Overview

Project Type
UX Researcher and Designer
Project year
January 2022 - May 2022
Project Summary
Inspired by the challenge of using phones while skiing, this UX project led to the creation of a smartwatch app that helps users communicate on the slopes and navigate ski resorts. Developed for a UX methodologies class, it explored whether others shared similar frustrations.

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Discover

Skiers often struggle to stay connected with friends and family while on the slopes, leading us to explore solutions for better communication during skiing. To kick off, we developed a research strategy to outline roles and establish our goals.

We conducted secondary research, analyzing similar apps such as Snow Mappy and Snoww, and examined existing GPS and tracking options like Glympse, Life360, and Apple's "Find My" app. This helped us identify gaps in the market and areas for innovation.

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Our research methodologies included:

  • 1:1 interviews to gather insights on user needs and preferences, as well as to gauge the demand for a social ski app.
  • Usability testing, focusing on how users would interact with early prototypes, to be conducted later for further refinement.

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To understand both user and business needs, we built four personas:

  • Sally, the social skier, wants to stay connected with friends.
  • Frank, the family man, needs to track his kids on the slopes.
  • Mary and Bob, business users, represent ski resort employees and marketers looking for growth opportunities.

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Hypotheses:

  • If we provide a simple and flexible solution for communication, Frank the Family Man can locate his children more efficiently.
  • If we include friend and location management features, Social Sally will be able to communicate and find friends more conveniently, resulting in an increase in group skiing.
  • If we display a hybrid ski run and friend location map, Social Sally will use her phone less frequently and spend more time skiing.

Key Questions for Interviews:

  • Understanding the app's usefulness to both end users and business users
  • Current methods of staying connected while skiing
  • User motivations for downloading and using the app
  • Differentiators from competitor apps
  • Specific features desired by both end users and business owners

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Define

Our core question was: How might we enhance the on-mountain experience by enabling skiers to stay connected?

Key findings from interviews included:

  • Users wanted alternatives to phones while skiing.
  • Features like lift line information and a “jump the line” option were highly desired.
  • Accurate, real-time tracking was crucial for users, especially parents like Frank.
  • New skiers often spent more time navigating the mountain than enjoying the experience.

These insights shaped our vision for the app, focusing on easy communication, accurate navigation, and features to enhance the overall skiing experience.

Develop

From initial sketches, we defined the MVP, focusing on:

  • Finding and adding friends easily.
  • Communicating via messages or voice chat.
  • Navigating the slopes with a smartwatch, making it easier to locate friends or explore the mountain.

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We refined these features through usability testing, where we used empathy maps and affinity diagrams to prioritize feedback. Key improvements included:

  • Enhancing navigation and messaging.
  • Introducing clearer buttons for finding and messaging friends.
  • Improving voice chat functionality and accessibility to help features.

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Learned Constraints:

  • Must Have:
    • Ensure interactions are suitable for on-slope conditions.
    • Collect real-time data on lift line durations.
    • Ensure tracking features are safe, accurate, and update in real-time.
    • Provide clear guidance to reduce stress for beginners.
  • Should Have:
    • Integrate existing technologies.
    • Add a 'jump the line' feature.
    • Include personalized tracking and location-sharing options.
    • Offer a guide to help beginner skiers.
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Deliver

Our final high-fidelity prototype, Slope Shepherds, included core features:

  • Selecting a ski resort.
  • Finding and tracking friends on the slopes.
  • Messaging and voice chat for easy communication.
  • Safety features like calling for help.

We presented the solution in the final project portfolio, showcasing how the app would simplify the skiing experience for users like Sally and Frank while providing valuable insights for business users like Mary and Bob.

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Reflection

While our early prototypes succeeded in addressing user pain points, we identified areas for immediate improvement, such as refining lift line times and clarifying session timers. For future versions, we proposed:

  • Real-time slope conditions.
  • A user-defined skill level setting for personalized slope suggestions.
  • Guided tutorials to assist beginner skiers in navigating the slopes more confidently.

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More to Explore

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