FIREBIRD

Discovering a Social Networking App for Women in Climbing

Overview

Introduction

For this project, I examined women’s experiences in the sport of rock climbing. Women continuously lack representation and recognition within the sport, and often face a variety of barriers, both psychological and physical, to entering the sport. In this project, I discovered the unfortunate misogynistic behaviors that women often tolerate while participating in climbing, in addition to a very deep desire to connect with more women climbers.

The Application

After observing the communication patterns of women who climb, I decided upon a mobile app for this particular project.

The Challenge

My challenge in this space was to gain an understanding of the specific needs of women within climbing and discover a way to help them overcome any current frustrations. I approached this through surveying a variety of women who climb in addition to analyzing their current habits. This allowed me to identify behavioral patterns and find any gaps in women’s experiences.

The Solution

My research showed that the primary group of users is predominantly younger (18 to 35 years old) and that they rely upon social media channels as a way to currently network with each other. Additionally, I observed users bringing their phones with them into climbing gyms. My solution was to create a mobile app which would allow women to network across multiple communities.

Methods & Tools

Competitive & Comparative Audit | Personas | Empathy Mapping | Journey Mapping | Contextual Inquiry | Participant Observation | Lo-Fi Prototyping | Survey | Evaluation Interviews | Sketch | Figma | Keynote

Personal Reflection

Providing a safe space for women to network and support each other is an area of need within the climbing community. My research showed that women overwhelmingly want to network more with each other, and also showed that some methods of networking are problematic. After discussing my project with several women who are well-connected within the climbing community, I discovered that the concept of Firebird could be viable in the community and potentially be launched. I’m excited to have discovered Firebird, and I’m looking forward to seeing what could happen for it in the future.

Users

The Users

For the Firebird project, the primary users are active women in climbing. This user group can be divided further into climbers who have been active for multiple years and new climbers who are just beginning to enter the sport. Above all, the main users are looking to connect with other women in climbing, whether that is in their own local community or in a different climbing community (such as, if someone was traveling).

The Process

Research

I focused my research on a combination of primary and secondary research. My primary research involved a survey and questionnaire which I sent to a select group of individuals. I issued the survey to several groups on Facebook: minnesota climbers, Womxn Who Climb, Outdoor Women’s Alliance and Rock Climbing Women. Over the course of a weekend, the survey gained 200 responses and proved that women desire to meet other women in climbing. After gathering the data, I coded it to discover common patterns and themes.

My comparative analysis yielded several instances in which women experienced some sort of barrier to their needs. In some instances, a post about information or finding a partner would result in no comments. In others, women would share their frustrations over a disrespectful encounter with a male climbing partner or how men can often dominate the space of climbing.

To explore this particular space further, I created user personas and journey maps to demonstrate gaps in women’s experiences. One focused on the needs and emotions of an experienced climber, and the other followed the path of a new climber.

Personas

Empathy Mapping

User Journey Mapping

Low-Fi Prototype Evaluations

After coding the data and determining to move forward with a mobile app, I developed a low-fidelity paper prototype to evaluate with users. I ran the evaluation with 4 users to gain more insight into the concept and the design of the app.

The Solution

My final design for this project was a mobile social networking app specifically for women in climbing, called Firebird. The Firebird app was inspired by the needs of women in the climbing community and address those needs in its design. The following images demonstrate how the app meets these needs.

1. Find a Partner

2. Discover Locations

3. Discover Climbing Events

4. Discover Climbing Trips

View the Interactive Firebird Prototype

Conclusion

Next Steps

The Firebird application has the unique potential to become a viable and useful tool for women in rock climbing. To show what steps would need to be taken to make this happen, I’ve created an Implementation Map to address what needs to be done to introduce Firebird to the community as well as steps to expand its presence:

The Impact of Firebird

The idea of being able to provide women in climbing with something like Firebird is exciting. After seeing the frustrations in women’s experiences, I’m even more inspired to provide this to women climbers. There are still several tests that would need to be conducted to ensure that users find it helpful and would return to using it regularly. However, after those measures have been taken, there is a real possibility for the concept of Firebird to unleash its wings and fly.