Challenge

Three things made this complex:

Decision tree — Mountain bikes span many categories, rider types, and detailed specs. Mapping this into a simple Q&A without losing accuracy was genuinely hard.

Users — The tool had to work for both beginners and enthusiasts simultaneously, two audiences with very different mental models.

Internal alignment — No official PM. Five brand managers, each representing a different bike category, had competing views on which models to feature. Alignment had to be facilitated, not assumed.

Approach

Research:
30+ user tests across three methods — unmoderated survey, moderated sessions, and in-depth interviews. Recruited both beginners and enthusiasts, with gender diversity as an explicit goal. Focus: understand decision logic, identify confusion points in the question flow, and validate terminology.

Design:
Designed the interaction flow so users could move step by step with clarity — starting from how they ride, not what specs they need. Introduced friendly illustrations and plain language to reduce hesitation, unusual for Canyon's traditionally technical product pages.

Collaboration:
Facilitated alignment across 5 brand managers and worked with a visual designer, two copywriters, and developers to ship.

Outcome

30+ user tests confirmed the flow worked. Users were successfully directed to relevant product pages without dropping off.

"Finally something that speaks my language, not just bike geek terms." — usability test participant

The Bike Finder shipped for MTB and E-bike categories and is now a core part of Canyon's purchase journey.

What I Learned

How to navigate internal politics without a formal PM structure. That language is a design decision — changing terminology had more impact than changing the interface layout.

Team