PROBLEM
Trail info often includes technical terms, complex units, or vague difficulty labels. Beginners struggle to understand gradients, elevation, or route conditions. The language and structure are not beginner-friendly, making it hard to judge if a trail is suitable.
Trail details are spread across blogs, forums, and official sites. Useful info is mixed with unreliable content. Beginners find it hard to tell what’s trustworthy or relevant, which leads to confusion and frustration.
USER INSIGHT
To understand the struggles of beginner hikers, I created a short questionnaire using Google Forms, supplemented by insights from hiking communities and peer conversations.The target users were first-time or casual hikers (ages 25–40) who enjoy weekend trails but often feel unsure or overwhelmed when planning a hike.
Google Form questionnaire + online community review + informal peer feedback
12 beginner hikers, 3 peer hikers (ages 25–40)
multiple-choice & short answers, with casual peer conversations
Grouped recurring themes through manual clustering and pattern recognition
“What was your biggest frustration when preparing for a hike?”
“Have you ever felt unsure about which trail to follow?”
“What kinds of information were hard to find or understand?”
“Have you ever turned back during a hike? Why?”
USER EXPERIENCE
CHALLENGE
How might we help beginner hikers confidently navigate trails by providing clear and reliable information?
UX GOAL
• Make trail information easy to understand for beginner hikers
• Reduce planning stress and confusion by simplifying layout and language
• Provide essential trail access even in offline or low-connectivity conditions
SOLUTION
To reduce confusion before the hike, trail difficulty is shown using familiar, easy-to-read labels instead of technical graphs or elevation data.
Potentially confusing details, such as tricky sections, weather, and progress, are visually mapped in a simple, beginner-friendly way.
When offline, the app surfaces pre-downloaded alerts (e.g. wildlife, time warnings) to help users stay safe without needing a signal.
DESIGN DECISION
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User testing revealed that beginner hikers found generic map pins unclear and lacked confidence in planning hikes. In response, I redesigned the map using hiking-specific icons, visible trail paths, and color-coded difficulty markers to improve clarity, reduce cognitive load, and support faster, more informed decisions.
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User testing showed that beginner hikers often felt unsure about the current difficulty and distance left. Replacing text and progress bars with a map-based view helped users quickly understand their location, upcoming terrain, and remaining time.
Color-coded alerts highlight different risk levels. Warnings appear in orange. Critical hazards show in red. The design helps users quickly understand and respond to threats in real time.
PROCESS
Version 01
The initial wireframe focused on outlining the full hiking journey, from discovering a trail to navigating and completing it. However, some screens overlapped in function and created unnecessary steps, which increased cognitive load during use.
Version 02
Based on internal feedback and early user testing, we streamlined the flow by removing redundant screens and placing stronger emphasis on hierarchy. During hiking, only essential navigation UI remains visible to help users stay focused on the trail. These changes improved task clarity and reduced interaction fatigue.
Mid-fidelity testing helped identify friction points in the flow and hierarchy. Key information was reorganized to stand out more effectively and guide user attention with clarity.
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