My Role

Project Timeline

1.

DISCOVER STAGE

Project Background

Soccer is a beloved sport across the globe, with millions of players of all ages and skill levels participating in pickup games.

Despite this widespread love for the sport, finding pickup games can be challenging. Traditional methods like relying on word-of-mouth or driving around looking for people playing or searching through Facebook groups are often limited in reach and lack real-time information.

The global use of smartphones presents a unique opportunity to create a better way for players to connect and find pickup games.

Problem Statement

Soccer players often face difficulties in finding and organizing pickup games due to:

A. Inefficient Communication: Existing methods for organizing games, like group texts or phone calls, are inconvenient and lack features for managing player RSVPs and game updates;

B. Unorganized Scheduling: Scheduling games often involves back-and-forth communication, making it difficult to find a suitable time and location that works for everyone;

C. Unreliable Attendance: Lack of commitment from players can lead to last-minute cancellations or incomplete teams, disrupting the planned game.

It brings us to conclusion that players lack a central platform to discover existing pickup games happening in their town

Solution

1. Streamlining communication: Built-in messaging features (chat and scheduling tools) will facilitate communication between players for organizing games and coordinating logistics;

2. Simplified scheduling: The app will provide tools for scheduling games, including proposing dates and times, voting on locations, and managing RSVPs;

3. Skill & location based filtering: Players can filter games based on skill level, ensuring a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved;

4. Attendance tracking: Implement features to encourage player commitment and minimize last-minute cancellations (game fees);

5. Create a real-time map: a centralized platform will offer a real-time map displaying pickup games happening near the user's location;

Project Goals

A. Increase the accessibility and visibility of pickup games;

B. Improve communication and organization among players;

C. Create a more inclusive and enjoyable soccer experience for everyone;

D. Foster a sense of community among local soccer enthusiasts;

This UX/UI project has the potential to significantly improve the way soccer players connect and find pickup games in their area. By addressing the pain points of existing methods, the app can create a more accessible, organized, and enjoyable soccer experience for everyone.

DEFINE STAGE

2.

User Surveys

I interviewed 4 people who play soccer to see if there is a problem there and get their opinion on the solution. That will give me valuable insights into user behaviors, preferences, and pain points:

A. Understand User Needs and Preferences:

B. Determine what information and features users prioritize and identify common pain points and challenges users encounter;

C. Assess User Trust and Credibility Perception:

D. Explore User Preferences for Additional Features:

E. Identify any additional features or functionalities that users would find valuable in their online experience.

Affinity Mapping

*** After I conducted interviews, I used Affinity mapping technique to organize and group mentioned ideas, information, and data into patterns and common themes:

A. Information most important for users to see;

B. Trust & Credibility Factors;

C. Challenges, Frustrations & Pain Points;

D. Additional features that could enhance user online experience;

Feature Set

Target Audience

The app will target soccer players of all ages and skill levels. This includes:

A. Students at universities and colleges;

B. Young professionals and working adults;

C. Families and recreational players.

User Personas

*** Based on user research and data, I created User Personas to better understand and empathize with the needs, goals, behaviors, and preferences of the potential users.

Organizer

Individual new to the area

IDEATE STAGE

3.

User Journey Map

New-to-Town Joanna

Scenario: She recently moved to a new town where she doesn’t know anybody. She’s eager to find new opportunities to play soccer and make new friends

Goals, Needs, Outcomes

A. Find a pickup game near her work office or close to her new apartment;

B. Ability to play with people all skill levels;

C. Build a new social circle of soccer buddies and game enthusiasts;

Searching for a Game to play

Opportunities

A. Offer more options to find nearby organized soccer games;

B. Create mobile-soccer pickup app;

C. Create an inclusive environment where players of all skill levels feel welcome and comfortable joining;

User Story Map

User story map is an effective tool for planning, organizing, and prioritizing the project.

It helped me to visualize user's journey through the application and prioritize features based on their importance to the user journey

Activities

High-level tasks users can do in a digital product

Steps

Steps users go through to complete the activity above

Details

Granular, discrete interactions to complete the step above

User Flow

User Flow helped me create a detailed map of the user experience, from initial entry points to specific actions and final outcomes.

This enabled me to focus on design that is user-centric, intuitive, and efficient, resulting in a more satisfying and engaging experience for users.

Site Map

It was important to create a Site map as it plays a big role in website or app design and development by putting a foundation for a well-organized, user-friendly, and effective digital experience.

It helped ensure that the app structure aligned with the needs of the users and the goals of the business.

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

Used low-fidelity wireframes

A. to outline the structure and layout of the app;

B. to focus primarily on the overall information architecture and user interface elements;

C. to quickly explore multiple design ideas and concepts

ONBOARDING + LOGIN

HOME + USER PROFILE: ABOUT + ACTIVITY

GAME DETAILS: LOCATION, CHAT, ROSTER, RULES

JOIN GAME + PAYMENT + CONFIRMATION

Component Library

⇨

High-Fidelity Wireframes

ONBOARDING - APP FEATURES

LOGIN + SIGNUP

GAME SEARCH + MESSAGES

GAME DETAILS: RULES, LOCATION, GAME CHAT, ROSTER

JOIN THE GAME + PAYMENT + PAYMENT CONFIRMATION

USER PROFILE: ABOUT + ACTIVITY + FRIENDS

APP FEATURES: CALENDAR + NOTIFICATIONS + FILTER, SETTINGS

TEST STAGE

4.

Usability Test and Results

I conducted a Usability Test -

Goal - to identify any pain points, usability issues, and areas for improvement that could enhance the user experience and increase user satisfaction and engagement;

5 Participants;

Iterations

Based on User Testing Interviews I submitted following changes:

1. Added Friends circle icons, so the user could see who from his Friends List signed up for what game;;

2. Highlighted “You’re” Going!” to make it pop up and be noticeable first thing people look at the Game Card;

3. Increased “touch area” of the Calendar for convenience moving to next week events;

4. Included “Save the Event” icon to add the game to the Favorite List, so the user could get back to it later and then decide if he wants to sign up for it or not;

5. Added confirmation that Day Changes after user clicks on a different date;

Final Design

TASK 1

➜ Go through a quick Onboarding Process, which shows best features of the application

➜ Login & Explore Home page Game variety

➜ Check for any New Messages and Respond if necessary;

TASK 2

➜ Use Calendar to find a game next week

➜ Filter list of games by Indoor games only and Pickup games only

➜ Select the Game and learn Game Details like Rules, Location, Cancellation Policy and more;

TASK 3

➜ Sign up for the Game

➜ Check Payment Method, Accept Game Terms and Conditions, confirm Payment

➜ Go to User Profile and check for all Upcoming Games;

MOVING FORWARD

5.

Research is the backbone of any successful UX/UI project, and designing End-to-End mobile application was no exception. Conducting thorough research allowed me to understand the needs, preferences, and pain points of the target users, ensuring that the final product would effectively meet their requirements.

Here is why researh was crucial for this project

A. Understanding User Needs: Through user interviews and surveys I gained valuable insights into what shopping enthusiasts look for in an online sport store . This helped me prioritize features and design elements that would provide the most value to users.

B. Identifying Pain Points: Research helped me identify the pain points users experienced with existing online e-commerce stores. Understanding these pain points allowed me to address them effectively in my design, ensuring a more seamless user experience.

C. Validating Design Decisions: By testing prototypes and gathering feedback from potential users, I was able to validate design decisions and make necessary adjustments before finalizing the UX/UI of the application.

Surprising findings from the research

A. Desire for Social Interaction: While the primary goal of the app was to help users find local pickup soccer games, the research revealed a strong desire among users for social interaction within the app. Users expressed interest in connecting with other players, making friends, and organizing games with people they met through the app.

B. Preference for Easy Scheduling: Users emphasized the importance of being able to quickly and easily schedule games, preferably with a calendar feature that allowed them to see all available games weeks in advance. This finding helped me prioritize the development of a user-friendly calendar interface.

Now that the initial UX/UI design is complete, the next step would be to expand the platform with additional features.

Next steps and additions to the product roadmap

A. User Ratings and Reviews: Implementing a rating and review system would allow users to provide feedback on games they have participated in, helping others make informed decisions about which games to join;

B. Sport Facility Rental Feature: Enable sport facilities to list their fields for rent by the hour. This feature would allow teams or organizers to easily find and book fields for regular weekly games;

C. Group Creation Feature: Allow users to create groups within the app for organizing soccer games. These groups could be public or private and would provide a platform for users to connect with like-minded individuals and coordinate games.