NorthStar: Mountain Navigation App
Alpine skiing and snowboarding are incredibly fun sports. However, with fun comes danger, and being aware of your surroundings on the piste is crucial for a successful and fun day on the mountain.
NorthStar is a navigation application for skiers and snowboarders to help navigate more efficiently. I set out to create a brand-new design system to ensure NorthStar encompasses excellent usability and aesthetics across all corners of the app.
I led the project and worked on all aspects of the development of the app, which included user research and testing, visual, and UX design.
Challenge
The biggest issue users had was being able to access maps offline, as cell phone service can be unreliable on the mountain, so designing a solution for this problem was crucial.
Goals
Help users navigate:
Allow users to download a map offline so they can still navigate even when cell service is poor on the mountain.
Allow users to get directions down a mountain.
User Data
Based on user interviews, key insights from their answers informed me that:
Users mostly used their mobile phones to navigate.
Users of all ability levels need assistance with navigation.
Homepage
Since NorthStar is first and foremost, a navigation app, users are immediately prompted to select their mountain resort.
Offline Maps
Once users select their desired resort, they are brought to an interactive map with the ability to search, an option to filter points of interest by category, or download the map onto their phone. By downloading the map to their phone, users are still able to way find despite there being poor cell service on the mountain.
Navigation
Users can fond the easiest way to their destination by using the navigation function.
