3D Ski Tracking App

Designing the next-gen tracking app for skiers

We began working with our client to explore concepts for a consumer-facing app for skiers in China. Through mixed methodology UX research in our lab at UX Spot, we designed and tested a number of conceptual prototypes with skiers to discover unmet needs and experiences to drive the designs for a next-generation ski tracking app.

We then crafted realistic 3D models of China's leading ski resorts to pair with GPS tracking algorithms trained using machine learning, and finally, a world-first metaverse experience, interacting with, finding friends and replaying the tracked skiing runs in 3D on iOS, Android, WeChat, and the web.

Transforming the ski tracking experience

The Rolling Beast app features 3D ski resort maps at the core of its functionality. Digital twins were modelled for ski resorts, allowing users to replay their ski runs on the 3D resort models while they zoom, pan, and rotate their view as the tracking data shows their speed, elevation, and distance in real-time.

Each resort's trails and lifts can be viewed in the mixed-reality experience, allowing users to explore the mountains and plan their routes using the rich data provided, including the inclination and distance of trails and the lifts that connect the trails.

Interactive sharing on WeChat with WebGL

Pushing the boundaries of interactive 3D experiences within a WeChat mini program using WebGL technology, skiers in China are able to share their tracking with friends via direct message or in groups on WeChat, who can then experience the interactive ski replays within the Rolling Beast mini program.

A custom backend to manage content and analyze tracking data

To manage the complex elements of the 3D ski tracking app, we built a powerful custom CMS and CRM dashboard using the Laravel framework and Laravel Nova admin interface. Each ski resort is manually created in the backend and intricately managed, including the ski resort model with a web-based tool that allows each lift and trail to be drawn with an interactive visual builder and their respective details input.

Each ski tracking made at the resorts is submitted to the backend with advanced analytics, including the GPS points, device hardware, operating system, runs, speeds, and vertical elevations. Data scientists are then able to replay each run in a 3D interactive WebView to analyze the data and optimize the tracking algorithms.

Robust cross-platform mobile development with Flutter

The foundation of the mobile app is developed using Flutter to take advantage of its smooth widget and animation libraries, and it’s consistent cross-platform publishing capabilities to iOS and Android from one code base. Native components were built and integrated with the Flutter framework to support more low level and complex functionality.