{"id":127293,"date":"2022-08-15T14:00:10","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer.apple.com\/news\/?id=wq48r7mj"},"modified":"2022-08-15T14:00:10","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T14:00:10","slug":"behind-the-design-slopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2022\/08\/15\/behind-the-design-slopes\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Design: Slopes"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

It is a demonstrable fact of app development that most great ideas arrive in late-night diners.<\/p>\n

At least, that\u2019s how it went for Curtis Herbert \u2014 creator and mastermind behind the ski-tracking app Slopes<\/em>. One evening during a winter trip to the Poconos, Herbert and some friends hit up a Denny\u2019s for a late-night feast, where talk quickly turned to the day\u2019s activities: Who was the fastest on the mountain? Who had the longest run? How far did the group ski in total?<\/p>\n

In response to one of the questions, Herbert pulled out the skiing app he\u2019d been using to track stats \u2014 and found the UX equivalent of a yard sale. The stats were there, but buried amidst graphs and maps; to find enough data to compare (and brag about, probably), Herbert had to cross-reference three screens and a table view.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really well-engineered, but the UX left a lot to be desired,\u201d says Herbert from his elevation-appropriate home in Boulder, Colorado. \u201cThey clearly had skiers on the team, but it felt like something got lost in translation\u2026 I thought, \u2018You know, I can do better than this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Curtis<\/p>\n
\n

Curtis Herbert, taking Slopes<\/em> out on the slopes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Herbert made good on his thought \u2014 and ten years of ski runs and late-night meals later, Slopes<\/em> won an Apple Design Award for its remarkably accurate and comprehensive digital diary of your skiing day. The tracking app is a veritable mountain of data for skiers and snowboarders. It includes all the stats Herbert was seeking out over dinner: speeds, miles, and vertical drops, as well as the locations of your friends and family members on the mountain during runs. It\u2019s all done automatically using GPS on iPhone and Apple Watch, and it\u2019s presented in a crisp, concise design that speaks to the sport. <\/p>\n

\u201cRunners have Runkeeper<\/em>, Nike Training Club<\/em>, and Strava<\/em> for keeping stats, but when I started, there just wasn\u2019t much for skiers,\u201d says Herbert. \u201cThere was even less that felt part of the skiing community. I needed an app written by a skiier or snowboarder. And I wanted it to feel as human as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

That human factor is part of what helps elevate Slopes<\/em> beyond simple stat tracking. Rather, the app affords skiers of all levels \u2014 from beginners on their inaugural bunny slopes to the human rockets on double black diamonds \u2014 a way to quantitatively gauge themselves via rich performance metrics. Or, to put it simply: It tells you how much better you\u2019re getting. <\/p>\n

\"To<\/p>\n
\n

To use Slopes<\/em>, just press record \u2014 the app takes care of the rest. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really easy to overwhelm with stats,\u201d says Herbert, who\u2019s known as \u201cThe Slopes<\/em> Guy\u201d on the mountain. (Meeting him IRL is an in-app achievement that scores you a special pin.) \u201cYou really have to pick what matters to tell the story. I designed Slopes<\/em> to be as human as possible because I view it as a journal for your memories. Sure, you\u2019re gonna faceplant a few times. But when you get to your first intermediate run, and then to your first advanced run, you become the hero of your own story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018You can tune out the world\u2019<\/h3>\n

The story of Slopes<\/em> involves several regions that aren\u2019t mountainous and several seasons that aren\u2019t winter. Herbert hails from the suburbs of Philadelphia, an area not exactly known for its soaring mountain ranges. Strictly speaking, he was a programmer before he was a skier. (\u201cMy seventh-grade math teacher gave me a programmable TI calculator because she was annoyed me with interrupting class all the time,\u201d he laughs). But he\u2019s been on the mountains since he was a Boy Scout, first on skis and then on a snowboard. \u201cYou can reach a real Zen state out there,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re paying attention to your body. You\u2019re paying attention to the environment. You can be reflective and tune out the world.\u201d <\/p>\n

On flat land, Herbert found his way into web development and then app design, taking quickly to Objective-C and Swift. He knocked around corporate and consulting work and kicked around a few of his own ideas, but nothing really clicked. \u201cI always had the itch to write my own app, but I figured it would never be worth it,\u201d he says. \u201cPlus, I\u2019m pretty critical of my own ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"*Slopes*<\/p>\n
\n

Slopes<\/em> shows you where you\u2019ve been on the mountain \u2014 and how fast you got there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Even after the Poconos diner, Herbert sat on Slopes<\/em> for months, drawn to the idea but unsure how to make it profitable. He finally took the plunge in April 2013, but quickly encountered a significant scheduling issue: There\u2019s not usually a lot of snow on the mountain in April, which makes it difficult to test skiing apps. Happily, a workaround presented itself. \u201cMy beta testers were mountain bikers,\u201d Herbert says. \u201cResorts open up to them in the summers, so I just asked a couple of friends, \u201cHey, can you keep a phone in your pocket while you ride?\u201d Herbert\u2019s ad-hoc beta testing team hauled their bikes up on the lifts, then rode them down the pathways of the once-and-future ski runs. \u201cOne of the first things I did was write a harness where I could replay data on my computer,\u201d he says. \u201cThen it was: How do I break it up? How do I present it?\u201d <\/p>\n

The app remained a side hustle until 2015, when Herbert switched to a subscription model and started noticing downloads picking up. Spurred by the new traction, Herbert made Slopes<\/em> his full-time job \u2014 and dug back into the design. \u201cI\u2019ve put the app through the wringer,\u201d he says. \u201cI need to make sure it\u2019s easy to use in the real world, not just at my desk.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2018I get to cheat\u2019<\/h3>\n

Creating designs for your hobby can be a huge time-saver. <\/p>\n

\u201cI get to a cheat a little because I\u2019m the snowboarder, designer, developer, and product manager,\u201d Herbert says. \u201cSnowboarders or skiers might not necessarily know what\u2019s possible from a technical perspective, and engineers might just try to go the default way.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s helped that Herbert\u2019s evolution as a snowboarder has mirrored the app\u2019s growth. \u201cI\u2019m fortunate in that I only started snowboarding 10 years ago,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a recent enough memory that I can put myself in the shoes of beginners. I mean, you\u2019re going downhill at 30 or 40 miles per hour \u2014 and that\u2019s intimidating! And I can remember, \u2018OK, this is where people just getting into the sport might struggle,\u2019 or \u2018Here\u2019s a thing that made me feel really good.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"*Slopes*<\/p>\n
\n

Slopes<\/em> shows where your friends are on the mountain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Still, a skiing app presents a novel set of challenges, both technical (How do you ensure the GPS is accurately reporting your true location and speed?) and practical (How do you tap a screen while wearing puffy gloves in sub-zero temperatures on a flying bench?). <\/p>\n

\u201cThe design of Slopes<\/em> is very much informed by the situation,\u201d he says. \u201cFor a lot of apps, you\u2019re at your desk, or in a car, or on the train\u2026 on a lift, you\u2019re 100 feet up. You don\u2019t necessarily want to pull your phone out and fumble with it. So for me, there has to be a lot of thought about: What are the main interactions that really need to happen, and what device is the best to do that with?\u201d <\/p>\n

The iPhone app\u2019s record button, for instance, is mirrored on the Apple Watch app, which is more accessible on a lift or in a line. \u201cA lot of interaction design is thinking holistically about the ski experience,\u201d he says. \u201cTo me, having a great experience means: Does the thing on screen react the way I\u2019d expect it to? Can I physically interact with this digital concept? Does it feel real?\u2026 Not in a skeumorphic way, but in a \u2018can-I-manipulate-it?\u2019 way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

On a lift, you\u2019re 100 feet up. You don\u2019t necessarily want to pull your phone out and fumble with it.<\/p>\n

Curtis Herbert<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Beyond Slopes<\/em>\u2019s people-friendly interface and powerful stat-tracking, Herbert is particularly proud of the app\u2019s 3D mapping support for resorts and runs. \u201cSkiers and snowbarders think in 3D,\u201d he says. \u201cGoing into this, one of my big ideas was the ability to look back at my runs and see the 3D profile. I don\u2019t want to have to assemble the puzzle. I want to see, \u2018Oh, here\u2019s where I went really fast,\u2019 or, \u2018Here was that really steep turn.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

The skiing apps he\u2019d used prior to creating Slopes<\/em> only offered top-down or side-profile views, which was workable \u2014 but ultimately lacking. In part, there simply weren\u2019t great data sets for resorts, runs, and lifts. <\/p>\n

So Herbert turned to GPS data to help. He\u2019d already planned to offer the full Slopes<\/em> experience even if someone only had GPS enabled, as cellular connectivity could be dicey in the backcountry. \u201c[So] we had to figure out how to pull that data and translate in 3D,\u201d he says. With no 3D experience to speak of, Herbert taught himself SceneKit to create the feature. <\/p>\n

\"Herbert\u2019s<\/p>\n
\n

Herbert\u2019s app has reached both hardcore skiers and those new to the sport. \u201cIt\u2019s fun to hear that it\u2019s bringing families together,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This summer \u2014 nearly a decade later \u2014 Herbert and the growing Slopes<\/em> team are expanding their mapping offerings to help you better locate your friends and family during a ski trip; with an Apple Maps-esque interface, the app will show you the routes \u2014 easy and hard ones \u2014 between you and your friends. <\/p>\n

Here again, the human element comes into play. \u201cThere can be a lot of intimidation about going somewhere for the first time,\u201d he says. \u201cYou might look at a map and say, \u2018Am I gonna be able to get back here? Am I gonna end up going off a cliff on a double-diamond?\u2019 I think this\u2019ll take the edge off for a lot of people.\u201d <\/p>\n

In recent years, Herbert and the team have focused more on those collaborative features to bring people together. \u201cI hear from a lot of families who\u2019ve used it to get their sons or daughters into skiing. I\u2019ll hear about people trying to beat their mom at a top speed \u2014 and I don\u2019t encourage racing on the mountains! \u2014 but it\u2019s fun to hear that it\u2019s bringing families together.\u201d <\/p>\n

(It can also bring you closer to the developer; Herbert makes his location public when skiing; you can find him to say hi and get that pin. \u201cIt\u2019s basically Where\u2019s Waldo,\u201d he says with a grin. \u201cIt makes for good stories.\u201d)<\/p>\n

But it turns out that goes for his own family too. \u201cMy niece recently learned to ski at Killington, so I said, \u2018Here, put this phone in your pocket.\u2019 And she lit up at the end of the day, like \u2018Look how far I went!\u2019 It\u2019s hard to get that perspective until you see it with numbers on a map, especially if you did much more than you thought. Hearing that it brings people together at the end of the day, sitting around the fire comparing stats, making a sport that I love more enjoyable to people \u2014 that\u2019s the best stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about Slopes<\/a><\/p>\n

Download Slopes from the App Store<\/a><\/p>\n

Behind the Design is a weekly series that explores design practices and philosophies from each of the 12 winners of the 2022 Apple Design Awards. In each story, we go behind the screens with the developers and designers of these award-winning apps and games to discover how they brought their remarkable creations to life.<\/em><\/p>\n

Explore more of the 2022 Behind the Design series<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is a demonstrable fact of app development that most great ideas arrive in late-night diners. At least, that\u2019s how it went for Curtis Herbert \u2014 creator and mastermind behind the ski-tracking app Slopes. One evening during a winter trip to the Poconos, Herbert and some friends hit up a Denny\u2019s for a late-night feast, where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apple-developer-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}