ON THE SNOW

PRODUCT CONCEPTION REDESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF MOBILE AND WEB APPLICATIONS FOR BETTER UX

Client

OnTheSnow is a leading snowsports platform that offers comprehensive snow reports, ski resort information, and news to a global audience. With coverage spanning over 2,000 ski resorts worldwide, it is a primary source for up-to-date snow conditions, weather forecasts, and ski resort details. Through its webcams, deals, and user-generated ski resort reviews, OnTheSnow provides a holistic resource for winter sports enthusiasts, helping them make informed decisions and connect with a vibrant snowsports community.

Challenge

The initial focus involved a complete rebuild of their mobile application that had less than 2.5 stars in the App Store. We also discussed a redesign, addressing legacy code and outdated application architecture, along with the intricacies of integrating a substantial array of Ads services. Moreover, navigating the legal nuances across various countries was imperative, as the applications had to comply with diverse regulations. Complicating matters further was managing substantial legacy data dispersed across different databases.

Integrating an extensive array of third-party advertising services, including Google Tag Manager, Urban Airship, Prebid, and TripAdvisor, required meticulous synchronization to ensure seamless functionality and user experience. Besides, coordinating SEO redirects following the redesign was paramount to sustaining search engine rankings and organic traffic. This demanded meticulous planning to avoid negative impacts on visibility. Furthermore, pre-rendering a vast number of pages (20,000 pages per each of the 14 domains) for SEO and loading speed purposes required intricate optimization to strike the right balance and ensure efficient execution.

Strategy

Since the primary users of OnTheSnow and its other 12 worldwide versions of the website are fans of winter activities, our team suggested starting with a fresh, user-centric, modern design to the mobile app and website that would unify the brand to create a more clear user experience. For their website, we emphasized the importance of implementing redirects to sustain the SEO aspect, which plays one of the key roles in generating traffic and ad income.

This comprehensive solution covered the entire development cycle, prototype design, development tasks, rigorous quality assurance, adept project management, and indispensable SEO efforts. Our involvement extended to ongoing support through a well-defined Service Level Agreement (SLA). This holistic approach ensured that the project covered every facet required to enhance the website's appeal, functionality, and long-term success.

/ On The Snow

Solutions

Technologies

NextJS/Typescript
RoadRunner 2.x as the application server
Spiral Framework 2.x as PHP framework
Cycle ORM as ORM
Docker and CircleCI
ReactNative/TypeScript

The Spiral Scout team suggested building the applications based on our company's main tech stack to ensure swift, high-quality coding, aligning seamlessly with the client's tight budgets. For the front end, we leveraged NextJS with Typescript, devising a tailored solution to efficiently pre-render an extensive 20,000-page portfolio during deployment. We integrated i18next for localization, react-query for responsive data management, and Sentry for robust error tracking. The back end was fortified with the potent combination of RoadRunner 2.x as the application server, Spiral Framework 2.x as the PHP framework, and Cycle ORM for streamlined database interactions. The mobile application was built with ReactNative and TypeScript so one set of code could be used for the iOS and Android application.

Our deployment process was implemented through Docker and CircleCI, bolstered by Redis for efficient data caching. Specific PHP packages were incorporated for distinct functionalities, including giggsey/libphonenumber-for-php for precise phone number validation, guzzlehttp/guzzle for seamless third-party service requests, and more.

Results

The mobile app went from less than 2.5 stars on the App Store to 4.7 stars with over 7k reviews to date. The mobile applications for Android and iOS have been successfully revitalized to provide an outstanding user experience and give them current weather updates, real-time resort cameras, and authentic firsthand user reports. The web application now operates seamlessly across 13 languages, reflecting our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility. Incorporating agile methodologies, specifically Scrum and Kanban, facilitated a streamlined and adaptive development process between our team and OnTheSnow.

By integrating more modern tech frameworks, our team achieved a harmonious blend of functionality and aesthetics, culminating in a mobile and web application that resonates favorably within the target markets.

Review

“Kudos to the SS team on the mobile app. The app has gone from ~2.5 in the prior release to 4.7 stars now (and growing) with over 6k reviews on the App Store. “