As an avid hiker, climber, and trail runner, I rely heavily on AllTrails. So I set out to make one of my favorite apps even better.
AllTrails connects users to trails both near and far, allowing them to read reviews, download maps, and evaluate current conditions. It works great when you know exactly what you’re looking for—but if you’re flying blind, the search function can be a little too… manual.
I discovered this after a life-threatening car accident significantly weakened me (temporarily). Rather than my usual alpine summits, I was now limited to short, non-technical nature walks. While using AllTrails to search for easy hikes, I quickly realized how difficult the app is to navigate if you don’t already have a framework in mind for your hike. If I, a seasoned hiker, couldn’t easily find the right trail, how could a novice hiker find one? It was clear that the app could use a better UX.
The problem
Although AllTrails allows users to filter their search by a variety of parameters, the options are overwhelming and assume that the user is a seasoned hiker who knows exactly what they’re looking for. While the veteran outdoorsman is indeed a key user persona, the novice hiker is one that the app may overlook. And with more and more people opting outside, it’s critical that they have a useful and usable tool to point them in the right direction and keep them safe.
In short, the app expects users to do a lot of the heavy lifting themselves rather than guiding them along.
My solution
I put together a focus group of my friends comprising both experienced and novice hikers. There was a broad consensus that the app should ask a series of simple questions that it then uses to suggest hikes in line with the user’s preferences. I loved that idea and ran with it.
And after going back and forth, I decided that this feature would be most useful and accessible if it avoided overly-technical language, yet still adhered to AllTrail’s tone and style. So, I wrote the questions in plain speak so as to avoid any ambiguity and be inclusive of novice hikers.
Scroll through the wireframes below to see my proposed “Trip Planner” feature.
