Product Designer / Contents Specialist / Branding Designer
·SnowMaster connects learners with expert coaches to provide personalized feedback on skiing and snowboarding techniques.
·By leveraging video analysis and feedback tools, SnowMaster helps users improve their skills and gain confidence on the slopes.
·Many snow sports enthusiasts struggle to improve due to a lack of accessible, personalized coaching.
·Traditional coaching can be costly and limited to specific locations or times.
·Without proper guidance, learners may develop incorrect techniques, leading to stagnation in skill development or increased risk of injury.
·SnowMaster offers a solution by making expert coaching accessible anytime, anywhere. Users can upload videos of their ski or snowboard runs, and receive detailed feedback from certified coaches.
·The app features include video movement analysis, real-time feedback, progress tracking, and personalized drill recommendations.
·This approach ensures that every learner can enjoy a tailored training experience, enhancing their skills and safety on the slopes.
Discovery Journey: Lean UX Approaches in Rapid Research
Most skiers and snowboarders want to improve their performance —
but private coaching is costly, time-limited, and only available during in-person sessions at ski resorts.
Studied existing ski learning apps and services to uncover what’s missing in remote coaching.
Noted repeated mistakes and how beginners rely on self-learning without real feedback.
Confirmed that most beginners can't assess their form and often repeat the same mistakes unknowingly.
Many said they were trying hard but had no way to tell if their technique was improving.
❌ Beginners & early intermediates can’t identify their own mistakes → They need expert feedback but can’t always afford lessons.
❌ Video tutorials don’t help skiers & snowboarders track progress→
They watch but don’t know what they’re doing wrong.
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❌ Existing coaching platforms focus on in-person lessons →
No structured remote solution is available.
Pinpointing User Challenges: Students & Coaches
Quote: “I started skiing with my friends, but I never had a real way to know if I was improving or just copying them.”
• Many beginners start skiing or snowboarding because of friends or family, rather than through structured learning.
•Some beginners to intermediates try to get feedback by uploading skiing videos to social media, hoping for advice from experienced skiers.
Quote: “I watched videos, but I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right without someone checking my form.”
• Many learners rely on YouTube tutorials, but they struggle to apply the advice to their skill level.
• Without personalized feedback, they don’t know if they are practicing correctly.
Quote: “A single private lesson can cost over $200, and I still don’t get personalized practice drills afterward.”
• Private lessons are costly, and availability is limited in ski resorts.
• Some skiers can’t afford multiple sessions, making it difficult to progress beyond the basics.
Quote: “In a group lesson, I can only spend a few seconds with each student, which isn’t enough for deep feedback.”
• Coaches have to divide attention among multiple students, reducing individualized guidance.
Quote: “Students forget what we worked on by the next session, and there’s no easy way to track their progress.”
• Learners leave without a clear way to continue improving after their lesson ends.
Quote: “I can see mistakes when students ski past me, but I can’t replay the moment to explain exactly what went wrong.”
• Without video playback, coaches rely on quick observations, making it harder to provide precise corrections.
Building the Essential Features for MVP
“We believe that providing a structured learning journey combined with video-based coaching feedback will help skiers & snowboarders improve their skills more effectively than traditional self-learning methods.
If successful, users will engage more consistently, complete skill milestones, and continue training with the same coach over time.”
• Replaces the traditional homepage with a milestone-based path for skill development.
• Helps users focus on one level at a time — from beginner to expert.
• Previously a content grid, now a visual progress map that feels guided and motivating.
• Users upload videos to get scored feedback from expert coaches.
• Each fundamental is rated clearly: Balance, Edging, Pressure, Rotation, etc.
• Previously shown as a radar chart, now simplified into bar scores for clarity and actionability.
• Users receive targeted drills based on coach feedback.
• Keeps learning focused and actionable.
• From multiple feedback pages — now it’s combined into one clear view with targeted drill suggestions.
Designing for Real-World Constraints: UX & Engineering Collaboration
• Shifted from long, structured research cycles (campus approach) to fast, iterative validation with engineering input.
• Relied on internal discussions and market insights instead of traditional surveys and formal usability studies.
• Prioritized MVP-first thinking, ensuring designs were practical for development rather than theoretical.
• Organized Figma files for clarity and usability, using clear sections, reusable components, and detailed annotations.
• Worked closely with front-end & back-end engineers to align UI designs with technical feasibility.
• Balanced design aspirations with real-world constraints, adjusting flows based on engineering feedback.
• Independent UX decision-making was crucial—designers needed to be proactive in solving problems without a large UX team.
• Shared understanding across teams improved efficiency—a well-structured design system reduced back-and-forth with engineers.
• Flexibility was essential—real-world constraints often reshaped the ideal UX process, requiring quick iterations.
