TrailBlaze Brampton
Project Overview
Trailblaze Brampton is a hackathon-winning mobile concept that helps Brampton residents discover local nature trails, build outdoor habits, and connect with their community.
Developed in under 48 hours, this project combined my rapid prototyping skills and business mindset to deliver a meaningful solution with social and environmental impact.
My Role: Project Manager & UX Designer
Timeline: 2-Day Hackathon
Tools: Figma, Miro, Trello
Award: Category Winner – Seneca Sustainability Hackathon 2022
1. The Problem
Although nearly 20% of Brampton is made up of green spaces, most residents aren't aware of them, nor do they have a digital tool that helps them explore or connect through nature.
Key Issues Identified:
Lack of centralized info about trails, parks, and nature spots
No existing platform to connect outdoor-loving residents or organize group activities
2. The Insight
Due to the hackathon's time constraint, we conducted quick secondary research and relied on lived experiences. We identified two underserved user needs:
Discoverability: People want to explore, but don’t know where to start
Social Motivation: Many residents would enjoy nature more if they had someone to go with
These findings helped us shape a lightweight but meaningful solution.
3. The Solution
We created a mobile-first prototype with these key features:
Trail Discovery Map: Pinpoints Brampton’s natural spaces
Interest-Based Groups: Connects users who enjoy the same outdoor activities
Community Challenges: Gamified actions like “Walk 3 trails this month”
Eco Tips & Trivia: Mini educational content on biodiversity
Although none of us had prior Figma experience, I led the team in learning and prototyping on the fly, turning raw ideas into a presentable interface in under 24 hours.
4. The Execution
We followed a compressed version of the design thinking process:
Define: Scoped the MVP based on our problem statement
Sketch & Prioritize: Used quick digital whiteboarding and MoSCoW prioritization
Prototype: Built a clickable demo in Figma with guided navigation
Present: Delivered a visual walkthrough to judges emphasizing user impact
This quick Gantt chart helped us visualize the rollout strategy and keep our work aligned—even under pressure.
Although I focused on UX and product strategy, I worked closely with our backend lead to align design with system architecture.
This diagram shows how the concept was built using Google Cloud Functions, modular microservices, and a Flutter front end. It supported challenge logic, user accounts, messaging, and location services.
Tools Used:
Figma: Rapid prototyping (first-time use!)
Miro: Feature scoping & task delegation
Trello: Day-of coordination
GanttPro: For visualizing our rollout strategy
5. The Impact
Won Category Award for Sustainability & Community Impact
Judges praised the “clarity of purpose and clean execution”
Sparked interest in expanding the idea with local environmental groups
6. Final Reflection
We built this in under 48 hours, with zero experience in Figma, no polished process, and no time to second-guess. What we did have was clarity of purpose, strong instincts, and an amazing team that leaned in, supported each other, and executed with heart.
I’m proud of what we created, not because it was perfect, but because it was honest. We used gamification not as a gimmick, but as a meaningful nudge to reconnect people with their local environment.
This project reminded me that great design doesn’t always come from perfect conditions. Sometimes, it comes from momentum, trust, and the courage to build something that matters—even when you’re figuring it out as you go.