SkiStar — Case

Improving check in experience

How digital keys transformed SkiStar's check-in from stressful to seamless. 3 weeks to design, endless relief for families arriving late with tired kids.

The Family Nightmare

Picture this: You've driven hours to your ski holiday. The kids are tired, it's getting dark, and you need to find some reception office, join a queue with everyone else who just arrived, get instructions, then drive around looking for your cabin. Miss the office hours? Hunt for a key box somewhere.

SkiStar knew this was broken.

The solution 
Digital locks and app-based keys that let families skip all that and go straight to their cabin.

The challenge
As UI designer, I got a UX brief and a few days to make this work. The technical challenge was designing for two different lock types:

 • WiFi locks: Could be opened remotely with internet connection
 • Bluetooth locks: Required being physically near the door

Users needed to understand the difference and feel confident they could actually unlock their door.

Design Solutions

Key features:

• Visual lock differentiation: WiFi locks showed signal waves when activated, Bluetooth locks showed a phone held up to a door sensor

• Lottie animations: Served dual purpose as instructions and active unlock interface

• Quick access: Digital keys pinned as FAB in bookings tab for instant access

• Multiple keys support: Handle cabin + storage room keys seamlessly

Visual: Screenshots showing the two lock types and animations

Making it foolprooof

The animations weren't just pretty - they were essential instructions. When you're standing outside your cabin in the cold, you need to instantly understand whether to hold your phone up to the door or just tap the unlock button.

We also planned for the inevitable tech failures. If your phone dies or the digital lock stops working, there's always a physical key at the cabin as backup - so you're never locked out in the snow.

We validated the entire flow with on-site testing by SkiStar staff in Sälen to make sure it worked in real conditions.

What I learned

Sometimes the biggest design wins come from solving the smallest, most annoying problems. Three weeks of design work eliminated years of family stress.

This project also taught me Lottie animations - turns out they're perfect for UI that needs to be both instructional and interactive. When done right, animation isn't decoration, it's communication.