Hikes Research
Profound research on hiking habits and the app AllTrails
aimed to design the perfect app for hiking.
In this project, I used different research tools to understand how people plan their hiking trips to create the ultimate hiking app.
ROLE
UX Researcher
RESEARCH TOOLS
Interviews
Usability tests
Contextual Inquiry
Surveys
THE PROBLEM
Planning hikes can get complicated, there's a lot of uncertainties, and to plan the perfect hike can take time.
THE GOAL
The goal is to dive deep into the hike planning habits to understand how to make it easier and more efficient.
THE PROCESS
RESEARCH - USABILITY TESTING
First, I wanted to see how people use with one of the most popular hiking app - AllTrails. Does it answer their needs? Is it easy to use? Do users like it?
RESEARCH GOAL
The goal of the research is to look into how people interact with the AllTrails app - How they search for hikes, share them with friends, and navigate to the trail.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How do users interact with AllTrails’ search tool?
Are users able to navigate to the hike easily and share it with their friends?
What are the pain points users experience when using the app?
METHODOLOGY
I conducted usability testing with five participants on the app AllTrail (apple and android OS).
Users were asked to perform a search, share location with their friends, and navigate to the trail. At the end of the test, participants were asked a few wrap-up questions.
FINDINGS
It Takes Time to Figure Up the App
Users weren’t sure where to start searching for trails. It took them between 2-7 clicks to find their way on the app.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand words
Participants prefer to look at pictures of the trail over reading the description.
Users Take the 'Sad Path'
None of the participants took the happy path to find a trail, navigate to it, or share with their friends.
Confusing First Screen
iOS users encountered a recording screen when opening the app; they found it confusing - they didn’t know what it means and closed it. (See the screen on the journey map)
The Most Important Information
Pictures, ratings, and difficulty are the most important elements when choosing a hike -users found this information easily.
It's Difficult to Share Trails
Each participant shared the trail with their friend differently - two participants left the app to do that.
JOURNEY MAP
SUMMERY
Although popular, AllTrials is not the perfect solution. AllTrails holds valuable information, but the lack of visibility makes it difficult to navigate in the app.
RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
After studying the experience the app AllTrails provides, I interviewed four people to understand how people usually plan hikes.
RESEARCH GOAL
The main goal of this research is to understand how people plan hikes.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How do people choose trails? What are the most important factors when choosing one?
What type of information do people want to see before going on a hike?
Which resources do people use when planing hikes?
FINDINGS
MAIN FINDINGS
Hikers Types - Planner & Spontaneous
There are two types of hikers - 'the planner' (who plan) and 'the spontaneous' (who decide to go on a spare moment).
Using Offline Maps
Users often download offline maps in advance to access them in case there's no reception.
Recommendations are Better than Search
Participants said they choose trails based on recommendations and internet searches, but they prefer getting recommendations.
Planning Hikes Using Multiple Sources
When searching for hikes online, 'planners' use at least three resources to plan the trip.
How to Choose a Hike
Participants search for hikes based on location and highlights (waterfall, mountain, etc.). The difficulty is mainly relevant when traveling with others.
Plan Less Following Recommendation
Following a personal recommendation, both planners and spontaneous will spend less time searching for information online about the trail before going.
SUMMERY
There are two types of hikers, the ‘planner’ and the ‘spontaneous’.
The most important information about a hike is the distance for your location, length of the trail, reviews, and the main attraction.
Participants love getting recommendations on trails from their friends - a tool that can provide this in addition to independent search can bring a great added value to users.
RESEARCH - SURVEYS
Interviews suggested the importance of friends in planning a hike. In the next research, I want to test this assumption on a larger scale and to understand this behavior better.
RESEARCH GOAL
This research aims to examine the role of friends in planning a hike and understand how people communicate with their friends about hikes.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Do people communicate with their friends about hiking?
What type of information do people want to get from their friends?
What kind of hiking information people tend to share with their friends?
What are the platforms people are using to talk with their friends about hiking?
METHODOLOGY
I used google forms to send the surveys and analyzed the results on spreadsheets. I published the surveys on multiple hiking groups and my social profiles. Fifty people answered the surveys, but only twenty-seven people were part of my target audience - 16 females and 11 males.
Example of a question: Mark all the resources you use for planning a hike (you can choose more than one option)
a.Internet Search b.Friends c.Specific site or app d.My knowledge base e.Professional guides f.Online groups and forums e.other:______
FINDINGS
81% consider friends as an information source when planning a hike. It’s the second most popular resource after internet search (85.19%).
N=27
Almost 82% said friends’ recommendations are a better indicator than online reviews for whether they would enjoy a hike or not.
N=22
Friends' advice is more important than a professional's advice - not a single responder said they prefer professional guide advice over a friend and 54% prefer to consult with a friend over a guide.
There’re some differences between the information responders share with friends and the information they are interested in getting. The most significant (and amusing) difference is with pictures - while almost 80% of responders tend to share pictures with their friends, only 23% are interested in seeing their friends’ pictures.
SUMMERY
Friends are indeed a significant source of information, and their opinion is valued more than online reviews or professionals. People communicate with their friends via phone or text and are looking to get information about trails, difficulty, and length.
And a fun narcissistic fact about us - while we are not very interested in our friends' travel pictures, it's the second most popular thing we share with our friends.
RESEARCH - CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY
Previous studies showed that people use various platforms to plan their hikes, and I wanted to observe which tools they use and for what purpose.
RESEARCH GOAL
The goal is to understand the holistic experience of hike planning - how do people search for hikes? Which tools do they use and why?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How do people plan hikes?
Which tools do people use when planning hikes?
Do people use multiple tools when planning hikes? If so, why?
METHODOLOGY
I used the contextual inquiry method and joined three participants while they searched for a hike at home. I recorded their actions and thoughts and asked questions to understand their behavior better.
FINDINGS
Uses 4+ Tools When Planning Hikes
All participants used a minimum of four tools (websites or apps) to plan their hike.
The Most Important Information
The information people are searching for involve: distance from home, rating, the main attraction of the trail, difficulty (and whether it’s stroller/ kids friendly), length, and weather.
The Day Of - Weather and Direction
Two participants said that on the day of the trip, they usually check the weather and direction.
Searching for Things To Do Nearby
Two participants said they usually search for a restaurant nearby. One participant said they sometimes look for attractions nearby.
Saving Links and Notes
Participants used different apps to save links and notes they’ve found (google Docs/ email or Notes).
Talking with Friends
Participants said that they communicate with their friends about travel via messaging app. The main purpose of this is to ask for recommendations and to suggest they join them.
CONCLUSIONS
The hike planning process can get long and complicated. People use multiple platforms since they can't find one tool that satisfies all of their needs. There's a demand for a one-stop-shop that helps people plan hikes without switching between platforms.
The perfect app is will have:
CONCLUSIONS
The app AllTrails contains valuable information and is a great start to create the perfect hike planning app. A hiking app should have a large knowledge base, as well as promote communication with friends.
NEXT STEPS
The next step would be market research to understand which features to work on first. In addition to basic features (like search) that you could find in every app, I’d want to design a feature that doesn’t exist in other apps. That way, I’ll have the basic features that users can't do without and unique ones to draw users.
Once I’ll identify the features I want to start with, I’ll create wireframes and test them using usability testing. The app stores many functions and information, and a user can easily get lost in it, therefore, usability testing is essential.
