REI Climbing App
Mobile App for Rock Climbers
Project Overview
Planning a climbing trip properly can make the difference between an incredible adventure and a major letdown. Having clear directions to the climb, knowing what gear to pack, and having up-to-date information about the route are all essential for a successful climbing experience. Imagine having an app that consolidates all this information into one handy resource. That's the idea behind the REI Climbing App.
Problem Statement
I need detailed information about my climb so I can plan my route safely, efficiently, and with the right gear.
Objectives & Goals
-
Research climbers' needs to plan trips and source equipment
-
Ideate solutions
-
Design a high-fidelity prototype for a mobile guidebook that facilitates trip planning and equipment selection
Role and Responsibilities
My role as the Lead UX Researcher for this project was to conduct user research and contribute to the design of the mobile app.
-
Research
-
Ideation
-
Wireframing
-
Prototyping
-
Iteration
-
Testing
Scope and Constraints
-
Create a product to make it easier for climbers to find routes with up-to-date safety information
-
Create a product that serves the climbers' needs as well as the business needs of REI
-
Create a product that is intuitive for climbers to use
-
Display route information in a clear and concise way
Research
Quantitative Research
I conducted user interviews with 8 participants who were rock climbers between the ages of 20 and 60 years old and had used an app as a guidebook within the last 12 months. These were my key findings:
​
-
62.5% of the participants were aged 30-40, 25% were aged 40-65, and 12.5% were 20-30 years old
-
62.5% of the participants identified as men, and 37.5% of the participants identified as women
-
75% of the participants have been active climbers for 10 + years, while 25% have been climbing less than 10 years
-
87.5% of participants valued up-to-date safety information
​
User Pain Points
-
Outdated maps and trail information make it difficult to find climbs and can present access issues
-
Lack of updated route information like safety updates and anchor quality can be dangerous
-
Users would like to know of recent rock falls or breaks from a trusted local forum
-
Users like to feel prepared for the climbs they go on
User Needs
-
User needs an easy way to search for potential routes and learn about them
-
User feels it would be helpful to have a comprehensive guidebook on their mobile device
-
Users need a way to have up-to-date safety information about the climb they are about to attempt
Competitive Research
Mountain Project
Mountain Project is a well-known climbing app with the largest route library of any app on the market. However, much of the information is limited.
​
Features:
-
Users can post and share climbs with photos and written descriptions
-
Has climbing routes and areas all over the world
Gunks App
Gunks Apps is considered the gold standard of app guidebooks with detailed route descriptions and photos. But is limited to select climbing areas.
​
Features:
-
High-resolution photos with detailed climb info
-
Best in-class in-app navigation feature
Unique Features of REI Climbing App
From our research, we determined that the REI Climbing App would include 3 unique features that address the users' needs that competitor apps don't have:
Users can upload data on a specific climb or area to keep safety information up to date
Offer climbers to customize their profile to filter climbs that are right for them
Provide users with updated lodging and access information as a part of their planning process
User Persona
For our user persona, we merged the insights from our affinity mapping with the data from our interviews to create a composite character representing the collective attributes of all the individuals we interviewed.
Design
User Flows
After establishing our user persona, we set to work designing the app. For the scope of this project we decided to focus on a single user flow to sign into the app, navigate to the Yosemite climbing area, select a climb and bookmark it.
Sketches
After creating our user flows, we did a combined sketching session to create screens for each step in the user flow. We decided to combine screens where we could to reduce the number of steps the user would have to take before finding their climb.
Wireframes
After completing the sketches, we took them into Figma, created our wireframes, and outlined the flow between each screen.
Validation
Usability Testing
We conducted a round of usability testing on a clickable prototype using maze.co to track our user flow. We gave our users 4 tasks:
​
-
Create an account and log in
-
Search for the Yosemite Valley climbing area
-
Select a climb
-
Bookmark the climb
-
We wanted to ensure that users could create a customizable profile, find the climbing area, and select a route in an intuitive experience
-
We wanted to determine if any section of the user flow was not intuitive. We tested 12 users, ages 20 to 65, who had used a climbing guide app within the last 12 months.
Usability Test Results
From this test, we found 3 main issues:
​
-
The majority of users were confused with the customization of their profile; they were not sure what to do and spent too long on that page with too many misclicks
-
From the home page, users did not immediately know where to go to search for the Yosemite Valley climbing area
-
On the climb page, users could not locate the bookmark button quickly.
Recommendations
Based on this feedback, we decided to make the profile customization in the onboarding easier by including key information only. On the home page of the app, we created a clear divider between the search bar and the menu items to make the search feature more visually available. On the climb information page, we made the bookmark button larger and easier to find.
Iteration
Shortened the onboarding sequence
Made search bar more visually accessible
Second Round of Usability Testing
After we made the recomended edits, we conducted a second round of usability testing with a new group of users using the same script. Overall the users had a much smoother experiance and intuitivly moved through the app. There were still a few misclicks in the onboarding sequence, but overall it was a significant improvement from the first round of testing.
Qualitative Data
User feedback was overall positive and validated our design choices.
Easy to navigate, super straightforward, and similar to other apps of this type, so I didn't feel like I had to figure out anything new
I enjoyed the app. From the homepage, it was easy to find what I was looking for, and it felt familiar to the Mountain Project App
Felt very familiar as far as the method of navigation, searching specific locations, map type, etc...
Final Design
Next Steps
Given that this project was a three-week design sprint, there was not enough time to develop all the fun features that would make this app more developed. If I were to continue to work on the project, I would prioritize these next steps.​
Create a seamless integration with REI's online community and the app to allow for users to learn about and participate in climbing trips and gear clinics that are hosted by REI.
Build out the social feed and forum feature to allow experienced climbers to mentor new climbers who are learning safety techniques and outdoor climbing etiquette.
Develop integrations with existing apps like Mountain Project to provide climbers with an expansive and current database of climbs and climbing areas.
