UX Research : IKON

Project Overview

The Ikon Pass app connects users with ski adventures worldwide, offering a seamless experience for pass holders to maximize their season. The project focused on enhancing the app to better serve its users. The design challenge was to research and develop or refine a feature within the existing product that catered to unmet user needs.

• UX Researcher & UX Designer | 1 month
• Services: UX Research | Brand Strategy | UX Design
• Industry: Outdoor Recreation

Research Objectives

• Identify user pain points and unmet needs within the current app experience.
• Understand how pass holders use the "friends" feature to coordinate and communicate during their ski adventures.
• Explore opportunities to enhance the "friends" feature to improve user satisfaction and engagement.
• Ensure the feature redesign aligns with the overall goals of simplicity, accessibility, and communication.

Research Methods

• User Interviews: Conducted in-depth interviews with a diverse group of Ikon Pass holders to gain insights into their experiences and challenges with the "friends" feature.
• Surveys: Deployed targeted surveys to gather quantitative data on user preferences and behaviors related to social features within the app.
• Usability Testing: Tested the existing "friends" feature with real users to identify usability issues and areas for improvement.
• Competitor Analysis: Analyzed similar apps and features in the market to benchmark and identify best practices.
• User Journey Mapping: Created detailed user journey maps to visualize the user experience and identify pain points and opportunities for enhancement.

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Design Challenges

• User Accessibility: Ensuring that the "friends" feature is easily accessible at all times, even in varying conditions such as low connectivity on the mountain or during active use of other app features.
• Intuitive Navigation: Redesigning the "friends" feature so that it is intuitive for users of all technical skill levels, reducing the learning curve and minimizing user frustration.
• Seamless Integration: Integrating the redesigned "friends" feature into the existing app framework without disrupting the overall user experience, ensuring consistency with the app's design language and functionality.
• Scalability: Designing the "friends" feature to accommodate the needs of users with varying social networks, from those with just a few friends to those with large groups, while maintaining simplicity.
• Real-Time Communication: Enabling real-time communication and coordination among users, addressing potential delays or lags that could hinder the effectiveness of planning and coordinating skiing activities.
• Privacy and Security: Ensuring that the feature respects user privacy and security, allowing users to control who can see their information and how they connect with others.
• Cross-Platform Consistency: Maintaining consistency in the user experience across different platforms (iOS, Android) and devices (phones, tablets), ensuring that the feature performs optimally in all environments.

Project Findings

• Users frequently struggled with accessing and using the "friends" feature, finding it cumbersome and not intuitive.
• There was a clear demand for a more integrated contact directory that allows users to easily connect with friends both on and off the mountain.
• Users desired a streamlined experience that allowed them to communicate effortlessly and coordinate their skiing plans.

Outcome

The "friends" feature was redesigned to function as an always-accessible contact directory. The updated feature emphasizes simplicity and ease of use, ensuring that users can effortlessly connect with their friends. This redesign enhances communication and coordination, allowing pass holders to have the best experiences both on and off the mountain, ultimately improving overall user satisfaction.