the navigation intuitive. Allowing the user to find the information they are looking for in an easy and straightforward fashion.

Initial Sitemap

Card Sorting & Similarity Matrix

Having created an initial sitemap of the SnowStee app, a closed card sorting was conducted using the OptimalSort platform. Feedback was gathered from 16 participants. This assisted in validating decisions and identifying any points of confusion for the users.

The matrix below showcases the participants’ responses and groups them into areas where improvement is needed.

Refined Site Map

The Similarity Matrix pointed out an interesting connection between having friends on the app, along with sharing in-depth details about mountains. For this reason, the option to share mountain details on a lesser scale (rather than sharing the details of the entire mountain) was added to the sitemap. Also from the Matrix, validity of sitemap details were provided for “Mountain Details”, “Account” and “Social.” The card sorting brought upon a fresh take on naming different categories.

Low-Fidelity Prototype

Using the refined sitemap and the user flows, a low-fidelity prototype was created for the three core features of the app: Create Trip, Favorite Mountain and Comment on a Trip.

The most important part of this process was not making the sketches look good. It is key to visualize the functionality working in a tangible setting.

High-Fidelity Prototype

Low and mid-fidelity prototypes were translated into high-fidelity prototypes. This allowed stakeholders to click around through the application and get a sense of how it will feel and function once it’s completed.

Usability Testing

After creating the high-fidelity prototype, it was time to test the SnowStee app on users.

Six remote moderated interviews were conducted over Zoom or at a controlled environment. The users were instructed to perform tasks using the app. Questioning on both ends was utilized to clarify the results of and the test itself. Below are the findings displayed in a Rainbow Spreadsheet.

Preference Testing

During usability testing, there was a need for more character in the app coming from almost all participants. An A/B Test was conducted to calculate the aesthetic appeal and how clear the design was communicating to the user.

Conducting the A/B preference test helped to judge the success of design elements and how to move forward with the prototype.

Solution

UI Design – Logo

The creation of a logo was meant to highlight what the SnowStee app does and identify it simply and comprehensively. This wordmark logo was based on a script font. The free-flowing curves represent the slopes of a mountain and the connection of the letters indicates the social functionalities.

Design System

A design system was created to establish the SnowStee brand personality by fine-tuning colors, typography, grids, elements, and icons. This step of the process is crucial in ensuring a seamless handoff to developers. Click on either image to view the full UI Design System.  

Final Screens

Once the design system was created, it was applied to the prototype and the final screens for the application were created. Below are a few of the final screens.

Final Prototype

Time to shred! Search mountains, view weather stats, create a trip with friends and more.

Takeaways

Understanding how powerful the benefits of a user-centered design approach are.

Snowstee was the first project where I was responsible for the entire product design process: starting from defining the problem, research and ending with UI solution.

Every step of the process is crucial in reaching the solution of the problem statement.

The biggest challenge in creating this app was incorporating the highest amount of empathy possible. Keeping the user in mind at all times; it can be natural to go with what seems to be the best route.

There will always be a more refined version of the product available, for both users and stakeholders.

Next Steps

Incorporating a more robust social component

With social media incorporating itself into everyday life more each day, the app will need more social components: user submitted videos, reviews and articles are a few of the next features to be built.

Business Model

Develop a sustainable subscription-based business model where users can schedule lessons both on and offline.

Live Mountain Feed

Pairing with ski resort’s videographers to get a feed of each mountain in real time. This would add an appealing visual element to parallel statistics displayed on mountain pages.