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Neologism

Simplifying Snow Sports Connections

Year

Jan 2025 – Feb 2025

Role

Freelance UI/UX Designer

Tools

Figma

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Industry

Snow Sports / Marketplace & Community Platform

Project Overview

Snowmate.cc is a platform designed to help users discover and connect with ski and snowboard instructors. In the current landscape, most instructor discovery happens through informal channels like referrals or social media, making it difficult to compare options or make confident decisions.

Beyond instructor discovery, the platform also introduces community features such as events and content to support ongoing engagement. This expands Snowmate from a transactional booking tool into a space where users can explore the sport, connect with others, and stay involved beyond a single lesson.

My Role & Responsibilities

As a freelance UI/UX designer working through a development vendor, I translated high-level requirements into clear product flows and high-fidelity designs. My focus was on making instructor discovery, evaluation, and booking easier to understand and execute.

 

Key responsibilities:

  • Defined end-to-end flows for instructor search, filtering, and profile evaluation

  • Designed wireframes and high-fidelity UI for core pages (homepage, search results, instructor profile)

  • Established layout structure, visual hierarchy, and interaction patterns

  • Worked with developers to ensure designs were feasible and ready for implementation

  • Delivered detailed UI specifications to support accurate handoff

The Problem

The snow sports industry is fragmented, informal, and heavily reliant on offline coordination. As a result, both users and instructors face challenges in discovery, trust, and managing the booking process.

Fragmented Instructor Discovery

Users rely on referrals, social media, or resort connections to find instructors. This makes it difficult to compare options, understand availability, or make informed decisions.

Low Trust and Limited Transparency

There is no consistent way to evaluate instructor quality. Missing or inconsistent information—such as experience, certifications, and reviews—creates hesitation before reaching out.

Complex, Multi-Step Booking Flows

Finding and booking an instructor involves multiple steps: searching, filtering, comparing profiles, and coordinating schedules. Without structure, this process can feel overwhelming, especially for new users.

Dual-Sided Platform Complexity

The platform needed to support both users and instructors with different goals. Balancing discovery, evaluation, and booking for users while enabling instructors to present themselves clearly added complexity to the experience.

Design Goals

The design focused on simplifying instructor discovery, improving trust, and structuring the booking experience while supporting both users and instructors.

Make Instructor Discovery Easy to Navigate

Structure search and filtering so users can quickly find relevant instructors by skill level, location, and availability without relying on guesswork.

Increase Trust Through Clear Profiles

Present key information—experience, certifications, reviews, and teaching focus—in a consistent and scannable format so users can evaluate instructors confidently.

Reduce Friction in Booking Workflows

Break down the process of searching, comparing, and contacting instructors into clear, guided steps to minimize confusion and drop-off.

Balance Needs of Users and Instructors

Design flows that help users make decisions quickly while giving instructors enough structure to present their skills and attract the right clients.

Support Ongoing Engagement Beyond Booking

Introduce content and event-driven elements to encourage users to explore, return, and engage with the platform beyond a single transaction.

Design Process

The design process focused on translating a fragmented, offline workflow into a structured digital experience. Given high-level requirements and limited implementation ownership, decisions prioritized clarity, feasibility, and ease of handoff.

Understanding Existing Behaviors

Instructor discovery typically happens through social media, referrals, or resort networks. This informed the need for familiar patterns—such as structured search, filters, and profile-based evaluation—so users could transition easily to a digital platform.

Structuring Discovery and Booking Flows

Early wireframes focused on defining how users move from search to selection. Key decisions included surfacing filters upfront, standardizing profile information, and guiding users through booking inputs to reduce ambiguity.

Designing for Clarity and Trust

Because users lacked reliable signals when choosing instructors, the interface prioritized visible ratings, certifications, and experience. Information hierarchy and layout were designed to help users assess credibility quickly without needing to dig.

Iterating with Constraints in Mind

Designs were reviewed with developers and stakeholders to ensure feasibility within time and technical limits. Some interactions and layouts were simplified to reduce implementation complexity while maintaining core functionality.

Solution

To address fragmented discovery, low trust, and complex booking flows, the platform focused on structuring how users find, evaluate, and connect with instructors. The core experience was built around three key touchpoints: entry (homepage), discovery (search), and decision (profile).

Homepage — Guiding Users Into the Booking Flow

The homepage introduces the platform and directs users into a clear starting point for finding instructors.

Problem

Users often don’t know where to start. Without a clear entry point, they rely on external research or informal recommendations.

Design Decision

Introduced a guided search module above the fold, allowing users to define key inputs (sport, location, dates, group size) immediately. Supporting sections like resort browsing and events were added to accommodate both goal-driven and exploratory users.

Result
  • Reduced uncertainty at entry by giving users a clear starting point

  • Supported different user intents (planning vs browsing)

  • Created a direct path from landing to search

Search Results — Structuring Comparison and Decision-Making

The search results page helps users evaluate and compare instructors based on relevant criteria.

Problem

Users need to compare multiple instructors across skill level, availability, and credibility, but unstructured listings make this difficult.

Design Decision

Designed a structured results layout with visible filters and standardized instructor cards. Key information—ratings, certifications, skill level, and availability—was surfaced upfront, with optional calendar view for schedule-focused users.

Result
  • Made instructor comparison faster and more consistent

  • Reduced reliance on trial-and-error clicking

  • Helped users move from browsing to selection with more confidence

Instructor Profile — Building Trust Before Booking

The instructor profile page provides the detail needed for users to confidently choose and book an instructor.

Problem

Users lack reliable signals to evaluate whether an instructor is the right fit, leading to hesitation before booking.

Design Decision

Created a structured profile layout that consolidates key details—experience, certifications, reviews, media, and lesson options—alongside a guided booking module. Information was prioritized to support quick evaluation without overwhelming users.

Result
  • Improved clarity around instructor credibility and offering

  • Reduced friction in configuring lessons and contacting instructors

  • Enabled users to make decisions without leaving the platform

Impact & Results

While I was not involved in post-launch analytics, design reviews and stakeholder feedback helped validate key parts of the experience. The work focused on improving clarity, trust, and structure across the core user journey.

Clearer Entry Into the Platform

The guided search on the homepage gave users an immediate starting point, reducing reliance on external research and helping them move directly into the discovery flow.

More Structured Instructor Comparison

Standardized search results and consistent profile data made it easier to compare instructors across skill level, availability, and credibility without navigating multiple sources.

Improved Confidence in Decision-Making

Consolidating ratings, certifications, and experience into structured profiles allowed users to evaluate instructors more quickly and with fewer uncertainties.

Reduced Friction in Booking Flow

Guided inputs for lesson details (date, duration, skill level) simplified the process of contacting or booking instructors, especially for first-time users.

Foundation for Community Engagement

Introducing events and content sections created opportunities for users to engage with the platform beyond booking, supporting repeat visits and longer-term use.

Reflection & Key Learnings

Working on Snowmate required quickly understanding a fragmented, unfamiliar industry and translating informal, offline behaviors into structured digital flows. One of the main challenges was balancing simplicity with flexibility—users needed clear guidance, while instructors needed enough detail to represent their services accurately.

Designing for a dual-sided platform also required prioritization. Decisions around search, profiles, and booking flows focused on reducing user friction first, while still giving instructors the tools to present themselves clearly. If I were to improve the process, I would invest more in early user validation to test assumptions around trust signals and booking behavior before moving into high-fidelity design.

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