Stirner Tactical
Executive Summary
Stirner Tactical is a Northern-Colorado firearms training company. I helped redesign their website to help them improve clarity around their class offerings, while navigating the constraints of their e-commerce platform.
Usability testing validated the improvements:
Usability testing validated the improvements:
- Users found the site friendlier, clearer, and easier to navigate.
- Users were able to intuitively find a course appropriate for their skill level
- Users were able to identify course time and location
Introduction
My Role: Lead UX Designer
My Responsibilities: Identify usability issues via user interviews, and design/test solutions to validate effectiveness.
Tools Used: Figma, User Interviews (both in person and over video).
Research & Implementation
User interviews revealed that users were confused about course locations/dates. They were also generally concerned with the authenticity of the program due to confusion during the booking flow. In a high-stakes industry, such as firearms training, broken trust means lost clients. In my redesign, I prioritize:
- Answering key questions early on
- Clarify course pathways
- Reinforce credibility at every touchpoint.
Validation & Future Growth
Post-launch usability testing validated the new design's effectiveness. To conclude the project, I delivered a strategic roadmap of next steps to further refine the user experience and scale the site’s performance.
Post-launch usability testing validated the new design's effectiveness. To conclude the project, I delivered a strategic roadmap of next steps to further refine the user experience and scale the site’s performance.
About Stirner Tactical
Stirner Tactical Concepts is a firearms instructor in Northern Colorado that is licensed to teach 16 different firearms certification courses as well as private lessons for anyone hoping to hone other firearms skills, such as competitive shooting. Stirner Tactical began operation in 2024 and started with a website that they built in house. Stirner Tactical was the first real-world client that I was able to work with in a UX optimization capacity.
Project Goals
The objective was to design and develop a new website where no significant information was missing (or missed by the user).
The new site needs a clear, concise, and streamlined class booking process where users can find the course they need.
It should maintain a serious tone that represents the gravity of their industry, but also have an increased sense of approachability while building upon Stirner's existing brand.
While Stirner Tactical awarded me lots of creative freedom, they highlighted that they wanted to maintain their screaming possum logo, and that they could not change much about the booking flow due to the restrictions of their e-commerce platform.
To represent these goals in a measurable way, I’ve reframed them below:
The new site needs a clear, concise, and streamlined class booking process where users can find the course they need.
It should maintain a serious tone that represents the gravity of their industry, but also have an increased sense of approachability while building upon Stirner's existing brand.
While Stirner Tactical awarded me lots of creative freedom, they highlighted that they wanted to maintain their screaming possum logo, and that they could not change much about the booking flow due to the restrictions of their e-commerce platform.
To represent these goals in a measurable way, I’ve reframed them below:
%
of users should acknowledge the websites’ look, feel and tone as serious but approachable via open ended questions in user interviews.
%
of users should be able to identify a good course option for people who are brand new to firearms.
%
of users should be able to identify location, date and time information about a course of their choosing and identify what to expect when that information is not available.
Discovery & Research
My Initial Hypothesis
- Beginners are confused about which class to start with because there are many options that are visually similar - and many points of overlapping learning concepts
- Users are getting frustrated because they don’t always know the date, time, or location of a course before purchasing.
- There is also probably some general confusion as there is no information introducing Stirner Tactical as a business - just a bunch of courses listed on their homepage
I had some strong guesses at friction points throughout the website, but the depth of confusion was not apparent until I started my preliminary user interviews.
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Participant Information
For the process of the user interviews, I had test 3 subjects walk through the online reservation process and describe their thoughts and feelings. Ideally, I would have preferred to have 5 participants but only 3 were available. As needed, I would prompt for more information about their thought process.
All users were asked about their experience with firearms and technology to gauge if they were beginner shooters (the demographic I was most concerned for) and if they were generally comfortable using technology. All three participants were new or novices, but their comfort with technology varied amongst the three of them.
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User Interview Prompt
Please know that we are not testing you, we are testing this website, so rest assured that there is nothing you can do or say that is wrong. Your feedback is extremely helpful to me, so as you proceed through the study, share as many of your thoughts and feelings as possible - even if they seem irrelevant. You may have questions throughout the process that I cannot answer, and just know that I will probably respond to your questions with additional questions. At the end of the study, we will discuss your questions. Please pretend that you are a potential client and hoping to use their products or services.
Then, as necessary, I would respond to their questions with additional questions. When users reached the course portion of the homepage, they were instructed to pick a course that interested them and proceed with checking out, all while continuing to provide their feedback.
Key Findings
User confusion began at the website’s first impression - the hero area displayed a banner highlighting Stirner Tactical’s partnership with another business called Red Pawn Dynamics but provided no information about Stirner Tactical. Users were not sure of the website’s purpose.
Further down the page, there was an introduction statement, but due to the visual hierarchy of the text, users often missed it.
Confusion continued throughout the booking process. Users were confused about the lack of information regarding the time, date, and location of the classes, what differentiated one class from another, and what kind of time commitment they were making.
Users often would ask a question in one step, move onto the next step only to discover it answered their question, resulting in a rollercoasting of emotions, as shown in the journey map below, which will open in a lightbox when clicked.
Major trust breakpoints include:
- User uncertainty when a specific course doesn't have an upcoming date
- The course date is not visible until the checkout process
- Half of the users lacked awareness of STOP THE BLEED training, viewing the donation request as an arbitrary upsell rather than a relevant safety essential for firearms owners.
Strategy Shift
This confirmed my hypothesis, and added new points to address:
- Helping users understand the Stop The Bleed optional addon
- Help users understand the two formats of the introduction to pistol course: fully in person, and a mix of online/in person.
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Re-organize the flow of information to answer questions as users have them - this would prove challenging given the limitations of the e-commerce platform.
User Personas
To help best understand Stirner Tactical’s target audience, I created user personas based on people I met in the classes I was able to audit as part of my research about the company. Stirner Tactical wanted to specialize in assisting people who felt marginalized by traditional firearms communities, which drew them to attract people that intersected a variety of demographics. Interesting common themes amongst them were a passion for volunteering, community engagement, empathy, and a concern for community safety.
These users personas indicate Stirner Tactical's brand identity must serve a specific psychographic niche: well-educated, community-focused professionals who prioritize collective safety over individualistic bravado. By leaning into an approachable, non-traditional visual system, the design establishes trust with an audience that values mutual support, social equity, and inclusive education.
Ideation
Stirner Tactical gave me total creative freedom for the design of their website but with a few caveats:
1.) Their logo must stay the same.
2.) We cannot change the product images or product pages.
3.) It is important to highlight their preferred partners as they regularly refer clients their way, and offer mutual discount codes.
Thus leading to the following questions:
1.) Their logo must stay the same.
2.) We cannot change the product images or product pages.
3.) It is important to highlight their preferred partners as they regularly refer clients their way, and offer mutual discount codes.
Thus leading to the following questions:
How might we build a brand that is edgy, but friendly and smart?
How might we better communicate Stirner Tactical’s identity and their brand partnerships?
How might we make the class information obvious without changing the booking user interface?
Branding Decisions
Because we were retaining the previous logo, I wanted to create something that built upon the brand’s vibes: brutalist, edgy, with a slight humor to it (after all, their logo includes a screaming possum).
However, it still needed to communicate the gravity of firearms training, and maintain the approachability/friendliness needed for the gun curious.
To accomplish this, I selected the following:
However, it still needed to communicate the gravity of firearms training, and maintain the approachability/friendliness needed for the gun curious.
To accomplish this, I selected the following:
- A header font similar to that in their logo, which features a custom font
- An expanded color palette rooted in the logo’s dark teal, optimized for WCAG 2.1 accessibility and contrast compliance.
- I leaned into the requested imagery by creating a stylized mascot graphic that prioritizes personality and charm. This character-driven approach, paired with subtle environmental details like background track patterns, allows the brand to feel rugged and outdoorsy while remaining universally welcoming and community-oriented.
Brainstorming: Matrix Method
In the first row, I address alternative methods for highlighting partnerships to replace their Red Pawn Dynamics hero banner.
In the second row, I address confusion on booking classes that don't have a schedule date.
In the third row, I address confusion regarding the similarity of the courses and how we might help users understand their ideal course.
In the fourth row, I address confusion around STOP THE BLEED, what it is, and why it is offered as a free addon to many of their courses.
In the second row, I address confusion on booking classes that don't have a schedule date.
In the third row, I address confusion regarding the similarity of the courses and how we might help users understand their ideal course.
In the fourth row, I address confusion around STOP THE BLEED, what it is, and why it is offered as a free addon to many of their courses.
I took my favorite ideas and built them into a low fidelity prototype. The full paper prototype spanned multiple pages, so I have only introduced it here.
Problem: Class Date/Time/Location Confusion
Problem: Many Classes Seem Quite Similar
I created a page dedicated to beginner classes. On this page, there is a section that directly compares and contrasts them to clarify the options for users. This is where the new shooter section on the home page directs users to.
Problem: Confusion Regarding STOP THE BLEED
To address confusion and lack of general awareness about the STOP THE BLEED courses, I added a paragraph to their about page addressing this, and also addressed it in the faq section.
Additional Redesign Choices
I changed the layout of the store from 5 columns of courses to 4 to allow each course to be a little bit wider and have more spacing between the class products. This would provide a much more visually appealing option and improve readability.
I also rounded the class buttons to provide a friendlier approach.
I also rounded the class buttons to provide a friendlier approach.
Due to platform-specific software limitations, the redundant 'View Product' and 'Add to Cart' buttons were retained despite a preference for a more streamlined user flow. These same constraints prevented the application of the site’s signature rugged button styling to these specific calls-to-action.
Validation User Testing
To validate the effectiveness of my prototype, I gathered 3 users to conduct interviews with.
I provided test subjects with the same prompt as before:
I provided test subjects with the same prompt as before:
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User Interview Prompt
Please know that we are not testing you, we are testing this website, so rest assured that there is nothing you can do or say that is wrong. Your feedback is extremely helpful to me, so as you proceed through the study, share as many of your thoughts and feelings as possible - even if they seem irrelevant. You may have questions throughout the process that I cannot answer, and just know that I will probably respond to your questions with additional questions. At the end of the study, we will discuss your questions. Please pretend that you are a potential client and hoping to use their products or services.
Then, as necessary, I would respond to their questions with additional questions. When users reached the course portion of the homepage, they were instructed to pick a course that interested them and proceed with checking out, all while continuing to provide their feedback. Users were also asked to identify course options that were ideal for beginners.
Validation Testing
All of the users in this iteration were novice shooters and initial feedback was overwhelmingly positive - they loved the possum theme I added throughout the website and described the website as friendly and approachable.
Two thirds of the users were drawn to the section just beneath the fold that was designed for new shooters. One specifically mentioned that it really reassured them that this instructor would provide a good experience.
Two thirds of the users were drawn to the section just beneath the fold that was designed for new shooters. One specifically mentioned that it really reassured them that this instructor would provide a good experience.
From there, two thirds navigated to the beginner page and described it as helpful. When prompted about identifying courses for beginners, they chose an option they found interesting from the comparison chart.
The participant who did not navigate to this page selected “Introduction to Pistol Shooting” on the homepage.
The participant who did not navigate to this page selected “Introduction to Pistol Shooting” on the homepage.
Unlike the preliminary user testing group, users did not express confusion regarding the missing class dates/locations. This may be due to rushing that masks potential usability challenges. Another possibility is more trust in the website, leading to less concern about missing information in the booking process. As a result, I consider the findings on the overall efficiency of the website to be inconclusive and may require more testing.
Although no users expressed concern about missing class information, when prompted, all users were able to find information (either on the calendar page or in the FAQ section) about what would happen if a class they wanted had no upcoming dates.
One participant offered a valuable suggestion for improving the calendar: embedding the purchasable class directly within each calendar event to save the user time locating the corresponding class. When I presented this idea to the client, they declined, citing concerns about the additional website maintenance.
Although no users expressed concern about missing class information, when prompted, all users were able to find information (either on the calendar page or in the FAQ section) about what would happen if a class they wanted had no upcoming dates.
One participant offered a valuable suggestion for improving the calendar: embedding the purchasable class directly within each calendar event to save the user time locating the corresponding class. When I presented this idea to the client, they declined, citing concerns about the additional website maintenance.
Future Potential Testing
If I had the opportunity to continue refining this website, I would validate whether the original checkout-related confusion still appears with a larger sample set, as well as the following improvements:
Recommended next improvements (if the store is revisited):
- Create unique logos or images for each product. Currently, many classes use either a generic NRA logo or the Stirner Tactical logo, which makes them appear overly similar and misses an opportunity to strengthen the brand.
- Embed Store Products within the relevant calendar dates
- Add a link or tooltip within the checkout process explaining what users should expect if there are no upcoming dates available for a course. While my existing solution improves the experience, it is not easily accessible at the exact moment a confused user needs clarity.
Results
Usability testing showed that the redesign successfully addressed many of the core pain points identified in the original site. While some goals could not be fully measured due to participant limitations and client constraints, the improvements had a clear and positive impact on user understanding, confidence, and navigation.
Tone & First Impressions
100% of users described the redesigned site as friendly and approachable, and none questioned its professionalism or the seriousness of the subject matter.
This indicates the new visual direction struck the intended balance between approachability and credibility—important for a firearms-training context where trust is essential.
This indicates the new visual direction struck the intended balance between approachability and credibility—important for a firearms-training context where trust is essential.
Beginner Course Identification
All participants were able to identify a suitable beginner-friendly course, demonstrating a strong improvement in clarity.
Two-thirds of users used the newly created Beginner Courses page and its comparison section exactly as intended, validating its effectiveness in reducing confusion among new shooters.
Two-thirds of users used the newly created Beginner Courses page and its comparison section exactly as intended, validating its effectiveness in reducing confusion among new shooters.
Understanding Scheduling & Availability
The research confirms that the new informational touchpoints successfully mitigated a major source of user friction. 100% of participants were able to find guidance on what to expect when a class had no upcoming dates, utilizing either the integrated FAQ or the Dynamic Calendar. This shift directly restored the user trust that was previously disrupted by a lack of system feedback.
Our original goal of 90% accuracy for identifying date, time, and location was pivotally impacted by real-world operational constraints:
Our original goal of 90% accuracy for identifying date, time, and location was pivotally impacted by real-world operational constraints:
- Dynamic Logistics: The client’s decision to withhold specific location data (due to frequent scheduling changes) rendered the "Location" metric unattainable.
- Statistical Significance: Given the small participant sample (3), calculating a 90% success rate was not statistically possible. In hindsight, this could have been mitigated with a stronger understanding of participant of numbers prior to goal-setting.
- Strategic Pivot: If revisited, this KPI would be redefined to focus exclusively on Date Availability, aligning more closely with the client's operational model.
Checkout Paradox
While the original site was defined by checkout confusion, participants in this round moved through the flow with zero reported friction. While this suggests a boost in User Confidence, it remains an "unverified win." The lack of friction may be attributed to the improved clarity of the UI—or simply the speed of the testing environment. Consequently, the conversion efficiency remains an area for further testing.
What I Learned
This project taught me a lot about designing within real-world limitations. I quickly realized how important it is to clarify scope early and understand what a client can realistically maintain or afford—especially when ideal UX improvements aren’t technically or financially feasible.
I also learned how much user trust affects the experience. In a context like firearms training, even small gaps in clarity can make people feel uncertain, so adding reassurance and clear guidance became just as important as fixing usability issues.
Working with a small number of test participants also reminded me to stay thoughtful about how I interpret results. Sometimes users move quickly, sometimes they miss things, and sometimes trust in the design changes how they behave.
Overall, this project reinforced that even within tight constraints, thoughtful structure, clearer information, and small strategic changes can make a big difference in how confident and supported users feel.
I also learned how much user trust affects the experience. In a context like firearms training, even small gaps in clarity can make people feel uncertain, so adding reassurance and clear guidance became just as important as fixing usability issues.
Working with a small number of test participants also reminded me to stay thoughtful about how I interpret results. Sometimes users move quickly, sometimes they miss things, and sometimes trust in the design changes how they behave.
Overall, this project reinforced that even within tight constraints, thoughtful structure, clearer information, and small strategic changes can make a big difference in how confident and supported users feel.
Post-Handoff Changes
After delivering the final redesign and assets, the client implemented a few modifications on their own, including removing their name from the hero introduction and adding a review statistic to the navigation area. These changes were made outside of my design direction and are not reflective of the final UX recommendations outlined in this case study.