I designed and launched the first-ever CrossFit Courses Map, transforming a static list into an interactive search experience. The new map helps coaches worldwide discover, compare, and register for courses—whether it’s the flagship Level 1 or advanced programs like Level 2, Online, or Kids—making course discovery clearer, faster, and more intuitive.
Role:
Sole Product Designer
Project Focus:
Launching a New Map Experience
Duration:
6 weeks
Background
Driving growth through a simplified course discovery experience
In H2 2024, our team set a clear objective: increase Level 1 (L1) attendees by 10% between Q3–Q4, with a target of 2.6K attendees in Q4. The L1 is CrossFit’s flagship course—required for certification to coach at affiliates and a key revenue driver anchoring the entire EDU business.
Problem to Solve
A poor discovery flow led to user drop-off
The existing “Courses Near You” page presented only a static list view with no sorting or filtering. Course cards lacked key details like exact location or cost, forcing users to abandon before making a purchase decision. We needed to redesign the experience to reduce friction and support confident decision-making.
My Process
Driving Cross-Team Alignment
Building momentum across EDU, Marketing, and Product
To kick off, I facilitated a workshop with EDU and Marketing stakeholders to align on the growth opportunity. Using past analytics and a group usability analysis, we identified a shared problem: the existing “Courses Near You” page failed to help coaches find and evaluate courses. This alignment gave us buy-in to pursue a map-based solution.
Exploration & Strategy
Balancing simplicity with flexibility
Through competitive research and collaboration with Product and Engineering, we explored filtering and search concepts such as date range, city-based location search, and distance radius. While creative concepts emerged, we anchored on a core principle: “make the main thing the main thing.” Coaches needed a fast, simple way to find the right course.
Key data insight: Over 50% of users arrived via the L1 course page or a Google search for “CrossFit Level 1.” These users were high-intent, meaning we could reduce complexity by defaulting search to geo-location and in-person courses—the most popular option.
Key Design Principles
Keep course discovery the primary focus
Prioritize In-Person courses (but don’t hide Online)
Make filters intuitive and easy to edit
AI Prototyping
Rapid iteration with live course data
To test map interactions quickly, I built an interactive prototype using Cursor and the MapBox public API, populating it with actual course data. This allowed stakeholders and test users to interact with realistic scenarios like refining zoom levels, filter defaults, and UI details in a near-live environment.
User Testing
Validating assumptions with prospective coaches
We tested with prospective coaches to evaluate core flows. Feedback revealed:
Default zoom should cover a state or country view, especially for international users.
Coaches were willing to travel for the right course, so seeing options broadly mattered more than hyper-local results.
Users appreciated being able to click into affiliates directly from course cards.
Refinement & Handoff
From prototype to production
Based on insights, we refined defaults, clarified filters, and partnered with engineering to translate the Cursor prototype into a full design spec.
Fast Follows:
Redesigned empty state with the ability to collect emails for course alerts.
Iterative filter refinements based on further user data.
Outcomes
Reflection
Centering users while driving business outcomes
By aligning stakeholders, simplifying discovery, and leveraging AI-powered prototyping, we created a course-finding experience that reduces friction for coaches and drives measurable growth for CrossFit EDU.
