Through our need-finding interviews, we heard multiple times that it was annoying to have to leave behind equipment in a variety of situations. This leads to unnecessary costs, as well as safety concerns as the climber repels down the wall. As a result we decided to focus on the gear retrieval need area.
We interviewed people from wide range of backgrounds. Two of them were indoor climbing instructors, One highly experienced with outdoor climbing, A teenager and one who has decent experience of bouldering. The interviews helped us to know the different types of climbs and the current problems the users are facing while climbing. The major problems faced by them are as follows.
Gear retrieval if they could not complete a particular climb.
Route setting is another aspect where one need someone at back of the wall to fix the t-nut issue.
Beginners find it difficult to choose the gears and need someone to guide.
Restriction on the choice of chalk as loose chalk can clog HVAC systems for indoor climbing
Also found some useful insights like
Expensive harnesses aren't much different than cheaper ones. The expensive ones just have more padding.
One interviewee mentioned that indoor climbing is safe can be a great start to do bouldering.
There are some systems like Signage, Acronyms and buddy systems that help to climbers to double check if the gear system is properly attached or not.
To see more specific details of each interview see the links below:
10 years experience
Traditional climber
Indoor instructor
Climbing Coordinator
Indoor instructor
Route setter
Indoor climber
Top rope / bouldering
Indoor boulderer
1 year experience
Age: 27
Profession: Climbing instructor and route-setter
Values:
Fitness
Community
Persistence
Needs:
Efficient way to set routes
Safety during route setting
Means to set routes solo
Pain Points:
Dirty holds and gear
Excess chalk on holds
Failure of T-nuts
Occasional need for second person for route setting
Age: 17
Profession: Student, Indoor Climber
Values:
Achievement
Learning
Personal growth
Needs:
Simplicity
Ease of use
Pain Points:
Skill plateau
Forgetting how to properly use the gear
No climbing buddies
Age: 22
Profession: Student, Outdoor Climber
Values:
Exploration
Enjoying nature
Needs:
Affordable
Safe
Pain Points:
Gear gets left behind on the wall during climbs
Has to carry heavy gear to climbs