Full Scope Design
Polka Snow
Pollka Snow is a real-time ski resort app that offers up-to-date information through social media and user contributions. With live updates on weather, conditions, and local news, it simplifies trip planning and keeps users informed. The app’s user-friendly design also encourages sharing experiences and tracking visits, fostering a connected ski community.
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Pollka Snow is a real-time ski resort app that offers up-to-date information through social media and user contributions. With live updates on weather, conditions, and local news, it simplifies trip planning and keeps users informed. The app’s user-friendly design also encourages sharing experiences and tracking visits, fostering a connected ski community.
Process
A visionary founder identified a significant gap in the ski product market—current apps lacked real-time, community-driven data that could make ski planning easier and more reliable. Seeing the potential to solve this issue, the founder came to us with a bold idea: create a platform that not only provides critical resort information but also engages skiers in contributing live updates. Our team collaborated closely with the founder, engineers, and the skiing community to validate the technical feasibility and develop a solution that could leverage crowd-sourced information. Through a process of extensive user research and competitive analysis, we pinpointed key opportunities for innovation. Unlike existing ski apps that relied primarily on static information, we aimed to create an app that blended static resort data with dynamic user-generated content. To ensure a robust content base from day one, we integrated Twitter data, offering real-time insights into resort conditions. By rewarding users for sharing their own experiences and reports, the app incentivizes ongoing engagement and fosters a sense of community.
This unique approach not only fills a critical gap in the market but also offers users a streamlined, reliable way to stay informed. The app simplifies the reporting process by making it easy for skiers to share conditions in real-time, creating a trustworthy source of information that benefits both casual skiers and seasoned enthusiasts.
Designing an app for skiers posed an initial challenge for us, as our team lacked firsthand experience in the sport. However, this gap turned into an opportunity to approach the project with fresh eyes. To gain the insights we needed, we immersed ourselves in the skiing community by conducting interviews with skiers of all skill levels, holding discussions with clients, and consulting industry experts. This process gave us a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and needs within the skiing world. We discovered that weather unpredictability and the lack of real-time updates were significant pain points, which often led to disruptions in skiing plans. The surveys and interviews revealed that most skiers relied on multiple platforms for weather updates, resort information, and social aspects of skiing, leading to a fragmented experience. Our conversations with advanced skiers like Xiao from Seattle, who ski up to 100 days a year, highlighted the frustration caused by traffic disruptions and resort closures due to heavy snowfall. Similarly, intermediate skier Lucas from Boston shared that he often switches between apps like OpenSnow for forecasts and Twitter for real-time updates, creating a cumbersome user journey.
We also uncovered social challenges in the skiing community. For example, skiers like Heman, a certified instructor from Vancouver, expressed difficulty finding companions of similar skill levels, which affected their overall experience. These insights solidified our approach: the app needed to offer a unified solution that not only provided real-time resort information but also connected skiers socially to foster a sense of community.
Our solution was built around the idea of providing a unified platform that combined essential ski resort information with dynamic, user-generated content. By consolidating both static data and real-time updates, we aimed to address the immediate pain points revealed in our user research. We worked closely with stakeholders to refine the scope, ultimately focusing on a practical, streamlined platform that could evolve over time to include more community-focused features. This approach allowed us to meet the market’s immediate needs while leaving room for future expansion. Competitor analysis revealed a key differentiator: while other ski apps offered basic resort information, they lacked active user participation and real-time updates. Our app fills this gap by encouraging skiers to share their on-the-ground experiences, such as current weather conditions or changes at resorts. We designed the app to be user-driven, ensuring a steady stream of fresh content that would make planning and decision-making easier for skiers. This was particularly important given how quickly resort conditions can change due to weather and other factors.
Our emphasis on user-generated content is what sets the app apart from others in the market. By pulling real-time data from social media platforms like Twitter and allowing users to contribute updates directly, we created a platform that constantly evolves. This not only enhances the accuracy and relevance of the information but also fosters a more engaged and connected community. Skiers can trust that the app will provide the most up-to-date information, whether they are planning a trip or checking resort conditions while on the go.
The design of the app prioritized simplicity and user engagement. Through the ideation process, we explored various ways to encourage user contributions while keeping the interface intuitive and easy to navigate. We developed two main wireframe concepts. The first focused on creating detailed trip plans with feedback options, while the second emphasized real-time updates from social media mentions of each resort. After carefully evaluating the pros and cons of both, we chose the second option for its simplicity and scalability, ensuring that users could receive real-time information with minimal effort. Based on user feedback during usability testing, we made several key updates to enhance the overall experience. For example, we introduced a regional news section on the homepage, allowing users to quickly access live updates for areas of interest without having to navigate to individual resort pages. Additionally, we replaced traditional text-based feedback forms with a more visual approach, incorporating sliders and bar charts to make it easier for users to provide and interpret feedback on resort conditions. These changes streamlined the user experience, making it more engaging and efficient.
Looking ahead, we have exciting plans for expanding the app’s capabilities. Potential future updates include partnerships with ski resorts to offer exclusive deals and integrated booking features, making the app a one-stop shop for skiers. By continuing to evolve the platform and enhance its features, we aim to create the ultimate tool for the ski community, providing everything from real-time resort updates to social connectivity and seamless trip planning.
Li and Studio Salt gets startups and the founder struggles because they asked good questions about the problem we were attacking and then quickly turned around a design helped us reach our first big enterprise client.
Aaron Ware
@EarnWhere
Li and Studio Salt is awesome to work with and is a top tier design studio. Extremely happy with the work they has produced! You will not be disappointed.
Steve Bauman
@ste_bau
Li and Studio Salt did an amazing job on the UI design for Shipto.me. They were super professional, quick, and really understood exactly what I was looking for. They went above and beyond my expectations—I was so impressed, I hired Studio Salt again for another project!
Alex B
Co-founder of ShipToMe
Working with Studio Salt was a pleasure for us. They really cared about our satisfaction and delivered materials that made our team super happy. I'd work with them again for new projects.
Gülcan Yayla
Co-founder & CEO of Rise In
Studio Salt team exceeded all my expectations. They took my vision and turned it into a beautiful, functional website with flawless execution. As a startup founder, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to bring my ideas to life.
Peter Heimerdinger
Founder & CEO of Heimify
Highly recommend for reliable, expert designs! Li & team consistently meets deadlines and maintains utmost professionalism in every project. She truly knows what she’s doing.
Alexis Papageorgiou
@papa_gorgeous
Before, our site didn't look professional and had a high bounce rate. Since the redesign we finally started getting Leads via our website. Thank you!
Janu Lingeswaran
Founder of Feather Flow
Studio Salt elevated our brand with a sophisticated new logo and refined newsletter design. Their eye for detail and collaborative approach made the process seamless, delivering outstanding results that transformed our publication's visual identity.
Marketing Brief
@mktbriefing
Studio Salt designer is incredibly talented and creative. I hired them to design the landing page and they delivered outstanding results! They were going above and beyond my expectations. I highly recommend her to anyone in need of design work.
Aditya Saxena
Founder of pmfm.ai
I thoroughly enjoyed working with your team, and will look for what to work together again in the future!
Sanket Patel
Founder of Ingredicheck
Amazing work! I'm working to implement your design...your design is much more clear than where I started!
Michael Breazeale
Founder of Spark Cashflow
Working with Studio Salt has been a pleasure, they are fast and efficient! Li consistently stays ahead of industry trends and provides insightful guidance that elevates the final product.
Zane Greuning
@zanevangreuning
Li and Studio Salt made an awesome design for my landing page and completly overhauled my onboarding. It really drove conversions and kickstarted PhotoQuest! I'm really excited to continue to work with Li and her team.
Thomas Schuehly
@tschuehly
Oh my god! This is so great. I think my eyes just had a micro orgasm. That would be a cool marketing slogan for you :D
Pete
Founder of the SEO Wizard
This is super cool, and super professional. I think you have nailed the brief, in terms of similar to VC sites.
Laurie Owen
@imlaurieowen
Next case study
Let’s work together!
Pollka Snow is a real-time ski resort app that offers up-to-date information through social media and user contributions. With live updates on weather, conditions, and local news, it simplifies trip planning and keeps users informed. The app’s user-friendly design also encourages sharing experiences and tracking visits, fostering a connected ski community.
Process
A visionary founder identified a significant gap in the ski product market—current apps lacked real-time, community-driven data that could make ski planning easier and more reliable. Seeing the potential to solve this issue, the founder came to us with a bold idea: create a platform that not only provides critical resort information but also engages skiers in contributing live updates. Our team collaborated closely with the founder, engineers, and the skiing community to validate the technical feasibility and develop a solution that could leverage crowd-sourced information. Through a process of extensive user research and competitive analysis, we pinpointed key opportunities for innovation. Unlike existing ski apps that relied primarily on static information, we aimed to create an app that blended static resort data with dynamic user-generated content. To ensure a robust content base from day one, we integrated Twitter data, offering real-time insights into resort conditions. By rewarding users for sharing their own experiences and reports, the app incentivizes ongoing engagement and fosters a sense of community.
This unique approach not only fills a critical gap in the market but also offers users a streamlined, reliable way to stay informed. The app simplifies the reporting process by making it easy for skiers to share conditions in real-time, creating a trustworthy source of information that benefits both casual skiers and seasoned enthusiasts.
Designing an app for skiers posed an initial challenge for us, as our team lacked firsthand experience in the sport. However, this gap turned into an opportunity to approach the project with fresh eyes. To gain the insights we needed, we immersed ourselves in the skiing community by conducting interviews with skiers of all skill levels, holding discussions with clients, and consulting industry experts. This process gave us a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and needs within the skiing world. We discovered that weather unpredictability and the lack of real-time updates were significant pain points, which often led to disruptions in skiing plans. The surveys and interviews revealed that most skiers relied on multiple platforms for weather updates, resort information, and social aspects of skiing, leading to a fragmented experience. Our conversations with advanced skiers like Xiao from Seattle, who ski up to 100 days a year, highlighted the frustration caused by traffic disruptions and resort closures due to heavy snowfall. Similarly, intermediate skier Lucas from Boston shared that he often switches between apps like OpenSnow for forecasts and Twitter for real-time updates, creating a cumbersome user journey.
We also uncovered social challenges in the skiing community. For example, skiers like Heman, a certified instructor from Vancouver, expressed difficulty finding companions of similar skill levels, which affected their overall experience. These insights solidified our approach: the app needed to offer a unified solution that not only provided real-time resort information but also connected skiers socially to foster a sense of community.
Our solution was built around the idea of providing a unified platform that combined essential ski resort information with dynamic, user-generated content. By consolidating both static data and real-time updates, we aimed to address the immediate pain points revealed in our user research. We worked closely with stakeholders to refine the scope, ultimately focusing on a practical, streamlined platform that could evolve over time to include more community-focused features. This approach allowed us to meet the market’s immediate needs while leaving room for future expansion. Competitor analysis revealed a key differentiator: while other ski apps offered basic resort information, they lacked active user participation and real-time updates. Our app fills this gap by encouraging skiers to share their on-the-ground experiences, such as current weather conditions or changes at resorts. We designed the app to be user-driven, ensuring a steady stream of fresh content that would make planning and decision-making easier for skiers. This was particularly important given how quickly resort conditions can change due to weather and other factors.
Our emphasis on user-generated content is what sets the app apart from others in the market. By pulling real-time data from social media platforms like Twitter and allowing users to contribute updates directly, we created a platform that constantly evolves. This not only enhances the accuracy and relevance of the information but also fosters a more engaged and connected community. Skiers can trust that the app will provide the most up-to-date information, whether they are planning a trip or checking resort conditions while on the go.
The design of the app prioritized simplicity and user engagement. Through the ideation process, we explored various ways to encourage user contributions while keeping the interface intuitive and easy to navigate. We developed two main wireframe concepts. The first focused on creating detailed trip plans with feedback options, while the second emphasized real-time updates from social media mentions of each resort. After carefully evaluating the pros and cons of both, we chose the second option for its simplicity and scalability, ensuring that users could receive real-time information with minimal effort. Based on user feedback during usability testing, we made several key updates to enhance the overall experience. For example, we introduced a regional news section on the homepage, allowing users to quickly access live updates for areas of interest without having to navigate to individual resort pages. Additionally, we replaced traditional text-based feedback forms with a more visual approach, incorporating sliders and bar charts to make it easier for users to provide and interpret feedback on resort conditions. These changes streamlined the user experience, making it more engaging and efficient.
Looking ahead, we have exciting plans for expanding the app’s capabilities. Potential future updates include partnerships with ski resorts to offer exclusive deals and integrated booking features, making the app a one-stop shop for skiers. By continuing to evolve the platform and enhance its features, we aim to create the ultimate tool for the ski community, providing everything from real-time resort updates to social connectivity and seamless trip planning.
Li and Studio Salt gets startups and the founder struggles because they asked good questions about the problem we were attacking and then quickly turned around a design helped us reach our first big enterprise client.
Aaron Ware
@EarnWhere
Li and Studio Salt is awesome to work with and is a top tier design studio. Extremely happy with the work they has produced! You will not be disappointed.
Steve Bauman
@ste_bau
Li and Studio Salt did an amazing job on the UI design for Shipto.me. They were super professional, quick, and really understood exactly what I was looking for. They went above and beyond my expectations—I was so impressed, I hired Studio Salt again for another project!
Alex B
Co-founder of ShipToMe
Working with Studio Salt was a pleasure for us. They really cared about our satisfaction and delivered materials that made our team super happy. I'd work with them again for new projects.
Gülcan Yayla
Co-founder & CEO of Rise In
Studio Salt team exceeded all my expectations. They took my vision and turned it into a beautiful, functional website with flawless execution. As a startup founder, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to bring my ideas to life.
Peter Heimerdinger
Founder & CEO of Heimify
Highly recommend for reliable, expert designs! Li & team consistently meets deadlines and maintains utmost professionalism in every project. She truly knows what she’s doing.
Alexis Papageorgiou
@papa_gorgeous
Before, our site didn't look professional and had a high bounce rate. Since the redesign we finally started getting Leads via our website. Thank you!
Janu Lingeswaran
Founder of Feather Flow
Studio Salt elevated our brand with a sophisticated new logo and refined newsletter design. Their eye for detail and collaborative approach made the process seamless, delivering outstanding results that transformed our publication's visual identity.
Marketing Brief
@mktbriefing
Studio Salt designer is incredibly talented and creative. I hired them to design the landing page and they delivered outstanding results! They were going above and beyond my expectations. I highly recommend her to anyone in need of design work.
Aditya Saxena
Founder of pmfm.ai
I thoroughly enjoyed working with your team, and will look for what to work together again in the future!
Sanket Patel
Founder of Ingredicheck
Amazing work! I'm working to implement your design...your design is much more clear than where I started!
Michael Breazeale
Founder of Spark Cashflow
Working with Studio Salt has been a pleasure, they are fast and efficient! Li consistently stays ahead of industry trends and provides insightful guidance that elevates the final product.
Zane Greuning
@zanevangreuning
Li and Studio Salt made an awesome design for my landing page and completly overhauled my onboarding. It really drove conversions and kickstarted PhotoQuest! I'm really excited to continue to work with Li and her team.
Thomas Schuehly
@tschuehly
Oh my god! This is so great. I think my eyes just had a micro orgasm. That would be a cool marketing slogan for you :D
Pete
Founder of the SEO Wizard
This is super cool, and super professional. I think you have nailed the brief, in terms of similar to VC sites.
Laurie Owen
@imlaurieowen
Next case study
Let’s work together!
Pollka Snow is a real-time ski resort app that offers up-to-date information through social media and user contributions. With live updates on weather, conditions, and local news, it simplifies trip planning and keeps users informed. The app’s user-friendly design also encourages sharing experiences and tracking visits, fostering a connected ski community.
Process
A visionary founder identified a significant gap in the ski product market—current apps lacked real-time, community-driven data that could make ski planning easier and more reliable. Seeing the potential to solve this issue, the founder came to us with a bold idea: create a platform that not only provides critical resort information but also engages skiers in contributing live updates. Our team collaborated closely with the founder, engineers, and the skiing community to validate the technical feasibility and develop a solution that could leverage crowd-sourced information. Through a process of extensive user research and competitive analysis, we pinpointed key opportunities for innovation. Unlike existing ski apps that relied primarily on static information, we aimed to create an app that blended static resort data with dynamic user-generated content. To ensure a robust content base from day one, we integrated Twitter data, offering real-time insights into resort conditions. By rewarding users for sharing their own experiences and reports, the app incentivizes ongoing engagement and fosters a sense of community.
This unique approach not only fills a critical gap in the market but also offers users a streamlined, reliable way to stay informed. The app simplifies the reporting process by making it easy for skiers to share conditions in real-time, creating a trustworthy source of information that benefits both casual skiers and seasoned enthusiasts.
Designing an app for skiers posed an initial challenge for us, as our team lacked firsthand experience in the sport. However, this gap turned into an opportunity to approach the project with fresh eyes. To gain the insights we needed, we immersed ourselves in the skiing community by conducting interviews with skiers of all skill levels, holding discussions with clients, and consulting industry experts. This process gave us a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and needs within the skiing world. We discovered that weather unpredictability and the lack of real-time updates were significant pain points, which often led to disruptions in skiing plans. The surveys and interviews revealed that most skiers relied on multiple platforms for weather updates, resort information, and social aspects of skiing, leading to a fragmented experience. Our conversations with advanced skiers like Xiao from Seattle, who ski up to 100 days a year, highlighted the frustration caused by traffic disruptions and resort closures due to heavy snowfall. Similarly, intermediate skier Lucas from Boston shared that he often switches between apps like OpenSnow for forecasts and Twitter for real-time updates, creating a cumbersome user journey.
We also uncovered social challenges in the skiing community. For example, skiers like Heman, a certified instructor from Vancouver, expressed difficulty finding companions of similar skill levels, which affected their overall experience. These insights solidified our approach: the app needed to offer a unified solution that not only provided real-time resort information but also connected skiers socially to foster a sense of community.
Our solution was built around the idea of providing a unified platform that combined essential ski resort information with dynamic, user-generated content. By consolidating both static data and real-time updates, we aimed to address the immediate pain points revealed in our user research. We worked closely with stakeholders to refine the scope, ultimately focusing on a practical, streamlined platform that could evolve over time to include more community-focused features. This approach allowed us to meet the market’s immediate needs while leaving room for future expansion. Competitor analysis revealed a key differentiator: while other ski apps offered basic resort information, they lacked active user participation and real-time updates. Our app fills this gap by encouraging skiers to share their on-the-ground experiences, such as current weather conditions or changes at resorts. We designed the app to be user-driven, ensuring a steady stream of fresh content that would make planning and decision-making easier for skiers. This was particularly important given how quickly resort conditions can change due to weather and other factors.
Our emphasis on user-generated content is what sets the app apart from others in the market. By pulling real-time data from social media platforms like Twitter and allowing users to contribute updates directly, we created a platform that constantly evolves. This not only enhances the accuracy and relevance of the information but also fosters a more engaged and connected community. Skiers can trust that the app will provide the most up-to-date information, whether they are planning a trip or checking resort conditions while on the go.
The design of the app prioritized simplicity and user engagement. Through the ideation process, we explored various ways to encourage user contributions while keeping the interface intuitive and easy to navigate. We developed two main wireframe concepts. The first focused on creating detailed trip plans with feedback options, while the second emphasized real-time updates from social media mentions of each resort. After carefully evaluating the pros and cons of both, we chose the second option for its simplicity and scalability, ensuring that users could receive real-time information with minimal effort. Based on user feedback during usability testing, we made several key updates to enhance the overall experience. For example, we introduced a regional news section on the homepage, allowing users to quickly access live updates for areas of interest without having to navigate to individual resort pages. Additionally, we replaced traditional text-based feedback forms with a more visual approach, incorporating sliders and bar charts to make it easier for users to provide and interpret feedback on resort conditions. These changes streamlined the user experience, making it more engaging and efficient.
Looking ahead, we have exciting plans for expanding the app’s capabilities. Potential future updates include partnerships with ski resorts to offer exclusive deals and integrated booking features, making the app a one-stop shop for skiers. By continuing to evolve the platform and enhance its features, we aim to create the ultimate tool for the ski community, providing everything from real-time resort updates to social connectivity and seamless trip planning.
Li and Studio Salt gets startups and the founder struggles because they asked good questions about the problem we were attacking and then quickly turned around a design helped us reach our first big enterprise client.
Aaron Ware
@EarnWhere
Li and Studio Salt is awesome to work with and is a top tier design studio. Extremely happy with the work they has produced! You will not be disappointed.
Steve Bauman
@ste_bau
Li and Studio Salt did an amazing job on the UI design for Shipto.me. They were super professional, quick, and really understood exactly what I was looking for. They went above and beyond my expectations—I was so impressed, I hired Studio Salt again for another project!
Alex B
Co-founder of ShipToMe
Working with Studio Salt was a pleasure for us. They really cared about our satisfaction and delivered materials that made our team super happy. I'd work with them again for new projects.
Gülcan Yayla
Co-founder & CEO of Rise In
Studio Salt team exceeded all my expectations. They took my vision and turned it into a beautiful, functional website with flawless execution. As a startup founder, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to bring my ideas to life.
Peter Heimerdinger
Founder & CEO of Heimify
Highly recommend for reliable, expert designs! Li & team consistently meets deadlines and maintains utmost professionalism in every project. She truly knows what she’s doing.
Alexis Papageorgiou
@papa_gorgeous
Before, our site didn't look professional and had a high bounce rate. Since the redesign we finally started getting Leads via our website. Thank you!
Janu Lingeswaran
Founder of Feather Flow
Studio Salt elevated our brand with a sophisticated new logo and refined newsletter design. Their eye for detail and collaborative approach made the process seamless, delivering outstanding results that transformed our publication's visual identity.
Marketing Brief
@mktbriefing
Studio Salt designer is incredibly talented and creative. I hired them to design the landing page and they delivered outstanding results! They were going above and beyond my expectations. I highly recommend her to anyone in need of design work.
Aditya Saxena
Founder of pmfm.ai
I thoroughly enjoyed working with your team, and will look for what to work together again in the future!
Sanket Patel
Founder of Ingredicheck
Amazing work! I'm working to implement your design...your design is much more clear than where I started!
Michael Breazeale
Founder of Spark Cashflow
Working with Studio Salt has been a pleasure, they are fast and efficient! Li consistently stays ahead of industry trends and provides insightful guidance that elevates the final product.
Zane Greuning
@zanevangreuning
Li and Studio Salt made an awesome design for my landing page and completly overhauled my onboarding. It really drove conversions and kickstarted PhotoQuest! I'm really excited to continue to work with Li and her team.
Thomas Schuehly
@tschuehly
Oh my god! This is so great. I think my eyes just had a micro orgasm. That would be a cool marketing slogan for you :D
Pete
Founder of the SEO Wizard
This is super cool, and super professional. I think you have nailed the brief, in terms of similar to VC sites.
Laurie Owen
@imlaurieowen
Next case study
Let’s work together!