Emphasize the storytelling of the brand site-wide. They needed to communicate to their users:​

Along with Aspen Mountain, there are four mountains at Aspen Snowmass which are all accessible with one lift ticket​.

Aspen Snowmass is an experiential destination with many options that make each trip memorable​.

Aspen Snowmass is a values-driven company, owned and operated by people who nurture and respect the coexistence ​of resort, community, and the environment.

An important aspect of the Aspen Snowmass redesign was to ensure accessible and inclusive design best practices were being applied, while not limiting the bold and creative spirit the brand emotes.​

Educating all parties involved on how to approach this task presented a challenge in and of itself. We were fortunate to work with an engaging team that was open to collaborating on and bending brand guidelines to achieve our goals.

The intention is to simplify the consumer journey throughout the site experience. While the offerings are extensive, refining the elements and essentials to be more direct for the user rather than repetitive is the key to success. Organizing the information concisely while highlighting the larger story is where this navigation can shine in conveying the magic of Aspen Snowmass.

Eliminate repetitive linking.

Focus on the content that we know users want and need.

Make the choices and steps clearer for the user to plan their trip without overwhelming them. Clear options and a simplified flow translate to excitement, not stress.

Place all trip-related content in one structure, under the “Visit” navigation item.

This creates one specific place for users to go for this information rather than navigating to various places, which can be confusing.

Always lead with the intention of showcasing the magic of our place and our core benefit: Return Transformed. Celebrate the Aspen Snowmass distinction. What makes us different?

Navigation language balances storytelling with ease-of-use.

The language immediately inspires the user with curiosity.

The global weather widget is an important addition to the global structure of the site.This element is seen consistently across competitors and is currently one of the most clicked on items on the homepage. Users are looking for this information immediately upon entering the site and placing it as a global element will give users persistent access.

There is a suggested tab structure to display Four Mountains, Aspen Mountains, Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass as the user toggles through to give a spotlight to each mountain. Giving the user a sneak peak of the forecast at first glance and expanding for more information packs the information up in a clean format not taking up valuable space on the page.

Navigation simplicity and telling a story through the titles we choose were top of mind when discussing “Book Now.”

Rather than placing this in the primary navigation structure, we are suggesting this element follow the user throughout their scrolling experience. While it might not be styled as shown here, it will be a sticky piece giving your audiences persistent opportunity to purchase and convert.

“Tickets & Passes” was one of the most clicked on items that we observed through tracking and easy access to this purchase path cannot be lost. However, “Book Now” is more inclusive and could connect the user to other purchase paths like Lodging and Lessons, increasing share of wallet. This type of CTA strategy can be tested to determine what’s most effective for the user and for your business.

Tickets, passes, rentals and ski school bookings are key revenue drivers for Aspen Snowmass. As expected, those topics are also key traffic drivers on the website. Based on Google Search Console data, searches related to “ski spend” such as tickets and passes accounted for 7 out of the 50 top organic keywords and 10% of traffic for those terms.

By using data to inform our decisions, we are seeing that the floating call to action elevates the booking button and decreases friction throughout the user’s experience. This data supports our sticky “Book Now” recommendation.

It is important to note how this project snowballed from consultation, to IA refresh, to home page design, to full site design by our team showing our passion and perseverance to make a better experience. Since this project began, we have started work on additional property sites owned by Aspen Snowmass.

We continue to enhance the user experience based off monthly retainers and goals we have outlined with collaborative discussions with the client team.