A web app called Ski Locale helps skiers like John and Sarah find the best ski resorts based on their preferences. It considers factors like weather, distance, price, and snow conditions to recommend resorts. For John on a budget, it finds the most cost-effective nearby options, while for Sarah wanting the best experience, it prioritizes higher quality resorts further away. The app aims to be a one-stop solution compared to using multiple existing apps individually.

1. Eric Littman
Josh Rumsey
Kevin Kraydich
A web app that helps skiers and snowboarders find the
nearest slopes with the best value by taking into account
weather, distance, price, and snow conditions.

2. Meet John
John is a 21 year old undergrad at the University of Michigan.
During the fall, John and his friends spend their Saturdays
outside going to Michigan football games. However, during the
winter semester, John and his friends find themselves with less
outdoor options and want to change it up with a ski trip. John
often uses apps like Yelp and Google Maps to pick places to eat
with his friends, but finds it difficult to use the apps to evaluate
which nearby ski resorts will provide the best experience.
Although John and his friends would like to go skiing, he is
concerned about the price of ski passes and travel.

3. Meet Sarah
Sarah is a 25 year old ski enthusiast, and spends much of
her free time hitting the slopes. She has extra money in her
pocket and doesn’t mind spending it on more expensive
resorts with more runs and better snow conditions, no
matter the distance. In the past, Sarah has used Google
Maps and Yelp to help decide and route her typical
weekend plans, so she would likely be open to using an app
to find ski resorts. She likes to plan her trips well in advance
and has multiple resort options, but desires the best
resorts for any given weekend trip.

4. John’s Problems and Motivation
Problems
○ Has a budget to abide by
○ Cannot easily compare resort prices
Motivation
○ Wants to ski as a new activity with his friends

5. Sarah’s Problems and Motivation
Problems
○ Cannot easily discover new ski resorts
○ Unable to compare snow quality
Motivation
○ Wants to experience as many ski resorts as
possible

6. Current Solutions
● Both people must use multiple apps to find their best resort
○ TripAdvisor for pricing
○ weather.com for snow quality
○ Google Maps for distance

7. Use Cases
○ John wants to find the most cost-effective ski trip
○ Allows him and his friends to be mindful of their budget
○ Sarah wants to find the highest quality ski trip
○ Allows her to maximize her enjoyment

8. User Interface, Equipped to Handle User
Interests.
Input location
Type a location
Input user-specific interests
Search

9. Results are Ordered Based on User Interests
Sarah’s Search:
John’s Search:

10. Hypothesis
With the help of Ski Locale, John will be able to
efficiently find the best nearby ski resort to fit his
budget, and Sarah will discover ski resorts across
the country that accurately reflect her preferences.

11. Questions?