ALL WORK
Hammer Surf School
Custom Website & Booking Platform
A fully custom WordPress theme built for Hammer Surf School, the premier surf instruction experience on the New Jersey shore. The site showcases authentic lessons with Sam Hammer, streamlines class bookings across multiple beach locations, and connects seamlessly to third-party tools for a fast, mobile-first experience that drives real enrollments.
MY ROLE
Lead UI/UX Designer & Front-End Developer
METHODS
User Research, Wireframing, UI Design, WordPress Theme Development, Gulp Build Process, Third-Party Integrations, Usability Testing
The Challenge
The previous site felt outdated and slow, with fragmented booking across multiple beach locations, no unified scheduling, and poor mobile performance during peak summer season. Users struggled to quickly find lessons, view availability, or complete sign-ups, resulting in lost enrollments for kids, teens, adults, private coaching, and special programs like surf therapy.
MULTI-LOCATION SCHEDULING
PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION ON WORDPRESS
SEAMLESS THIRD-PARTY BOOKING INTEGRATIONS
MOBILE-FIRST EXPERIENCE FOR BEACH USERS
RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
Understanding the Problem
As Lead UI/UX Designer and Developer, I started with user interviews and competitor analysis of other East Coast surf schools to identify friction in class discovery, location selection, and booking. This led to a clean information architecture focused on quick navigation between group lessons, private sessions, and Costa Rica retreats. I designed a vibrant, wave-inspired visual system with high-impact photography, then built the entire custom WordPress theme from scratch. Using Gulp for stylesheet and JavaScript compilation, I optimized every asset for lightning-fast delivery and seamless performance on mobile devices used at the beach. Custom integrations were developed to connect directly with third-party booking and scheduling software, creating a unified "Book with Our New App" experience that pulls real-time availability across Spring Lake, Bay Head, Lavallette, Seaside Park, and private beach clubs. Rapid prototyping and testing with real students and parents refined the flow until booking felt effortless.
DESIGN PROCESS
From Insight
to Interface
The result is a modern, high-performance website that feels as energetic as the sport itself. Clean class grids, intuitive filters by age and location, real-time availability, and one-click enrollment via the integrated app make signing up simple while beautifully showcasing the authentic Hammer Surf School experience.
Discovery & Research
Interviewed surf families and analyzed competitor sites to map pain points in class discovery and booking across multiple locations.
Information Architecture
Created a modular structure with clear class filters, location selectors, and unified booking paths for group lessons, privates, and retreats.
Visual Design
Developed a custom, surf-inspired design system with dynamic photography, wave animations, and responsive components optimized for speed.
Development & Integration
Built the full WordPress theme with Gulp compilation for ultra-fast styles and scripts, plus custom API connections to third-party booking software.
RESULTS & IMPACT
Measurable
Outcomes
The new site launched to immediate positive feedback and measurable growth in summer enrollments. Faster load times, simplified booking, and a mobile-first design directly contributed to higher conversion rates and smoother operations for the school.
The new website captures exactly who we are — authentic, fun, and easy to join. Parents and students love how simple it is to book and see real-time availability.