REI Uncommon Path

Uncommon Path, REI’s editorial platform, is a valuable resource for the outdoor community; however, it struggles to guide readers into deeper engagement due to its limited ecosystem and unclear pathways. As a fellowship project, we redesigned the experience end-to-end, including audits, user testing, wireframes, art direction, annotations, and the design system, under the guidance of senior designers.

Timeline –
08.2025-11.2025

Role – UX/UI Designer

Team – Amelie Scheil, XD Fellow

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

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.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty!

Business Challenge –

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

While outdoor participation continues to grow, engagement depth is declining—evidenced by a year-over-year drop in average outings and broader industry revenue pressure. This signals a shift toward more casual participation and highlights the need to rethink how brands support long-term engagement.

Audience Context –

Who we are designing for

REI’s audience is becoming increasingly fragmented: only 29% of members are under 40, participation is becoming more casual, and most users engage across multiple activities. Together, these trends indicate a diverse audience with varying confidence levels, goals, and expectations for content.

User Insights –

What today’s outdoor participants struggle with

Casual users struggle to find clear starting points, while experienced users 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 –

What is it doing well and not doing well

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 feature

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.

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.

Page Structure Principles –

From sketch to systematic solution

After redefining the IA, zone diagrams helped translate structure into clear page-level principles. These zones guided wireframe decisions, ensuring layouts remained consistent, scalable, and aligned with user intent.

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 scan and decide quickly. 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.

©Woohee2025

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