top of page
Leave the road, take the trail, with
.png)
.png)
AllTrails UX Research Study
Team : Renooh Sivakumar, Lulin MacArthur, Will Long
My Role
UX Researcher
Mentor
Timeline
Feb - April
Tools Used
Figma, Google Meet, Google Forms
Overview
Prompt
AllTrails experienced high growth during the pandemic as Americans sought to get outside. With the new funding, AllTrails plans to invest in its product and wants to build a range of new features for both free and paid users.
Initial Research
Target Users
-
Majorly 25 - 33 years old
-
Growth segments : Older demographics like 45-54 (PR Newswire) and families with children (Medium)
-
Slightly skewed : 51% male, 49% female (Similarweb)
Research Methods
Primary and Secondary Research online
Survey
Ethnography
How Might We Questions ?
01
How might we enhance user engagement during hikes to ensure that AllTrails remains a valuable companion throughout the outdoor experience, considering factors like pre-hike preparation, on-trail guidance, and post-hike reflection?
02
How might we address the specific pain points and hesitations observed among users at trail intersections and overlooks, leveraging features such as AI-powered suggestions, AR integration, and interactive trail guides to provide timely and relevant assistance?
03
How might we optimize the integration of new features like offline maps, gamification elements, and safety alerts to cater to the diverse needs and preferences of both free and paid users, fostering a seamless and enriching outdoor adventure experience with AllTrails?
Background
Your complete resource for outdoor adventures, AllTrails offers a vast array of trails suitable for all skill levels, comprehensive information and reviews, progress tracking integrated into the app, and a social network for you to share your experiences. AllTrails is a user-friendly programme that constantly evolves to keep up with your outdoor excitement. It encourages you to discover new locations, challenge yourself, and connect with nature, whether you're a free user enjoying basic capabilities or a paying subscription with offline maps and live tracking.
Research Questions
The client is seeking to understand :
-
What are users' primary motivations and goals when using AllTrails?
-
What challenges or frustrations do users currently experience with the app?
-
What features would users find most valuable and would encourage them to use the app more frequently?
-
What percentage of users would be interested in using a new feature X (e.g., AI recommendations, offline maps)?
-
What is the average rating for existing features similar to the proposed new feature Z?
Competitor Analysis
The product’s competitors include:
-
Gaia GPS: Popular with serious hikers and adventurers for its detailed offline maps, advanced navigation features, with a focus on backcountry exploration.
-
The Hiking Project: Strong community-driven platform with user-generated trail data, detailed descriptions, and offline access to some maps.
-
Strava: Primarily a fitness tracking app with social features, but also offers trail discovery and activity recording for hikes, runs, and rides.
-
The Outbound: Focuses on curated outdoor adventures, including detailed trail guides, trip planning tools, and booking capabilities for rentals and activities.
-
Map apps: Google Maps and Apple Maps offer basic trail information and routing, but lack the dedicated features and community aspects of outdoor-focused apps.
-
Fitness trackers and wearables: While not directly competing on trail discovery, these devices can track outdoor activities and integrate with some trail apps, offering a broader fitness tracking experience.
Observation Plan
Method: Ethnography
Location: Chautauqua Park
Date: Feb 15, 2024 and Feb 24,2024
Time: 7:30am - 9:30 am
We seek to observe...
-
What challenges or frustrations do users experience while hiking?
-
What actions do users perform at their car prior to hiking; how do they prepare?
-
What causes hikers to pause during their hike?
-
Are there locations on the trail where hikers are stopping more frequently?
-
What actions do users perform when they are frustrated?
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |
Top 5 Facts
-
At the start of the trail, users spent time looking at the physical maps and signage provided by the park and took photos of them for reference.
-
At higher points at the trail when users encountered the snow line, they would pause to take out extra gear if they were carrying it
-
Users that bring their dogs to look for hikes usually start the hike, then when the dog poops they collect it and come downhill to dispose of it, usually the dogs do not take that long to poop.
-
Usually users in groups or pairs ask others to take pictures of them before they start their activity.
-
Most users in the age range 20-30 were wearing fitness watches and kept checking them at the beginning and end of the activity.
Top 5 Interpretations
-
Solo users seem to use their phone more than users in groups or pairs
-
Most users new to the trail ask other users to take pictures of them
-
Users in groups almost never take their phones out and usually follow the most experienced person, they prefer talking to each other.
-
Fitness conscious users track their steps / activity through their watch or phone (as observed at the beginning and end of their trails )
-
Average hike duration lasted 1:45 minutes
User Interviews
Method: Zoom / In-Person
Date: Feb 28, 2024 and Mar 04,2024
Sample Size: 6 users
We seek to understand...
-
What are frustrations users have during hiking and/or outdoor activities
-
Does the user prefer using directions from the info boards to opening their phone for Alltrails ?
-
What are the user’s thoughts on Alltraills+ and its price point ?
Recommendations
1
Interviewees didn't feel incentivized to use the app, despite being power users.
2
Interviewees expressed that community features were lacking in terms of app and trail experience.
3
Users expressed the need to feel a sense of safety and preparedness before starting their hike, which was missing.
They want to be well-informed of trail conditions and information related to their activity in real time
4
Users expressed dissatisfaction with the current subscription model and wished for a more inclusive paid subscription model.
Gamification might take the form of online or offline challenges, team outings, or cleanliness campaigns that draw new members and promote social interaction and earn coins. Also includes trail feedback.
Trail specific community features like stories that expire after 24 hours. Accurate real time data collection of trail conditions that refreshes everyday.
-
Secondary features like downloading and printing chunks of offline maps, creating custom routes with difficulty ratings, terrain analysis for better planning with accurate real time changing conditions.
-
Safety features like fire hazards, landslides, closures etc.
-
Tertiary features like parking availability, peak hours and popularity of a trail.
Better pricing models for all types of users, i.e shorter periods of time. Options to pay for a certain geographical region.
bottom of page