Ron Schneidermann, CEO of AllTrails, talks about the origins of AllTrails and the importance of UGC. They discuss their mission to help people explore the outdoors and the boom of their success during COVID. They also touch on the importance of inclusivity in the outdoors, hitting their 1 million subscribers goal, and the role of culture in the company.
AllTrails CEO Ron Schneidermann focused on improving the app's trail accuracy and user experience by establishing criteria for trail creation and incorporating user-generated content.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in AllTrails' usage and downloads as people turned to outdoor activities for exercise and mental well-being.
AllTrails embraced a remote-first approach during the pandemic, allowing them to source top talent from different locations and envision a hybrid model for future work arrangements.
Deep dives
Improving All Trails App and Rebuilding Trust
When Ron Schneiderman joined All Trails in 2015, he discovered that the app had significant flaws and lacked accurate data on trails. Users were frustrated with misleading information and inaccurate trail details. Recognizing an opportunity, Schneiderman embarked on a mission to improve the app's trail creation and curation. Working with a small team, he focused on establishing minimum criteria for trail accuracy and started fixing trails one by one. This human-powered project allowed them to gradually rebuild trust with users. Additionally, the app incorporated user-generated content, which provided real-time trail conditions and enhanced the overall experience. The effort to improve the app's functionality and provide reliable information paid off, as more users began using All Trails and finding value in its features.
All Trails' Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on All Trails and outdoor activities in general. As travel restrictions and lockdowns were imposed, people turned to outdoor activities for exercise and mental well-being. All Trails experienced a surge in downloads and engagement during this time as individuals sought local exploration and outdoor experiences. The app became a resource for outdoor enthusiasts who wanted to discover trails in their vicinity. The pandemic presented an opportunity for All Trails to become a valuable tool for individuals who were eager to spend time in nature. This increase in usage and engagement not only allowed the app to thrive during a challenging period but also provided an acceleration in hiring top talent and reshaping the company's workforce beyond its San Francisco base.
The Evolution of Remote Work and the Future of All Trails
The pandemic forced companies to embrace remote work, and All Trails was no exception. They transitioned to a remote-first approach, which transformed their hiring strategy and opened doors to talent outside the San Francisco Bay Area. With the ability to source skilled professionals from different locations, All Trails experienced a significant upgrade in talent. The company believes that remote work is here to stay, and they envision a hybrid model that combines remote work with occasional in-person collaboration for brainstorming, ideation, and strategy sessions. They view the office as a space for collaboration and unstructured time, fostering organic conversations and creativity. All Trails intends to maintain an office as a home base while embracing the flexibility and benefits that remote work offers.
Trail Creation and Curation
The podcast episode explains how the trails on the platform are user-generated, with users creating and curating the routes. The process involves collecting first-party and third-party data, conducting pattern matching, and validating new trails for accuracy and safety. This approach allows for a large number of trails worldwide, with around 320,000 to 350,000 trails available. The focus is on balancing quantity with quality and ensuring that users have access to accurate and reliable trail information.
Democratizing Access to the Outdoors
The podcast highlights the company's mission to democratize access to outdoor activities for everyone. They believe that everyone has a right to experience the holistic health benefits of spending time outside. By providing information and instilling confidence in users, the platform aims to remove barriers to outdoor participation. The goal is to make outdoor activities accessible for all, regardless of their experience level or physical abilities. In doing so, they hope to foster a sense of connection with nature and inspire conservation efforts.
Ron is the CEO of AllTrails, the most used and trusted outdoors platform in the world. Before becoming the CEO of AllTrails, Ron was Head of Growth at Yelp Reservations, Co-Founder of Liftopia, and Head of Business Development at Hotwire. The mission of AllTrails is to help people explore the outdoors with hand-curated trail maps along with photos, reviews, and user recordings crowdsourced from an ever-growing community of millions. Initially, Ron was hesitant to accept the role of CEO that was offered to him, but after some soul searching he decided to accept - and ever since the growth of AllTrails has been undeniable.
Ron and I discussed:
The origins of AllTrails
Why he was reluctant to accept the role of CEO
Understanding their end-user
Why COVID was such a boom for their success
Why UGC is a critical component
Potential future features
The importance of the outdoors for mental health
Why inclusivity in the outdoors is their top priority
My Take: Even though we are getting more technologically advanced by the hour, the outdoors are and always will be an integral part of us. Finding a way to marry the two is the type of innovation necessary for this day & age. As someone who uses this app regularly, I can attest to how much easier and safer it makes my hikes - while allowing me to find trails I may not know of otherwise.
