REI Uncommon Path

PROBLEM
Since 2019, millions of new participants have entered the outdoor space; yet, the average number of outings per person continues to decline, signaling a drop in committed “core” users and a rise in casual participants who struggle to find clear pathways into the lifestyle.

OUTCOME
We redesigned the core pages of the user flow to enhance discovery, personalization, ecosystem clarity, and community engagement.

12 core templates, 26 modular components designed
88% of modules reused across multiple templates
100% meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards

TEAM
Amelie Scheil, XD Fellow

TIMELINE
08.2025-11.2025

SCOPE
Product Experience, UX/UI, Design System

FINAL DESIGN

AI Search Engine

Surface smarter, more relevant results through persistent search—letting users refine queries easily without losing momentum.

Pathfinder

Provide a guided starting point that adapts to each user, making it easier for beginners to embark on their outdoor journey with confidence.

Content Ecosystem

Streamline page structure with clear hierarchy and reusable modules—helping users scan content and move naturally to their next step.

Here’s how the work came together!

BUSINESS CHALLENGE

The outdoor industry is growing, but deep engagement is shrinking.

The outdoor industry in general is facing declines due to the end of the pandemic boom and expansive tariffs, which have hurt many businesses, including REI closing its unique experience business and three high-profile stores in major cities.

STRATEGIC FOCUS

Shift from expert to casual participants

The outdoor industry is seeing a decline in core participants, even as casual participation continues to grow. While more people are exploring outdoor activities, fewer are developing consistent habits or long-term commitment.

In addition to that, sales are increasingly driven by everyday outdoor products, not just high-tech equipment, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

For REI, this shift creates a challenge:

How do we better support beginners and casual users – who now make up a large share of the audience – while rebuilding the depth of engagement needed to sustain long-term participation and growth?

USER INSIGHTS

Where does REI live in users’ minds?

Casual participants struggle to find clear starting points, while outdoor enthusiasts seek deeper, more advanced guidance. Across both groups, motivation is driven not just by information, but by confidence-building stories and a clearer sense of progression.

UX AUDIT

REI is excelling at storytelling, yet lacking consistency and discoverability

We have conducted a multi-layer audit with direct competitors and adjacent content platforms. Based on synthesis, REI leads in storytelling and brand trust. Still, it lags in structured navigation, discoverability, and personalized content experiences, which presents a clear opportunity to unify editorial depth with smarter pathways into the outdoor journey.

General Site Audit

Comparative Landscape Analysis

Competitive Landscape Analysis

OPPORTUNITY

The issue was the lack of a clear, scalable structure, not the content quality or features

Uncommon Path can become more than a blog—it can act as a digital gateway that guides users deeper into the lifestyle by combining storytelling with tools that drive discovery, personalization, and community engagement.

STRATEGY

Unite storytelling with actionable tools

We designed a new content ecosystem built around clarity, personalization, and modularity—making it easier for users to find what they need and discover what they didn’t know they needed.

Strategy

To create a digital gateway that meets users where they are in their outdoor journey by uniting storytelling with actionable tools.

Discovery & Exploration

Reimagining site architecture and content layouts to make exploration intuitive, organizing stories, guides, videos, and podcasts around user intent.

Progressive Personalization

Providing tailored discovery through AI-powered search, smart filtering, and logged-in personalization to surface the most relevant stories and opportunities.

Community & Trust Building

Highlighting the voices of REI members and contributors to humanize the platform, foster belonging, and strengthen trust in expert, community-driven storytelling.

Sustained Engagement

Connecting Uncommon Path with REI’s broader ecosystem – Expert Advice, e-commerce, workshops, and Cooperative Action – to turn inspiration into participation.

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE REDESIGN

Users look for content based on purpose, format, and what they want to do next

Before redesigning screens, I focused on restructuring how content is organized and discovered. As Uncommon Path lacks a clear system that reflects user intent, progression, or next steps, I approached the IA redesign by analyzing existing patterns, studying competitors, and reorganizing content around how users seek information—not how articles were written.

Creating a predictable and scalable structure

To address this gap, the information architecture was restructured around user intent rather than rigid categories. By treating content type and activity as metadata instead of primary navigation, the new structure supports clearer pathways, flexible discovery, and future growth across stories, guides, and tools.

SOLUTION

Reframing Uncommon Path as a guided content ecosystem

Rather than treating Uncommon Path as a collection of standalone articles, the redesign reframes it as a connected content ecosystem that actively guides users through discovery, learning, and progression.

By combining editorial storytelling with actionable tools—such as Pathfinder, AI-powered search, and a flexible card system—Uncommon Path evolves from an inspiration hub into a practical gateway that supports users at every stage of their outdoor journey.

🔎 Search Engine

To reduce friction in discovery, the search experience was redesigned to prioritize intent over keywords. Instead of returning long, undifferentiated lists, results surface relevant content types, topics, and formats—helping users quickly understand what’s available and choose their next step with confidence.

🗺️ Pathfinder

For users who don’t know where to begin, Pathfinder acts as a guided entry point into the ecosystem. By capturing experience level, interests, and context, it translates uncertainty into a clear starting point—connecting users to personalized content, tools, and recommendations without overwhelming them.

🗂️ Card System

A flexible card system supports consistent discovery across the platform. Cards surface essential cues—such as content type, format, and brief descriptions—so users can quickly scan and make a decision. Expanded card variants, including product and event cards, turn inspiration into action by seamlessly connecting stories to real-world next steps.

ACCESSIBILITY

Designing for Accessibility

By including best practices for accessibility into design components, we ensure our redesigned pages are natively inclusive. Solutions are defined once and repeated throughout development.

DESIGN SYSTEM

Building components that scale across stories, guides, and tools

The design system establishes a shared foundation for storytelling, guidance, and tools within Uncommon Path. With standardized tokens, responsive breakpoints, and reusable modules, it enables faster iteration, clearer collaboration, and a more cohesive experience across the content ecosystem.

Breakpoint Variables

Tokens

Module Library

OUTCOME & IMPACT

Where It Landed

We redesigned the core information architecture, content templates, and personalization flow to enhance discovery, engagement, and future scalability.

We redesigned the core pages of the user flow to enhance discovery, personalization, ecosystem clarity, and community engagement.

26 modules defined
12 core templates redesigned
100% systematized under the design system
Meets WCAG 2.1 AA principles

REFLECTIONS

What did I learn from this project?

Think in systems, not screens.

Building the design system reinforced that great products come from consistent rules, not the pretty screens. Defining tokens, type scales, and reusable modules forced me to design for edge cases, breakpoints, and future content needs, not just the immediate layout.

Let Content Shape the System.

Redesigning the content modules taught me how much structure depends on real content. I learned to test components with long titles, missing metadata, unusual image ratios, and multi-tag scenarios to ensure the system actually held up. It pushed me to design for reality, not for ideal examples.