Rock Gym Pro (RGP)
Rock Gym Pro (RGP) is the content management system used by over 450 rock climbing facilities worldwide, supporting over 25 million unique users. At Gripstone Climbing and Fitness, we rely on RGP for daily operations.
RGP is an all-in-one software suite that includes:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Membership Management
Calendar and Booking
Payroll
File Storage
...and more
It’s designed to handle the unique needs of climbing gyms—but despite its powerful feature set, it has usability challenges.
The Problem
Although Rock Gym Pro offers a wide array of features, it is not without its issues. To combat recurring errors, our gym implemented a nightly closing task to manually verify that all memberships were set up correctly.
On average, 3 out of 7 memberships are not set up properly. Issues include:
Missing or incorrect membership agreement forms
Improper billing attachment
Incorrect gear or discount configuration
Missing responsible billing contacts
Unassigned scan cards
Incorrect billing dates
This revealed a deeper issue: the system is overly complex, which introduces a high risk of human error.
The Goal
Identify pain points within the membership setup process and design solutions that improve efficiency while reducing human error.
The Question
How can I improve Rock Gym Pro to reduce common human errors in membership setup?
Step One: Research
To better understand how staff interact with RGP, I conducted observational research with 9 coworkers as they set up memberships for clients.
This method allowed me to capture:
Natural workflows
Common frustrations
Workarounds and compensations
Differences in confidence and efficiency
Findings
Quick Configure vs Manual Setup
5 out of 9 coworkers used the Quick Configure button, which autofills customer type and payment status (e.g., auto bill, paid in full, punch pass).
4 out of 9 coworkers chose to manually set up memberships from scratch.
Why the divide?
Those who preferred manual setup said they don’t trust the system’s autofill logic. A common sentiment was:
"I don’t use Quick Configure because I don’t trust it. I trust myself more than the system. It also keeps me accountable—I know I’ve gone through each step."
Even those who did use Quick Configure often double-checked every field afterward—eliminating any time-saving benefit.
Insight:
The problem isn’t functionality—it’s transparency.
Users don’t trust what they can’t see, especially in a system that feels outdated and operates behind the scenes.
Step Two: Ideate
Based on these insights, I developed three guiding "How Might We" (HMW) questions to frame my ideation process:
How might we increase staff trust in the Quick Configure feature to improve adoption and efficiency?
How might we surface key setup steps in a more transparent and user-friendly way, whether using Quick Configure or manual setup?
How might we simplify the membership setup process to reduce errors without sacrificing control or accountability?
Step Three: The Solution
To tackle the core issue, I started by going back to the fundamentals:
How is a membership set up in the first place?
Mapping the Current Process
Create a more Streamlined Process
I mapped out the full task flow for setting up a family of four on an auto-billing membership, identifying friction points and steps prone to error. This gave me a clear picture of where the system fails to support the user effectively.
Mapping the Current Process
EFT: Family of 4 Membership
Current Task Flow
Step Four: Designing a Better Experience
With those insights in mind, I began designing a more intuitive system—one that handles complexity behind the scenes, but with full user visibility and control.
You might be thinking:
“That’s great, but if users don’t trust the system, how does automation actually help?”
Guided Interaction, Not Blind Automation
The key was not to automate everything invisibly, but to guide users through a transparent, step-by-step process:
Each step is clearly presented
Autofilled fields are visible and editable
Users confirm each step as they go
Built-in validation reduces the risk of missed tasks
This approach keeps users in control, increases confidence, and drastically reduces the likelihood of setup errors—without overwhelming them with technical complexity.
Improved Task Flows:
EFT: Family of 4
Improved Task Flow
Conclusion
After completing the project, I reached out to the company to express interest in sharing my proposed task flow improvements. I offered to present the designs over a call and proposed that, if the company was interested, they could implement the solution at no cost, with the expectation of shared success metrics. I was informed that the development team would follow up if interested.
While I haven’t heard back yet, this outreach reflects my commitment to creating actionable, real-world solutions and taking initiative to improve user experience in meaningful, measurable ways.
At the core of my design is a system that bridges the knowledge gap by transforming a complex, error-prone process into a clear, step-by-step workflow. Users are guided through membership setup in a structured way that ensures no critical steps are missed, without sacrificing their control or accountability.
Rather than automating everything behind the scenes, the system provides visible, editable checkpoints at each step. This builds trust, transparency, and confidence, while still allowing the software to handle the operational complexity.
The result is a process that:
Reduces human error
Increases efficiency by over 130%
Improves staff onboarding
Strengthens overall trust in the system