Case Study: Boulder Buddies – Designing a Safer, Smarter Bridge from Gym Climbing to Real Rock
Overview Indoor climbing is booming, but that growth hasn’t translated outdoors. Many gym climbers feel uncertain, intimidated, or unaware of how to safely transition. As a climber and UX designer, I set out to bridge that gap.
Boulder Buddies is a prototype app designed to connect indoor climbers with experienced outdoor boulderers for mentorship and route discovery. What began as a passion project evolved into a research-led, systems-focused design process that prioritized trust, clarity, and connection.
Problem Outdoor bouldering is inherently more complex and risky than indoor climbing. I initially assumed that new climbers wanted to explore on their own. But early research showed this was not just wrong—it was dangerous.
How might we create a safe, social, and informative bridge from gym to boulder field that reflects real-world climbing norms?
My Role:
UX designer, I led every phase:
Research: Conducted interviews with both indoor and outdoor climbers to understand their behaviors and needs.
Strategy: Identified key challenges in transitioning to outdoor bouldering and framed the problem strategically.
Design & Prototyping: Built wireframes, prototypes, and tested for usability across multiple iterations.
Phase 1: Empathize – Challenging Assumptions
I began by interviewing both indoor and outdoor climbers. My initial assumption—that climbers wanted a solo tool for independent exploration—was proven wrong. Early research uncovered deeper, more nuanced needs
Key Insights:
Outdoor climbing carries much higher risks than indoor climbing.
Every experienced climber started by going out with a friend or mentor.
Community, safety, and connection were more critical than independence
This shifted my direction: Boulder Buddies needed to be a mentorship platform, not just a tool for solo explorers.
Phase 2: Define – Strategic Reframing
Based on insights, I reframed the problem into five "How Might We" statements:
How might we reduce risk while supporting independence?
How might we make mentorship feel natural, not formal?
How might we mirror real-world climbing social norms in the digital world?
How might we build trust when connecting with strangers?
How might we reduce the friction of getting outdoors for the first time?
By reframing the challenge, I ensured the design would not only solve user problems but also resonate with climbing culture and safety norms.
Phase 3: Ideate – Focused Concept Development
I began with broad concepts—trying to build a comprehensive app with features like buddy finders, carpooling tools, and gear-sharing platforms. However, usability feedback pointed out that the initial features were bloated and detracted from the core need of the app.
Initial Feature Set:
Find a climbing buddy
Route maps for outdoor spots
Safety tips
Gear-sharing (removed)
Request-a-buddy tool (removed)
Usability feedback showed the app needed to focus on two core values:
Finding trusted partners
Discovering outdoor bouldering routes
Phase 4: Prototype & Test – Iteration in Action
Usability Round 1: The Wake-Up Call
I conducted guerrilla testing with five climbers, which revealed several usability issues:
Overcomplicated user flows
Poor prioritization of content
Unclear CTAs and confusing labels
Learning: Fancy features distracted from the core purpose
Redesign Highlights:
Removed low-value features
Simplified navigation and content structure
Centered primary CTAs: "Find a Buddy" and "Find a Route"
Usability Round 2: Validation & Fine-Tuning Testing with a second round of users showed improvements:
Users appreciated the request/approval buddy system (similar to social media).
Users wanted to message potential partners before committing.
Maps needed clearer markers and context.
Final Updates:
The “Ask to climb” feature now functions with a request-and-approval system.
A “Recently Climbed By” section was added to route profiles for trust-building.
Introduced mutual connections for added security in climbing partnerships.
Final Design Outcome:
Boulder Buddies is now a focused mentorship app centered around safety, connection, and clarity. Instead of solving every problem, it focuses on empowering new climbers by connecting them with experienced mentors, fostering trust, and simplifying the first outdoor experience.
Reflection & Growth
This project taught me to:
Prioritizing core value: Focus on what matters most to users.
Strategic design decisions: Cutting features that weren’t aligned with the core purpose.
Use testing early to avoid costly assumptions
User-driven iteration: Utilizing early and frequent testing to avoid assumptions and costly mistakes.
What’s Next?
Further testing with outdoor mentors to improve onboarding.
Exploration of structured “first climb” event flows to help users take the first step outside.
Add safety verification for mentor profiles to enhance trust.
Improve in-app messaging for real-time coordination between climbers.
Key Takeaway Boulder Buddies evolved from an assumption-led app idea to a focused, user-centered prototype. It reinforced my belief that iterative design, strategic framing, and collaborative insight yield better, more useful solutions—especially when safety and trust are on the line.