High Intensity is a Lisbon-based surf school that started in 2009 when its founder, a passionate surfer, struggled to find surf buddies. Over time, a community formed, shaping High Intensity into what it is today.
CHALLENGE
Design a responsive website and branding MVP (Minimum Viable Product) for a growing local business.
high intensity
Surf for All
role
Ux/Ui Design
timeline
10 days
methods & Tools
User research — Testing — Visual design — Prototyping — Competitive Analysis
User research — Testing — Competitive Analysis — Visual design — Prototyping
Problem
High Intensity has relied on word-of-mouth marketing, but to reach new audiences, a strong online presence is essential.
GOAL
Build a website that establishes credibility, showcases expertise, and makes booking lessons seamless.
01
the surf scene
To gain insights into the market, we conducted secondary research, revealing:
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Surfing has over 23 million participants worldwide
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It became an Olympic sport in 2021
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Portugal ranks 7th globally, with up to 700,000 surfers
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The Lisbon region has a growing number of surf schools
02
SURF CLASSES IN LISBON
We analyzed four competing surf schools in Lisbon, focusing on target audience, services, branding, and online presence. High Intensity stood out for its unique teaching approach but lacked a website and had low engagement on social media.
03
Getting to Know High Intensity & Its Users
Through interviews with founder Bruno, we learned that High Intensity caters to young, upper-middle-class adults with some surfing experience. His personalized individual feedback approach built a strong reputation through referrals. Now, he aims to expand his audience and introduce Surfskate.
what the users are saying
Personalized coaching and community are highly valued
Users emphasized instructor focus on personal progress rather than generic lessons. Additionally, the sense of belonging to a tight-knit surf community makes the experience more enjoyable and motivating
Not designed for tourists
Unlike other surf schools in Lisbon, High Intensity is not a one-time lesson for visitors. It requires a mid-to-long-term commitment, attracting people who are serious about progressing in their surf skills rather than just trying it out for a day
lack of centralized information causing frustration
Users appreciate having access to lesson recordings as they help track progress and refine techniques. However, managing lesson schedules, retrieving videos, and checking available classes is often scattered across different communication channels, leading to confusion and inefficiencies.
04
Meet Willy Wave
Through research, we identified a key persona: Willy Wave, a digital nomad now based in Lisbon who is passionate about improving his surfing skills. While he enjoys the sport, he faces challenges when it comes to payment methods, lesson packages, and accessing feedback on his progress. For Willy, structured coaching and being part of a surf community are essential.
He doesn’t just want to take random lessons, he’s looking for a place where he can grow, track his improvements, and be part of a community.
the scenario
Willy hears about High Intensity through a friend’s recommendation and decides to check out the website.
As he navigates through the platform, he quickly finds detailed information about the available lessons, pricing, and instructor feedback. The clear and intuitive layout makes it easy for him to explore his options, and with just a few clicks, he selects a lesson package that suits his needs and completes the booking seamlessly.
05
From Problem to Solutions
MUST
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checkout flow
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membership info
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lesson package
SHOULD
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evaluation wave
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schedules
COULD
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community events
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testimonials
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beach info
MUST
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community events
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testimonials
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beach info
Using the Crazy 8s brainstorming method, we quickly sketched out ideas, focusing on ways to enhance user experience.
Some of the key ideas that emerged included:
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Student portal for tracking lesson feedback and schedules
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Lesson packages for flexible bookings
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QR codes to help spread the word
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Community hub for events and engagement
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Membership options for returning students
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Beach conditions & surf info
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Seamless checkout process to simplify payments and lesson bookings.
These ideas set the foundation for the next phase, where we prioritized the most impactful features to define the MVP and create a more structured user experience.
which ideas to use?
The main focus was on creating a user-friendly e-commerce website with clear navigation, ensuring visitors could easily find what they needed. We also aimed to centralize all essential information, including lessons, schedules, and available services, so users wouldn’t have to rely on scattered details across different platforms, and a booking and payment flow.
06
Mapping the Experience
We structured the site map and user flow to create a seamless experience, ensuring users could easily navigate the platform.
By testing early wireframes, we confirmed that users were particularly interested in having a straightforward way to book lesson packages.as well as a dedicated student portal where they could access feedback, track their progress, and manage their schedules in one place.
07
Uncovering Key Issues
During mid-fidelity prototype testing, users pinpoint some issues such as:
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Checkout flow lacked clear steps and a back button
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Unclear navigation menus
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No filters on product pages, making selection difficult
These insights allowed us to refine the design, ensuring a more intuitive user experience.
09
Crafting the Visual Identity
The moodboard served as the foundation for High Intensity’s visual identity, bringing together its core brand attributes: fun, community-driven, trustworthy, and inspiring.With a dynamic imagery, bold compositions, and high-energy elements, we established a design direction that reflects the excitement of surfing while maintaining clarity and usability.
We developed a color palette that encapsulates the essence of both, sport and brand. Lime green to inject energy and vibrancy. Tropical aqua reinforces the connection to the ocean, evoking a fresh and adventurous spirit. To balance the palette, deep charcoal gray adds a sense of professionalism and reliability, grounding the brand with strength and stability.
Typography plays a crucial role in reinforcing this identity. Fira Sans Condensed Italic for titles, emphasizing speed and movement. For body text, Poppins provides a clean and modern look, ensuring readability while maintaining an approachable yet professional tone.
Together, these elements capture the adrenaline, passion, and camaraderie of High Intensity .
08
The Power of Feedback
Before moving into usability testing, we refined the high-fidelity prototype based on initial design feedback.
The homepage gallery lacked clear navigation controls, making it harder for users to explore. We added intuitive buttons to ensure seamless browsing. In the hero section, the absence of visual cues led to uncertainty about scrolling, so we incorporated subtle indicators to guide users. Additionally, the About section had readability issues due to excessive line width, which we adjusted for better text flow. These refinements enhanced the overall user experience, making interactions smoother and more engaging.
Users expressed the need for more flexibility when selecting lesson dates, as the current process felt too restrictive. Many were unsure which lessons suited their skill level, leading to hesitation during booking. These findings allowed us to refine the design by introducing clearer guidance on skill levels and a more adaptable date selection process.
10
the result
give it a try
12
Reflections
Working on High Intensity was an exciting challenge that pushed me to grow as a designer. From in-depth research to real user testing, I saw firsthand how crucial it is to truly understand the people we design for. Talking to users helped me bridge the gap between their needs and the business goals, while prototyping and testing reinforced the importance of iteration (things rarely work perfectly the first time!).
Refining navigation, payment flow and improving usability highlighted how essential it is to balance function and aesthetics. Moving forward, I want to focus even more on optimizing user flows early in the process and integrating accessibility best practices from the start.