03
Mountain Project
Project Makeover
Project Objective: “Makeover” an outdated mobile application of choice. Taking light research and testing to then implement a new visual strategy that will take this product forward.
Time Line
3 WEEKS
Year
2026
PRODUCT DESIGN, UX DESIGN, UI DESIGN
Disciplines
What Is Mountain Project?
Mountain Project is a DIGITAL CLIMBING GUIDEBOOK— a community-powered database of climbing routes worldwide that climbers can access via web or mobile app.
Current State
OUTDATED UI, CONFUSING to navigate, UNCLEAR visual hierarchy, and technical language make it difficult—especially for beginners—to quickly understand labels and find the information they need.
Age range: 18–35
Skill levels: From beginners to highly experienced climbers
Usage patterns: Discovering climbs, planning trips, tracking completed routes, and engaging with community features
Geographically diverse: Users span local, regional, and international climbing areas, but the app is most heavily used in the U.S.
Audience
According to Students at WWU and reviewers from real users online, Mountain Project is:
“I don’t really know what Im looking at”
“Super Outdated”
“Some of the labels don’t make sense, like what is a Tick?”
“It’s pretty challenging to navigate, I couldn’t figure out how to find a specific climb”
“A good tool but hard to navigate at first”
“Has really good features but they get so lost”
Meet Eli -
An adventurous frequent Outdoor Bouldering Climber
Market Analysis
Design Goals
Lo-Fi
My wireframes illustrate the placement of key components, including imagery, primary sections, and main action buttons, to establish a clear and intuitive layout.
Create a welcoming, easy-to-navigate app tailored to climbers of all experience levels. Improve usability by increasing visual spacing, adding clear written and visual labels, and updating the UI to create a more modern, efficient, and intuitive experience.
Mid-Fi
Began implementing the color palette to reinforce brand identity and visual cohesion
Continued refining visual hierarchy
Adjusted component placement and layout to enhance overall usability and interface consistency
High-Fi
Developed first iterations of UI elements, including icons, button placement, text bubbles, headers, and recommended climbs
Established clear visual hierarchy through deliberate sizing of imagery and text, and strategic placement of categories and interactive elements
One tester suggested increasing space for images and reducing button size.
Another tester recommended adding labels to the icons on the home bar to increase accessibility for users who rely on translations.
Testers also proposed using a transparent gradient to create openness
Reorganized and simplify the info bars to enhance clarity and scannability
After Usability Testing…
Component Library
Final Prototype
Home Page
Established a clear visual hierarchy on the home page by emphasizing the map as the primary feature
Condensed secondary elements to reduce cognitive load and improve focus on key actions
Implemented consistent spacing to improve visual balance
States Page
Added representative imagery for each state to provide immediate environmental context
Refined button placement and alignment to support intuitive, efficient user interactions
Introduced a persistent bottom navigation bar for quicker way-finding
Climb Page
Created visual hierarchy by making the climb photo the main focus, improving readability
Introduced a persistent bottom navigation bar to improve way-finding
Implemented in-app commenting to foster community engagement
Reflection
The original app featured a cluttered, poorly structured interface but contained valuable tools and content. The redesigned Mountain Project elevates the preexisting key features within a more open, digestible layout that improves scannability and visual hierarchy. While retaining the app’s core function of helping users discover climbs, the redesign emphasizes inclusive design, intuitive navigation, and readable informationarchitecture to support users of all skill levels. The updated visual system and refreshed UI components ensure the platform remains competitive while preserving its functional integrity.