Contents
IKON Pass
Parking & Arrival Feature
Jan. 2025 - Apr. 2026 | Roles: User Experience Research Lead, User Experience Design Lead, Prototyping
Growing demand across the Ikon Pass network has exposed a gap: parking systems haven’t evolved.
I led the design of a real-time parking experience that simplifies decisions and reduces arrival friction.
The Problem
Skiers arrive to resorts without the information they need to make an informed parking decision.
As a result, they make uninformed decisions which leads to circling lots, parking farther away, or even turning around and going home due to no parking availability.
The Question I Set Out To Answer
How might we remove uncertainty around parking so guests can get from arrival to lift as quickly and confidently as possible?
Design Process
User Research - In-Depth Interviews
We interviewed 7 skiers and snowboarders, exploring their full ski-day journey.
Affinity mapping revealed several themes in the ski-day experience.
While most aligned with existing app features, parking frustrations appeared consistently, highlighting it as an area to explore further.
User Research - Competitive Landscape
After identifying parking as a recurring pain point, I explored how existing platforms address this problem.
Looking at other ski apps, I noticed they all focus heavily on weather, maps, and tracking, but completely overlook parking.
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An Unexpected Pivot
After identifying a gap in how parking is handled, I reassessed how this solution should be delivered.
I initially explored this as a standalone app, but realized it would add unnecessary friction.
I pivoted to integrating a parking feature directly into the Ikon app.
User Research - Survey
The pivot also refined my research focus.
To validate the solution within the right context, I surveyed 30 Ikon Pass holders about their parking behaviors.
Top 5 Key Findings From Survey
Many users report that resorts do not provide adequate information about parking availability prior to arrival.
Most users said that past experiences with traffic and parking impact how they plan for their ski day.
Most users experience difficulty sometimes or often while finding parking at a resort.
Many users plan in advance where they want to park.
Many users spend 5-20 minutes finding a parking spot.
Design Implications
Provide Real-Time Visibility
Users need immediate access to live parking availability, capacity, and estimated fill times.
Support Fast, On-the-Go Decisions
Parking information should enable quick comparison and decision-making prior to arrival.
Align Parking with User Intent
Parking options should be organized by lift proximity and terrain access, not lot names.
Provide Clear Guidance to Available Parking
Users need direct, step-by-step navigation to available lots due to uncertainty on where to go upon arrival.
Design for the Full Arrival Experience
Users need support beyond parking, including shuttle info, walking directions, and clear orientation to the lift.
Low - Fidelity Wireframes
We sketched low-fidelity wireframes to explore key use cases identified through research.
Medium - Fidelity Wireframes
We took our concepts and turned them into mid-fidelity wireframes, applying the key design decisions within the Ikon app’s existing experience.
Usability Testing And Iteration
I ran usability testing on the medium fidelity wireframes see how users interacted with the experience and where it could be improved.
The following insights were uncovered:
Free vs. Paid Parking Is Difficult to Discover
Users had trouble finding and understanding free vs. paid parking because the toggle wasn’t obvious.
Confusing Terminology Slows Decision-Making
Users struggled to interpret parking info—“Typically Caps By” caused the most confusion.
Lack of Spatial Context Creates Friction
Users had trouble choosing parking because they couldn’t tell where lots were in relation to the lift.
Shuttle Info Lacks Full Context
Users had trouble understanding how long the shuttle actually takes to get to the lift.
Final Design & Key Features
The final experience turns insights and testing into a faster, more intuitive arrival.
Resort Specific Access
Parking is easily accessible from the destination menu and tailored to each resort.
Lift Based Parking Selection
Users can scroll through lifts to find parking options based on where they want to ski.
See Parking In Context
A quick-access map shows parking in relation to nearby lifts, helping users orient and choose quickly and confidently.
Compare Free & Paid Parking
Users can quickly switch between free and paid parking to find the option that works best for them.
Easily Browse Parking Options
A horizontal scroll allows users to quickly browse compare parking options.
Navigate To Your Lot
Users can get driving directions to their selected lot, with a live overlay that keeps them informed on parking conditions and reservation details along the way.
Real-Time Availability
Spots Available:Users can see real-time spots available
"Fills Around" is an estimated “full by” time for users to understand how quickly lots are reaching full capacity
Live Shuttle Tracking
Live shuttle tracking shows arrival time to lot, location relative to the user, and total time to the selected lift.
Walking Directions To Lift
Walking directions guide users from their parking lot directly to their selected lift.
How The System Works
To see how this idea could actually work, I mapped the systems and data needed to deliver real-time parking and shuttle information to skiers.
Data Collection
Parking Sensors
License Plate / Gate Count
Occupancy Detection
Shuttle GPS
Cloud Intelligence
Parking Availability Estimates
Shuttle Tracking
ETA Calculations
Historical Fill Patterns
Reservation Data
Edge Processing
5G/4G Gateways
Aggregates Sensors
Filters Noise
Basic Validation
IKON App Experience
Live Lot Availability
Reserve & Pay
QR / Gate Access
Shuttle Arrival Times
Walking Directions to Lift
Reflections
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Don't be afraid to pivot
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Don't force anything and let the research guide design decisions
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Put more pen to paper before getting into Figma
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Get usability studies as early in the process as possible and don't worry about how pretty the design before conducting usability studies
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Keep first principles thinking in the forefront of your mind
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Simplicity is everything
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Stay hyper focused, dogged, and never give up
Next Steps
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Pitch to Alterra Mountain Company
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See if this concept has a product market fit in other sectors