UI design · UX research · 2026
Landing page and platform for a swimming school
An adult swimming school in Szczecin. I did the research, designed a new landing page and I'm now redesigning the platform students use.
JakToSwim teaches adults to swim. Some are scared of water, others want to get back in shape or fix their technique. The school is good at finding new people, but after the trial lesson many of them don't come back.
Research
I started by going to the school. I spent 3 days there, signed up like a regular client and went to a trial lesson.
Then I talked to people: 8 interviews with students, a call with someone who was about to quit, a survey and 2 meetings with the team.
From that I built 5 personas and a 9-step customer journey. It showed where things get hardest for people: signing up, the first visit, make-up classes and talking to the school.
The main goal
I checked every decision with one question: will this make it easier for someone to come back? Most of the people I interviewed were beginners over 40 who are a bit scared of water. What they need most is calm and clarity.
So the design has lots of small things that take the stress away: the price and the next step are visible right away, the tone is calm, and you can see the coaches before you sign up.
What I heard and what I did
What I heard: Students who already had an account came in through the trial lesson button on the homepage
What I did: A choice on the first screen: "First time" or "I already swim with JTS"
What I heard: Adults really are scared. One student picked the school because she felt nobody would laugh at her there
What I did: A calm tone and real student stories: how it was and how it is now
What I heard: People didn't pick the school from written reviews. Videos and the trial lesson did that
What I did: Real stories up top, the Google rating just next to them
What I heard: One student picked a coach from a photo, then heard another coach talk and switched to him
What I did: Short coach videos right on the homepage
What I heard: People who already swim want to know what each stage gives them
What I did: 5 programs as levels, each with a clear result
What I heard: Make-up classes expire, people forget to cancel, many don't want to save a card
What I did: A platform section: reminders, a waitlist, BLIK and Apple Pay, make-up classes that don't expire, pausing a membership
What I heard: The trial lesson button was scary: what happens next and how much does it cost?
What I did: The price and next steps are visible before signing up
What I heard: Calls got lost and the footer had no contact details
What I did: Phone, pool addresses and a "call me back" form
Design system
So the developer doesn't have to guess anything, I put together a design system: colors, fonts, components and their states. Everything is marked up in Figma.
I also updated the school mascot. It used to be a flat drawing, now it's a 3D plush otter. The team liked it.
Platform audit
Alongside that, I went through the student account on desktop and mobile and wrote down every spot where people get stuck.
Most problems sit in three scenarios: skipping a class, changing groups and a failed payment. In all three the student ends up messaging the school because they can't sort it out in the app. Below is how it works now and what I suggest.
Skipping a class
- Taps "I can't come"
- No confirmation
- Did it count?
- No make-up class
- "I can't come" 24 h ahead
- Confirm
- Clear next step
- +1 make-up class
Changing groups
- Wants another group
- Just a text pop-up
- Call or message the school
- Wait
- Groups in their program
- Level and schedule
- Price updates itself
- Coach gets notified
Failed payment
- Payment fails
- Nothing in the account
- Warning in another section
- Message the school
- Warning on the home screen
- Change payment method
- Pay again
- Membership active
What we'll measure
Right now the school gets 6-8 messages and 2-3 calls a day, spread across 5 different places. Some calls simply get lost.
After launch we'll track:
- How many students keep coming after 3 and 6 months
- How many people buy a membership after the trial lesson
- How many make-up classes get used and how many expire
- How many messages come in a day and how fast they get answered
✦ What I took away
Interviews work better one on one. When the school owner is in the room, people answer more carefully, so I double-checked those answers in other conversations.