Shvil Israel - the Israeli trail

The Israel National Trail (Shvil Israel) is a 1,000 km journey from Dan in the north to Eilat in the south.
The trail is divided into 53 segments. Hikers can choose to walk a specific section of the trail, however, many young adventurers embark on the full journey, completing all segments consecutively.

Year

2025

Role

Product, UX, UI

Tools

Figma

Team

Personal Project

The Problem

Current Situation

There is no official website for the Israel National Trail. Information is scattered across various hiking and nature reserve websites, and there is no single, reliable, and unified source of information about the trail.

The existing mobile app is very basic, with missing features and aspects that make it less user-friendly.

The Need

Official Website + App

Standardization and Centralization of Information - Establishing an official website for the Israel National Trail that consolidates all essential information for hikers. This includes creating a unified language regarding the trail, with a clear division of segments, real-time updates from the field, and ratings of trail segments based on difficulty level, interest level, and other relevant factors.

The Client

Society Protection of Nature in Israel

Core values include nature conservation, environmental awareness, and education to promote knowledge and appreciation of the land.

Users

App vs. Web Users

The largest age group among hikers on the Israel National Trail is 18-25, making up approximately 30% of all hikers. For a single-day hike, most people wouldn’t download an app, therefore, the app is designed for those planning to hike the entire trail.

Persona 1

Completing the Entire Trail
Chooses a direction: South to North / North to South
May want to plan ahead and decide on the best starting point
Needs guidance along the way (via an app)
Requires a navigation map
Seeks information about different trail sections and points of interest
Needs details on water sources, campsites, and Trail Angels

Persona 2

Hiking a Specific Segment of the Trail
Interested in exploring available trail segments
Likely wants to choose a specific region or find a trail near their location
Looks for suitable difficulty levels, family-friendly routes, or nearby attractions
Unlikely to download an app just for a single-day hike

Wireframes

Mapping the App

Missing Features Added

Dashboard + Profile

1. Dashboard - Information relevant to the upcoming hiking day. Allowing users to track their progress while keeping the focus on one day at a time - rather than overwhelming them with the entire map and all trail segments at once.

2. Profile - Here users can not only access their information and settings, but also save and keep track of the trails they completed, comments they wrote, etc.

Onboarding

Creating a better experience

The app is designed for users who are hiking the entire Israel National Trail. The trail sections are displayed in order from north to south or from south to north, depending on the starting point the user selects. Research showed that some hikers wanted help or advice regarding the preparation phase, specifically about the necessary or recommended gear. Here while they onboard the app they can get access to a list with that information.

Trails view

Allowing better access to information

The existing app has no dedicated place where users can view all trail segments and sort or filter them based on specific criteria. A full page for each segment is able to contain more information in a clearer and less overloaded way.

Community

Making Help & Hospitality Available

A place where users can look for 'Trail Angels' - volunteers who offer assistance and hospitality to hikers.
Users can view a list of them and filter by location (nearby or along a specific trail segment) or by services offered (e.g., accommodation, water refill, showers, meals, transportation assistance etc.)

Market Research

Hiking & Trails apps

Researching some of the more popular apps allowed me to understand which information is most valuable to the users while on the trail. Unlike the existing 'Shvil Israel' app, here the ability to monitor the progress and have visibility over it was in very high priority .

Design

Simple & Noticeable

The color palette comes from the "Shvil Israel" trail sign colors. Earthy and natural, fitting well with a hiking related app. The orange appears clearly on the map as the trail and blue is for the buttons, catches the eye and easy to find.

The Website

Easy to Find, Share & Keep Track

Users coming to the website want to see the selection of trails. They can see what trail is near them and easy to access or filter / sort by a certain parameter (difficulty level, family-friendly, things to do in the area, etc.). The user can save trails for later or share to family or friends to set a trip together.