DemoStoke homepage hero showing a surfer riding through the wave

DemoStoke
UX Case Study

Description

DemoStoke is a unified marketplace that helps riders and shops discover, book, and manage demo and rental gear in one place.

My Roles
  • Founder
  • UX designer
  • Full-stack developer
Project Link

What It Is

Riders and shops struggle with fragmented, offline demo and rental flows. I designed DemoStoke to be a unified marketplace to solve those issues. In validation sessions, 90% of shop owners said it would bring them more customers, and 100% of riders described it as "the thing that should already exist."
DemoStoke global gear discovery collage

The Problem

Riders want to try gear before committing, but most demos still depend on scattered shop events, word of mouth, or expensive short-term rentals. Shops and independent makers also lack a shared digital system for surfacing availability, building trust, and converting a successful demo into a sale.
DemoStoke mobile demo van in the field

The Solution

DemoStoke turns those fragmented offline workflows into a location-aware marketplace where riders can discover gear nearby, compare listings, and book demos or rentals with more confidence. The platform also gives shops, shapers, and individual lenders tools to showcase inventory, manage availability, and turn trial experiences into repeat business.
Surf shop displaying boards available for demo

My Roles

I led DemoStoke end to end as founder, UX designer, and full-stack developer, shaping the product strategy, research, information architecture, user flows, and visual system. I also built the front end, auth and dashboard flows, database-backed features, and AI-assisted discovery tooling needed to turn the concept into a working web application.
DemoStoke design system components

The How / AI-Driven Development

Location-Based Discovery

With DemoStoke, I created a comprehensive gear discovery and rental platform that connects riders with demo opportunities in their area.

Rapid Prototyping with AI

Using Lovable.dev, I was able to spin up the app’s foundation with a well-written prompt, then iterated rapidly to refine features and user experience.

DemoStoke Hybrid View

Screenshots

DemoStoke blog index with search filters and post cards
DemoStoke blog article page with a ski brand hero image and body text
DemoStoke shop profile page with equipment listings and store details
DemoStoke gear detail page with a book now button and similar equipment
DemoStoke explore hybrid view with a map and surfboard equipment cards
DemoStoke demo calendar month view with scheduled events and category filters
DemoStoke demo calendar list view with upcoming events
DemoStoke gear quiz category selection screen for snowboards, skis, surfboards, and mountain bikes

The Who / User Personas

  • Rachel (34, San Diego) is a marketing manager who rides 1-2x/month.
  • She wants to try before buying expensive gear but is frustrated by limited demo options.
  • She looks to Instagram and friends for recs, and wants DemoStoke to offer trusted peer reviews, easy filters, and clear pickup info.
  • Chris (29, Truckee) is a remote project manager who snowboards 3-4x/week.
  • He seeks variety in gear but shops don’t offer enough options.
  • He’s active in forums and trades gear with friends.
  • He wants DemoStoke to offer high-quality listings, flexible pickup, and rider reviews.
  • Maya (31, Santa Cruz) is a van-lifer and remote UX designer who rides 1-3x/week.
  • She doesn’t want to own a ton of gear and struggles to find quality rentals in new locations.
  • She wants DemoStoke to offer verified local lenders, easy-to-find gear specs, and fair prices.
  • Tony (45, South Lake Tahoe) co-owns a board shop and wants to run demos without building his own tech.
  • He’s frustrated that most platforms don’t support niche gear.
  • He wants DemoStoke to help list demo boards, drive traffic, and convert demos into sales.
  • Dustin (38, Ventura) is a known surfboard shaper trying to grow his reputation.
  • He wants to organize demos and track who rides his boards but lacks the tools.
  • He wants DemoStoke to offer a shaper-specific feature, demo tracking, and review visibility.
  • Jessie (27, Encinitas) is a yoga instructor with extra boards.
  • She wants to earn passive income but doesn’t trust Craigslist.
  • She wants DemoStoke to provide a smooth listing flow, damage protection, reviews, verified users, and an earnings dashboard.

Methods / The UX Process

Primary and Secondary Research

  • Interviewed riders across surf, snow, and MTB to surface demo frustrations and trust gaps.
  • Captured quotes about convenience, selection, and safety to anchor problem statements.
  • Benchmarked competitors and availability patterns to spot underserved sports and locations.
Two people talking during a video call

Empathize, Define, and Ideate With Users

  • Ran rider and shop employee interviews plus field observations to see friction in context.
  • Framed trust-and-convenience problem statements with measurable goals for activation and conversion.
  • Mapped discovery-to-feedback flows and prioritized must-have moments for riders and lenders.
Skiers riding a chairlift together

Prototype, Test, and Refine the Product

  • Used Lovable AI to generate hi-fi pages quickly, then refined with prompt engineering.
  • Layered custom frontend polish and Supabase to demo discovery, admin, and AI integrations.
  • Ran moderated and unmoderated walkthroughs to validate discovery, booking, and trust cues.
Surfer carrying a board while walking beside a man on his phone