The IKON Pass from Alterra Mountain Co. is a premium ski pass that unlocks 50+ destinations across North America, the European Alps, Japan, and Australia. The Ikon Pass website aims to sell annual passes, and the native app enhances a skier's on-hill experience with stat tracking and competitive badges.

The budget was not a constraint at this point, nor was practicality. The team at Alterra was only interested in one thing: big ideas that could shape the experience for new skiers on the hill.

One of the privileges of working with a longstanding client is the opportunity and trust to brainstorm and ideate about a company’s future. I designed and facilitated an “Idea Mapping Workshop” for my colleagues and Alterra’s digital strategy team.

1. creative ideas that are not limited by current thinking or beliefs.

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition

blue sky thinking

ˈblü-ˈskī - think·ing

noun

The Idea Mapping Workshop in Miro.

Discover the areas of opportunity.

I mapped the existing mobile app features on a ski pass holder's typical journey in these three stages:

• Pre-Trip
• On-Hill
• Post-Trip

Adding joy into the process.

Much to my delight, I received an overwhelmingly positive response to my workshop design. Stakeholders and my colleagues alike commented on how fun it was to see the customer journey mapped on a mountain. This custom design allowed them to visualize the experience and room for opportunity.

Enough ideas to build a multi-year roadmap.

After our initial brainstorming session, we refined the ideas down to 50 that had the potential to be in the mobile app. I asked the Alterra team to vote on their favourites to move forward with a plan for next steps.

Here are some of my favourite ideas:

♥️ Interactive 3D maps to view mountain elevations.
♥️ Push-to-talk functionality to reach friends on the mountain.
♥️ Locals offering tours/inside scoop information of the area.

"You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

— Maya Angelou

Going forward

One of the ideas that went straight into design and development was the Year-Over-Year skiing stats. Working alongside a company called Wearlynx, my team and I designed the UX/UI of the YOY feature and released it in 2023 for the Ikon Pass Mobile App.

Banner image courtesy of IKON Pass.

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