HikeOn — Chloe Byrne

HikeOn

a hiking daypack designed for novice hikers and an accompanying app to aide in learning and navigating the outdoor world

trend targeting

hiking as a booming market

Hiking is one of the facets of the outdoor boom that has grown increasingly popular. AllTrails, an outdoor platform application, reported a 163% surge in usage since the pandemic. Recreational trips to trails and national parks is increasing at such a speed that many locations now require fees and reservations.

opportunity: growth in novice hikers

With increased popularity in hiking, there is a significant amount of interest in novice hikers. This cohort of hikers takes up a large portion of the outdoor boom, and as newbie hikers they are learning through trial and error as opposed to being educated on the important safety factors of hiking. How can we inspire them to learn more through product/s that give them a positive experience?

big ideas

phase 1: hiking pack

As novice hikers emerge, so will the need for wearable hiking gear that is catered to them.

market research: product opportunity gap

A lot of the current hiking backpacks on the market are technical and intimidating to novice hikers, there are so many options and it’s difficult to know which one will fit your needs.

consumer insights

objectives

2D ideation

In order to appeal to all consumers and more specifically novice hikers, I began by sketching simple forms with lots of storage and easily accessible areas.

color inspiration

warm. earthy. contrasting.

material palette

In order to create a pack that is breathable, comfortable, and cost friendly to novice hikers it was important to solidify high quality materials that last for a long time.

refinement

3D ideation: muslin model

To get a better sense of form and scale, I decided to dive right into 3D. Creating a muslin model was also very beneficial in helping to understand the correct order of operations, down the road this will lead to a more efficient construction process with the final prototype.

phase 2: paired app

a paired mobile app designed to aide novice hikers in learning about the outdoors and navigation

the need for learning

With the increase of novice hikers comes the importance of learning and safety. This group of hikers may feel intimidated around advanced hikers, so it is important to create products that increase awareness and create a safe space for them to learn, improve their skills, and thrive in the outdoors.

experience mapping

Current user interaction with AllTrails, a popular fitness and travel mobile app used in outdoor recreational activities. From here I was able to pinpoint the pain points with AllTrails and validate with consumers.

information architecture

Once the pain points were discovered, it was important to consider how a hiking app could be tailored more towards novice hikers. To roughly map it out, I created this framework with more emphasis on learning and safety.