EpicMix: Lift Line Wait Time

Mobile App Design

CLIENT

Vail Resorts

ROLE

Lead Designer

TIME FRAME

6 Months

OVERVIEW

Mondo Robot partnered with Vail Resorts to design and develop the future of EpicMix, an app that gives users live mountain insights. Covering 37 resorts across North America, we were tasked with integrating the new ‘Lift Line Wait Time’ feature to help alleviate lift line fatigue during peak hours. As design lead, I was responsible for the successful creation and presentation of all design materials, while overseeing a team and managing client expectations.

CHALLENGE

A common pain point at ski resorts during peak riding hours is long wait times to get up the mountain, leaving guests frustrated and annoyed. Vail needed to find a way to empower users to avoid long lines while relying on the EpicMix experience that was already in the majority of guests' pockets. Some constraints included: 

• Designing an experience within an established app
• Sticking to an existing brand language while also being asked to push it into the future
• Tight timelines and shifting requirements 

SOLUTION

‘Lift line wait times’ solves this problem by delivering an accurate view of wait times across the resort, allowing users to plan their next mountain ascent accordingly. Using years of unused historic lift line data, and an algorithm that can analyze past trends and predict future wait times, users can now avoid long lines and spend more time on the slopes.

This expansion of the EpicMix app is the first step in a roadmap to improving and enriching the on-mountain user experience across all Vail resorts.

Securing the project

In an effort to lock down the work and stand out from the other agencies competing for this contract, Mondo Robot decided to build a pitch with concept designs. Our team put together key screens centered around showing a live wait time heatmap. This 1-week design sprint won us the project.

Mapping the Journey

Iterating quickly and in digital working sessions with the client, we used flows and wireframes to map out how users should navigate the existing framework. Multiple entry points ensured that first-time visitors, or seasoned users, would discover the new feature. 

Crafting the Right Solutions

To see wait times on the map, and give users a way to see predictive data, novel UI patterns were designed. We did a lot of exploration and iteration on the heatmap and time control interface before we found a solution that tested well with users. 

Asking the User

Guided user testing gave us actionable feedback from 5 separate 1-hour long sessions. Users were asked to complete a set of tasks within a Figma prototype of the experience, and we then gathered the observations and feedback to present back to the client. 

Some key takeaways from our interviews included: users stating they had trouble finding the lift detail card, while others mentioned they would like to see a key or legend to help them understand the heatmap. Their feedback was brought home and worked into the next round of designs. 

"I think it all made a lot of sense, the things I clicked took me right where I expected them to".

- Auston

Fleshing out the System

3 key app screens were crafted (list, map, detail) to help users get live wait times on the mountain. A design system helps to champion the brand's design language, while also facilitating a smooth transition to the development team.  

Users can easily find lifts in the list view and quickly compare histograms of the day. Using the map view, users can scan the whole mountain and quickly decide what lift to head towards next. For a deeper dive into the data, users can pull up the detail sheet and see a more granular breakdown of the wait time for a given lift.  

Outcome & Lessons Learned

Ultimately this project was a success, and it was a pleasure getting the opportunity to work on such a fun and challenging experience. The new feature has just recently gone live and is now helping users avoid bottlenecks at the bottom of the mountain. Pre-launch, a press report went out and was immediately featured in multiple online publications. Over the coming months and years, the use of the app will provide rich user data and feedback for the next steps. This was just the beginning of our relationship with Vail Resorts, and it's our hope that we will be able to tackle a full re-design of the EpicMix app next.