In this project, I led the redesign of LUMO’s most-used feature: the Climb tab, where users spend over 70% of their time. Feedback showed climbers struggled to filter through climbs efficiently—an issue that created friction in their training experience. My primary focus was to streamline filtering and browsing, making it faster and more intuitive for users to find climbs that match their goals.
Role
Product Designer
Company
Lumo Aps.
Duration
3 months
Designing ‘with’ users, not ‘for’ users
Our app usage statistics show that users spend a significant amount of time in the Climb tab, around 72%. When we gathered feedback from climbers about their experience in this section, it became clear that filtering through climbs can sometimes feel daunting.
To address this, we took proactive steps, collaborating with our users to create a more intuitive filtering system that helps them focus on what truly matters—climbing and enjoying the app.
During our workshops with the climbers, we created several wireframes that introduced new user flows for climbers, particularly in terms of filtering options. By utilising low-fidelity mockups from the outset, we could validate our assumptions early on and define the key functionalities required for the next iteration of the app.
As a climber myself, I was mindful of avoiding personal bias. To ground the research in real user perspectives, I asked participants to visually map each step in their decision-making process within the Lumo App. This revealed how they naturally filter their climbs, turning them into guides of their journeys and helping us to understand their needs.
To triangulate the qualitative data from users' mapping, we also compared it to our in-app statistics, which enabled us to compile a thorough list of new functionalities required to enhance the user experience.
Essential features right at the user's fingertips
I redesigned the Climb tab based on the latest requirements, providing users with essential filtering options that enhance their browsing experience. The layout is flexible, accommodating various needs and ensuring smooth navigation through climbs.
The main screen filter navigation showcases a horizontally scrollable design with clear functionalities, making it simple for users to sift through climbing options.
The 3-state button provides quick filtering options, allowing users to toggle between Default, State 2, and State 3. This feature helps them easily find the climbs that interest them without lengthy filter forms.
Testing results
We tested the redesigned Climb tab using an interactive Figma prototype. While it wasn't connected to the LED board via Bluetooth, we still gained valuable early insights from climbers through guided testing sessions and interviews.
What We Saw
Climbers report navigating the filters more confidently and said it felt easier to find what they were looking for
The scrollable filter bar and 3-state toggle were highlights—users called them “quick” and “clean”
Several climbers asked if they could save filter settings—a sign we’re on the right track, but we can go further
Some climbers pointed out uncertainty about the button states and wording choices
Implementation
Following our user testing, we translated feedback into app updates—many of which are now live in the app:
Saved filters were introduced in response to popular demand, allowing climbers to quickly reapply their preferred settings.
We improved filter toggle clarity by refining the iconography and word choices.
The layout now adapts more intuitively across different board types, helping users stay oriented regardless of gym setup.
What improved?
We tracked key metrics post-launch to evaluate the impact of the redesign:
Bug reports dropped in week 1 : (2 vs. 8 in the previous release), reducing developer support load.
Filtering tasks became significantly faster: Task timing data from observed sessions with climbers showed a 40% reduction in time spent on filtering climbs, suggesting users are finding routes more efficiently.
Higher engagement with filters: Early analytics show a 25% increase in filter bar interactions, indicating that users are actively exploring and using the new 3-state toggle and scrollable bar.
We’re continuing to monitor metrics like time-on-task, filter engagement, and navigation patterns to guide future refinements. These early results indicate that the redesigned Climb tab is not only more intuitive but also measurably more efficient for our community.
Scaling with the community in mind
With over 700 community-created climbs and more than 200 active users spread across 3 different climbing gyms, we needed a systematic approach to enhance the UX of our app as we plan to introduce additional boards. The layout should be structured yet adaptable to accommodate various board types and LED interactions, ensuring a seamless user experience.
On the product side, we adopted Google's Material 2 design system, customising it to ensure visual consistency across our app while also optimising for Flutter development. This enables us to effortlessly execute Python scripts that communicate with the Raspberry Pi controller for the LED system used in the climbing boards.
These improvements are being gradually rolled out in close collaboration with the climbing community to ensure they effectively address user needs—while future updates remain in the pipeline as part of Lumo’s ongoing, adaptive design strategy that evolves with user feedback, software updates, and the growing number of climbing boards.
