Motion Design Credits @KMS Team
Telling the Canyon Story
Canyon Bicycles has revolutionized the cycling industry over the past decade, becoming one of the most successful sports brands globally. However, while the Canyon shop website is highly sales-driven, it lacked space for storytelling—something increasingly crucial to differentiate the brand in a competitive market.
The goal was to create a dedicated digital space that allowed Canyon to share its rich history, innovative spirit, and community-driven values. This would serve as a key storytelling hub, referenced across all of Canyon’s marketing channels.
Company
Canyon via KMS Team
Role
UX Design
Year
2023
Workshop Facilitation
Prototyping
User Research
UX Design
Process
Gaining Core Insights with Stakeholders
The project began with two in-depth workshops with key stakeholders, followed by bi-weekly check-ins to ensure ongoing alignment. In these workshops, we defined the core challenge:
»Translating Canyon’s vision ‘Be the most inspiring and innovative cycling brand in the world’ into the digital space and fostering deeper community engagement.«
A key insight from the workshops was recognizing employees as an important audience. With no existing platform for sharing the Canyon story or a central bike database, we saw an opportunity for the page to also serve as a tool for bringing the brand’s history to life for internal users.
Remote kickoff and concept workshops in Figjam (blurred)
Exploring Concepts Through Wireframing
During the wireframing phase, I explored two distinct directions through rapid Figma click prototypes:
A visually rich, one-time-built page with minimal maintenance required. While it could impress and effectively tell the Canyon story, it would be challenging to update or adapt.
A more dynamic platform that, though simpler in design, could evolve with growing content. This approach would provide ongoing value to the community by offering fresh, living insights into the brand.
Guided by the challenge defined in the workshops, it became clear that only dynamic content could continuously inspire and deliver real value to the Canyon community.
»Story« Page with Filter
Testing with Maze
As the process progressed, I expanded the clickthrough prototype and conducted user testing using Maze.
One key insight was that most visitors weren’t seeking specific historical details about Canyon but rather wanted to immerse themselves in the brand and explore. As a result, the page shifted focus from “finding” information to “exploration.” Each story now includes cross-references to athletes, other narratives, and links to featured articles in the Canyon shop.
In an A/B test using Maze, the fully expanded navigation menu significantly outperformed the minimalist hamburger menu, achieving a 42% higher interaction rate and reducing time-to-task completion by 18%. While the hamburger menu aligned visually with the brand’s clean aesthetic, users clearly preferred the explicit menu.
Final Concept
Key elements are:
Story-Driven Experience: A mix of rich media—images, videos, and interactive content—tells Canyon’s journey from its origins to its industry leadership.
Modular Layout: A flexible structure designed for scalability, allowing for future content updates without disrupting the user experience.
Emotional Connection: Prioritizing content aligned with Canyon’s mission, the page fosters a deeper bond with the community, encouraging engagement beyond traditional commerce.
Result
A platform designed for growth
The Canyon Brand Page serves as a central hub for brand storytelling, focusing on values and user engagement rather than sales.
Designed to be scalable, the page offers endless possibilities for storytelling, with content flowing from one piece to the next. This approach allows the brand to continually inspire and engage its community, both internally and externally.
»Canyon is a community brand. Together with KMS TEAM, we were able to create a platform that effectively connects the community with the brand and with each other.«
Simon Summerscales, VP Marketing Canyon
While the page keeps on growing you can already visit the first iteration:
Reflection
I’ve never worked on a project that ran as smoothly as this one. A key factor might have been the high motivation on both sides—Canyon and our agency. As passionate cyclists and Canyon fans, this project felt like a dream. The client gave us plenty of room for exploration, allowing us to bring exciting ideas to life. While not in scope, ongoing support and testing post-release would ensure the concept gains even more real-world visibility and impact.
Team
The project was initiated and managed by Canyon, with conceptualization and design by KMS Team, and technical implementation by another agency. The team at KMS Team, consisted of a Design Director, a Visual Designer, and myself as a UX Designer.