LeagueLink is a mobile app designed for recreational sports leagues to help all users to stay updated with their schedule, assist managers to save time coordinating their team’s weekly participation, and engage all users in fun league content about their team and games.
A typical league manager has to balance a busy personal schedule with being in charge of all the team’s logistics every season and every week. They want to spend as little time as possible coordinating. Sending group texts, follow-up texts, and tracking down each player to gauge their attendance each week can be time-consuming. This is especially true when you may need to find substitute players at the last minute.
The Problem
Providing weekly game-time notifications, automated team game check-in reminders, and a basic sports league social media platform for sharing messages, photos, and videos will help all users to stay updated with their schedule, assist managers to save time coordinating their team’s weekly participation, and engage all users in fun league content about their team and games.
The Solution / Goals
Role:
UX/UI Designer
Tools:
Figma, FigJam, Adobe Illustrator,
Adobe Photoshop
Timeline:
Three Weeks
I conducted 5 interviews with recreational sports league managers and players to better understand the challenges and needs of this audience. They were asked about their biggest frustrations coordinating their teams and what types of app features might help to support them.
User Research
The Interviews
What were your biggest frustrations with logistics with your team and players?
“Social media aspect. An immersive experience. I want it to feel like I’m part of something legit and organized where I can post photos or video… have discord type of chats.”
“Not hearing from players and not knowing who is coming. Guys canceling at the last minute and having to find enough players. Communication is hard.”
User Insight
A recreation league sports manager needs an automated tool to weekly organize their league and engage with teammates because they are very busy and they don’t want to spend more time than needed checking for game times, coordinating game check-ins, and finding substitute players.
Problem Statement
What are things the league's website or an app could provide that would make it more engaging and useful?
Providing weekly game-time notifications, automated team game check-in reminders, and a basic sports league social media platform for sharing messages, photos, and videos should help all users to stay updated with their schedule, assist managers to save time coordinating their team’s weekly participation, and engage all users in fun league content about their team and games.
User Persona
Brandon Helms | 32
Gender: Male | Job: Lawyer
Status: Engaged, No Kids
Sports League Team Manager
Busy work and personal life
Athletic and health conscious
Active on social media
“I just want to play and not have to worry too much about the details.”
About Brandon
Brandon is an outgoing and athletic lawyer from West Los Angeles, CA. He is a successful professional with a busy work and personal life and a new fiancé. Fitness is very important to him, but he doesn’t have a lot of time. He likes to travel, but he needs to make sure his team will have enough players even when he is away. Since he has such a busy schedule, he needs to schedule time to be active. He looks forward most to his basketball league once a week in the evenings after work. He manages his team and is in charge of all the logistics every season and every week to make sure his team is ready to go. He wants to spend as little time as possible being a manager. He wants a fun, hassle-free, competitive, and engaging experience of that feels organized and “legit.”
Goals
Coordinate his team without spending too much time.
Enjoy camaraderie with teammates.
Stay in shape
Make the playoffs. Win.
Play sports at least once a week.
Frustrations
Getting enough players every week: Sometimes players don’t respond. Sometimes he needs to find substitute players.
Constantly checking the website for game times.
No way to contact other teams.
Sometimes he forgets to text the team with enough time. Then he needs to scramble to field a team.
Schedule changes: Other teams cancelling and the league not letting him know. Or the schedule changes and he is not notified.
Prioritization of Features
Story Board
User Flow
Wireframe Experience
Onboarding
The app starts with a step-by-step introduction of the features offered. It details how it can help you coordinate your recreation sports league team “so you can focus on the game.”
It also describes how one can automate the game check-in process and engage with the team and other teams with comments, photos, and videos.
Create a Team
Now the user has a few options to get started: create a team, join a team, create a player profile, or discover sports leagues.
This experience will focus on the user creating a new team and setting up automated game notifications for their teammates.
Once the user has chosen a team name, sport, city, and identified the team manager, they can add players’ contacts. These players will not need to download the app to receive automated check-ins via text or email.
Game Notifications
The manager can set notifications for the entire season with just one notification. They choose the dates, times (which can be adjusted weekly), locations (also can be adjusted weekly) and add players.
The manager can now set up to 2 reminder texts or emails before the games with a personalized message. A check-in reminder text or email will be sent to those players. The link in the text will take them to an online screen where they can click “attending,” “not attending,” or “I don’t know yet.” A second automated reminder message will only be sent to those that have not confirmed their intentions.
A final review screen will appear so the user can double-check their selections.
Team Home Page
The user will be taken to their team home page. Here the team can share comments, photos, and videos of games and extend their league experience before and after games.
The user can also explore all the features the app has to offer. This experience will focus on notifications and check-ins located on the bottom menu.
Sign Up
Next, the user will create a new account or sign in. The back button is always present in case you want a refresher on the instructions.
View the Prototype
Usability Testing
“…a better explanation for who the app is for.“
Fixes
Introduction
Better explanation for who the app is for: Rec Sports League Managers.
Better explanation for Manage. Call it “Notifications”
Use “Social Engagement” instead of “Engage”
Add Password Confirmation to Create New Account
Add a back button immediately after the login to review introduction
“Shouldn’t player profile come before create a team?”
Notifications
Clarify “Game Name”
Add time Zones
Add accessing phone contacts prompt message
Clarify Co-Manager Duties
Better describe “Add a Message”
Clarify check-In options and that reminder 2 is optional
Clarify what is meant by “players who have not responded.”
Sum It Up
This project took a unique turn after the preliminary user testing. While game notifications was always going to be a primary feature, the secondary function shifted dramatically. I had originally explored adding stats from the games so players could keep track of their averages. Instead, there was much more interest from those interviewed in having a social media component for team engagement.
Usability testing was also eye-opening. While many aspects of the app and the notifications process worked well, there was still confusion. Issues that I thought had been thoroughly addressed, like explaining the app’s features and the notifications set up, still need to be refined so they are easier to understand.
There is still more to do in order to finish this project, but it has a solid foundation and accomplishes meeting the needs of the target audience.