Problem
PADI's Dive Shop Locator is a core discovery surface that helps divers find nearby dive shops, courses, rentals, guided dives, and conservation activities. It is not just a directory; it is a front door into PADI's real-world diving ecosystem.
The previous locator was functional but outdated. It relied on a basic Google-style search and map layout, provided limited immediate context, and made meaningful comparison too dependent on extra clicks.
It also fell short from a brand perspective. The interface did not reflect PADI's contemporary design language or its position as a global authority in diving, making a key discovery moment feel less polished than the brand around it.
Constraints
The redesign had to ship under compressed timelines and limited engineering capacity. The engineering team in Ukraine was operating under the realities of war, which increased delivery risk and made scope discipline critical.
Because a long discovery process would have slowed progress, I used a lean approach: synthesized existing recorded interviews, performed a heuristic evaluation, led card sorting, and used competitive analysis to shape direction quickly.
The design also needed to align with PADI's Material Design-based system and support a global product surface, including LTR and RTL layouts, translated labels, localized currencies, and variable content lengths. That meant using patterns the team could build once, maintain, and extend across regions without creating unnecessary implementation overhead.
Product Direction & Decisions
PADI gave me an open-ended redesign brief, with Material Design as the main requirement. I proposed changing the homepage from a search-only entry point into a location-aware view that showed nearby shops once users granted permission. This made useful information available before a search and also responded to a need raised by dive shop owners in recordings from the adjacent Pro Site/Dashboard project: greater visibility for their shops.
Working directly with the CTO, I advocated using Google Hotels as the baseline for the redesigned experience. Its sidebar offered a way to accommodate additional features already on the CTO’s roadmap while fitting PADI’s existing design system. I developed the new experience around that foundation, connecting the immediate locator redesign to the planned expansion beyond dive shops.
- Treat the locator as discovery, not just search. The redesign supported browsing, filtering, comparison, and exploration for users who did not yet know exactly what they wanted.
- Keep map and directory context together. Dive shop selection depends on geography and shop details, so the desktop experience kept both surfaces visible.
- Reorganize filters around user intent. Filters focused on activities, courses, languages, services, facilities, and accreditation rather than internal data structures.
- Make shop cards decision-ready. Cards surfaced images, ratings/accreditation, languages, hours, services, and actions so users could compare options without opening every detail page.
- Design for global flexibility. Layouts, cards, filters, and CTAs were structured to support translated content, RTL and LTR reading directions, localized currencies, and region-specific discovery needs without breaking the hierarchy.
Solution
The redesigned locator paired an interactive map with a structured result list. Users could evaluate location, shop quality, and available actions in one workflow instead of searching first and comparing later.
Shop cards carried the information users needed before deciding whether to view details, contact a shop, book online, or explore courses. The design reduced unnecessary interactions while keeping the interface scannable.
The responsive direction adapted the same discovery model for mobile and global use: accessible filters, clear cards, map context, direct actions, localized content, and flexible layouts. The framework also supported related discovery modes for dive sites, courses, adventure dives, and conservation activities.
Impact
The redesigned Dive Shop Locator launched successfully. The Product Manager reported a 35% increase in user engagement and a measurable sales lift within weeks of release.
Beyond the metrics, the project created a scalable discovery foundation for PADI. It aligned the product with user expectations, reduced unnecessary interactions, reinforced brand credibility, and gave the team a clearer model for future location-based and globally localized experiences.
Reflection
The strongest product decision was reframing the locator from a utility into a discovery experience. The team no longer needed to simply make search prettier; the product needed to help divers compare options and move confidently toward the next action.
With limited time and engineering capacity, focus mattered. Prioritizing the map, cards, filters, responsive behavior, and extensible pattern helped the team ship a better first release without overloading it.
I would still confirm the exact definition and source of the 35% engagement metric before using it in a public analytics claim, and I would specify the sales metric if PADI approves it for public reporting.
