Sister Bay Scuba
Project Overview
The product:
A mobile app for Sister Bay Scuba, designed to help users get scuba certified or book a dive with ease.
The problem:
Many scuba schools have hidden fees, limited information about dive spots, and confusing booking processes.
The goal:
Design an app that makes it intuitive and enjoyable for individuals to find the right course or dive to suit their needs and skills.
Project duration:
September-October 2025
My role:
This was a UX design coursework project. I led the complete design process to demonstrate the full range of skills I learned.
Responsibilities:
User research, personas, problem statements, user journey maps
Information architecture
Paper & digital wireframing
Lo-fi & hi-fi prototyping
Design systems
Usability testing
User research
The goal of this research was to better understand the needs, motivations, and pain points for Sister Bay Scuba users. Although this project was hypothetical, I still approached the research as realistically as I could to practice my research skills.
I completed qualitative user research by asking open-ended interview questions. These interviews were designed to include a representative range of potential users, from beginners to experienced divers. My focus was on identifying potential areas for improvement in the current scuba diving booking experience.
1. Group bookings
Many users found it difficult to book online when coordinating with a group. It can be hard to tell if a group will be able to take a course together when booking individually.
Pain Points
2. Hidden costs
Users are very concerned with pricing transparency. It’s frustrating for them when unexpected costs, such as rental gear, aren’t included until the end of the booking process. This causes people to leave the site without completing a purchase.
3. Lack of information
Scuba websites can be difficult to navigate and lack detailed information about dive sites. Divers are excited to learn information such as depth, difficulty, and visibility.
Age: 33
Education: Bachelor’s
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Family: Engaged, no kids
Occupation: Supply chain manager
Experience level: Novice (certified, but hasn’t been diving in a few years)
Persona: Justine
“Going scuba diving gives me a way of experiencing and connecting to a whole different world…it never ceases to amaze me. I’m excited to share this with my husband.”
Problem statement:
Justine is a novice diver who wants to book a dive with her husband on their honeymoon, but she feels uncertain about which dive or course is best for her skill level and is frustrated by hidden fees and unclear booking options.
Goals:
Discover interesting dive spots
Dive with her husband on their honeymoon
Avoid unnecessary stress
Feel connected to nature
Frustrations:
Unsure if she needs to take a refresher course or can go on a regular dive
Unexpected charges like rental gear (hidden costs)
Wants to book the same dive as her husband
Wants to know what to expect from dive before booking
User journey map
Goal: Successfully book a scuba dive that meets both Justine and her husband’s experience levels.
Sitemap
Home
Courses
─ Discover Courses
─ Open Water
─ Advanced Open Water
─ Rescue
─ Emergency
─ Dive Master
Dives
─ Cave Point
─ Shipwreck - Fleetwing
─ Shipwreck - The Jenibel
─ Pebble Beach
Booking
─ Schedule
─ Book Dive / Course
─ Pricing/Gear
Info
─ Contract
─ FAQs
─ Gear & Rentals
─ Dive Conditions
─ Experience Guide
About
─ Our Story
─ Instructors
─ Gallery
Accessibility considerations
Colors
When selecting the colors for the main elements, I checked the contrast ratio using WCAG standards to make sure they were within guidelines.
Hierarchical headings
I used hierarchical headings to improve readability, helping users easily understand the relationship between different sections of text.
Traversal order
I carefully considered the flow of the page, ensuring the traversal order was logical and easy to follow.
Paper wireframes
I started by sketching a variety of ideas for the homepage design. I experimented with placement and formatting, selecting the best elements and refining them down to one wireframe. This process was repeated for each page so they would be ready to be turned into digital wireframes.
Digital wireframes
I created this digital wireframe to provide a clear and digestible way to educate users about specific dive locations.
This carousel shows multiple images of the dive site so users can visually assess the dive.
When a user clicks a tab, additional details are displayed. The information is organized and easily digestible.
Lo-fi prototype
I created a lo-fi prototype in Figma to establish connections between the different pages and prepare for user testing.
The user flow starts with a decision between booking a dive or a course. This takes the user to either the dive page or course page where they can browse and select a specific option. I streamlined this process to make the path to checkout faster and smoother, while also providing more details and visuals.
Usability study
I interviewed two potential users to evaluate the functionality and understand how users interact with the product.
Parameters:
Study type: Moderated usability study
Location: United States, remote
Participants: 2 participants
Length: 20-30 minutes
Findings:
Add search and cart icons: The preliminary design only had a menu icon so I added search and cart icons to make it easier for users to complete these integral tasks.
Add descriptions: Although users found the image carousel helpful, they also wanted more detailed descriptions like dive conditions, depth, visibility, and expected marine life.
Make buttons more clear: Adding a button will make the action users should take more obvious.
