Erik Menches
There are designers who work on mapping apps, and there are designers who live in them. I'm the latter. I run a built-out FJ Cruiser through the backcountry, test the apps I design on trails that punish bad UX, and bring what I learn back into the product. Every design decision I make is informed by dirt, elevation, and signal loss.
onX Maps, Inc.
I joined onX Offroad and found a mapping app with no legend. So I made one.
That set the tone for two and a half years of building the design foundation of the product. I led design for the Navigation team, shipping Route Builder across iOS, Android, and web. I redesigned the trail card hierarchy, introducing graphics that communicate trail width and vehicle accessibility in a single visual. I designed My Garage, giving users a way to register their vehicles as a first step toward personalized trail filtering. I collaborated with the UGC team to pilot Trail Reports, getting the statuses and language right for an audience that knows the difference between "muddy" and "impassable." I redesigned the Trail Guide contributor portal from the ground up after using it myself as an approved trail guide and realizing the tool that generates the content the entire platform depends on had been treated as an afterthought.
I fought alongside my PM to bring map layers into the app when senior leadership was against it. We proved the case through user testing and shipped it. I expanded the value of Elite membership by introducing Elite Deals, a brand partnership program where a single discounted purchase could pay for the subscription. And I championed expanding the product beyond trail riding into overlanding and dispersed camping, a direction the product continues to pursue today.
When the Design Director left, I stepped up to help lead the team through the transition. The product design I established at onX Offroad remains the foundation of the experience today.
"The best designer I've worked with in five years across onX Offroad and Gaia GPS. Erik moves fluidly between product, design, and engineering. His rapid prototypes have sealed partner deals we'd otherwise have lost."
Gaia GPS
Gaia GPS is one of the most trusted backcountry navigation apps in the outdoor industry. I took over as design lead and shipped the most significant UX overhaul in the app's decade-long history.
Adventure Modes consolidates 300+ map layers into curated, one-tap experiences built for hiking, off-road, and snow adventures. I led the product vision for this project across two teams, coordinating between the Maps Platform team and the Gaia product team from concept through release.
I also shaped the design strategy for Gaia's growth push, bringing lessons from onX about what converts and what creates friction. I redesigned the full suite of tools alongside the paywall rollout, raising the quality of the paid experience to justify the gate. I designed an always-visible upgrade button for free users on the map screen that drove a 474% lift in new subscriptions, contributing to five consecutive months of growth.
At every stage I led design for Gaia GPS, influencing roadmap and product direction well beyond individual feature work, before being promoted to lead design across the full mapping portfolio.
"Erik is a truly authentic designer and adventurer. He creates design solutions from experience and empathy for his customers. Always on top of new techniques, Erik inspires his team as a player and a coach. An invaluable asset to have on the team and in a leadership role."
Outside Inc.
I now lead design across Outside's consumer mapping app portfolio: Gaia GPS, Trailforks, and MapMy. I set design direction for products that serve millions of outdoor athletes, manage and grow a team of product and map designers, and drive a shared design system and token architecture across all three apps ahead of a major platform convergence.
I partner directly with executive product leadership to shape strategy, roadmap priorities, and cross-app investment. I've built structured hiring processes including live prototyping exercises and craft evaluation frameworks. The work is about making three distinct products feel like they belong to the same family without losing what makes each one worth using.
Off the map,
on the ground
I don't just design for outdoor athletes. I'm out at Overland Expo West, Overland Expo PNW, Gambler 500, and OutsideDays running booths and talking to users. At onX I joined the annual Trail Guide Gatherings, a week-long trip with the top 10 trail guides in the program, riding trails together and collecting the kind of product feedback you can't get from a survey. The gap between designer and user is zero.
