Rack n Go
Mobile App
Pick up Games to Rack up Cash
Time Frame
6 months
Project Summary
Rack N Go is a pickup game application that locates end-users to go head-to-head for cash. It solves the problem of finding competitive local pickup games quickly and easily. With just the touch of a button, you can locate potential partners at your skill level in your neighborhood who are looking for someone to compete with.
Role: Orchestrated research, design, and test all UI related to the project. I am the user experience designer for this application.
The Challenge
How might we create a seamless, intuitive experience for the amateur athlete who is in search of high-level sports competition?
The Solution
I identified an opportunity to solve obstacles users face when in search of pickup games. The solution provides users with three key features: Cash incentive, live user search, enhance in-game review.
Live User Search
Users can locate competition through our built-in global positioning element and also utilize the enhanced filter component categorized by age, skill level, and distance.
Cash Incentive
The cash incentive feature improves the competitive experience by adding a monetary reward. Users can link their mobile app to their bank account to place bets quickly.
In Game Review
Users can receive live information upon arrival. The in-game summary will be grouped by match up details, entry fees, and waiting times. Lastly, users can drop a comment on the in-game experience.
Phase 1: Discovery Process
Research + Analysis + Ideation + Field Studies
Field Studies
I chose field studies to find new perspectives on the pickup game experience.
Approach
I would go to basketball courts all over North New Jersey to understand whether the concept will help, hinder, or fall flat for the people I aim to assist.
Sample Questions included:
-
What currently exists for users to maximize the pickup game experience?
-
What areas could improve?
-
How do you find pick up games in your area?
-
How do you find quality competition?
-
How many teammates do you have on your team?
-
Have you casually played for money?
-
How much time do you dedicate to recreational sports each week?
-
What particular goals aren't met?
I was most curious about areas of improvement. I interviewed 20 participants, all conducted at an outdoor or indoor basketball court.
Insights
-
Finding recreational sports can be time-consuming; most people depend on traditional methods like networking or park hopping.
-
Apps like meetups are great resources for finding games locally; however, information is not real-time, and waiting times are too long.
-
Participants find a hard time finding great competition around their age group.
Based on insights I implemented a positioning component based on the insights.
Phase 2: Exploring User Needs
Personas + Competitive Analysis + Userflows +Wireframing
Personas
We developed three personas to capture details and identify specific needs, goals, and pain points for our potential users based on research.
Approach
To construct personas, thoroughly research your target audience's demographics and behaviors, then craft detailed personas representing different segments. Validate these personas with stakeholders and continuously refine them based on gathered insights, ensuring they accurately reflect user needs and guide decision-making processes across the organization.
Insights
The personas influenced the implementation of the live in-game review feature. I referenced the persona throughout the entire project.
Competitive Analysis
I chose this method to determine how the app performs to my competitor's app. I focused on comparing features, content, design elements, and expert reviews.
Approach
-
What design challenges are you trying to solve?
-
What features of your competitors seem exciting or appealing?
-
What features on your site do you want to compare to others?
Insights
.png){kind=small}
Footy addict's launch screen focuses on simplicity
Users can place bets before pick up games and withdraw earnings to their bank account.
Pitfalls
Both Hoopmaps and Hoopr shut down abruptly after a login attempt. The app focuses on basketball games only.
Footy Addict users love the experience and are based in Europe.
User Flows
The information collected from user personas helps me to identify critical functions to achieve optimum user experience. Initially, I jotted down task flows on sticky notes and gathered feedback from stakeholders before converging my best ideas to consolidate an overarching user flow.
Approach
Initially, I jotted down task flows on sticky notes and gathered feedback from stakeholders before converging my best ideas to consolidate an overarching user flow.
Journeys
-
Search for live pick-up games locally
-
Receive compensation for winning a competition
-
Create a contest for other users to participate in
-
Store in-game data in the user's account
Wireframing Key Screens
I chose this method to show designs in the context of user tasks. The kind of wireframes I made was high fidelity wire flows and annotated wireframes. I used this to test hypotheses and watch users work with it. I designed over 3 Iterations.
Annotated Wireframing
Phase 3 + Testing + Validation
A/B Testing + Qaulitative + Qauntitative + Design
A/B Testing
I chose Split testing to measure the version that will drive conversion rates in the "Pick up Game" & "Landing Page." I wanted to gather both qualitative and quantitative user insights (Design, Writing Style, CTA, Navigation) and use them to understand my potential customers.
Version A
Version B
Approach
Sample Questions
-
Is there anything they struggled with or couldn't find?
-
Are there any points where they behaved differently than expected?
-
What questions did they ask during testing?
-
What do you think this page section is about?
-
Was there any information that was hard or easy to understand?
-
After 60 seconds w/ my portfolio, what is your impression? What do you remember?
Insights
-
Participants favored Roboto font due to the overall aesthetic.
-
Version A did not pull in participants. I selected purple (primary) and burnt orange (Secondary) to Gold (Primary) and royal blue (Secondary), which suited a sportier theme.
-
Participants favored Version B due to the reduced clutter. The proper spacing between elements improved the user experience.
Version A
Version B
Insights
-
Version A did not connect to participants due to its ambiguity. The design transformed the landing page into a sportier theme, thus mitigating confusion for first-time users.
-
Version A design confused users on the intended target audience. Participants pointed out the "Girls" and "Boys" filter option, "Was this meant for a younger audience?"
-
Optimize user experience by spreading the "create a pick-up game" process to multiple screens, thus reducing the number of elements per page.
Style Guide
My goal was to evoke a vibrant and formidable aesthetic. With yellow gold as the primary color and royal blue as the secondary color, they were accompanied by color variations.
D9C137
5C6BC0
0027A6
FFF36A
A49100
4459F1
Typography
Heading 1
Heading 4
Heading 5
Body 1
Button
Heading 6
Fredoka One Regular 34
Caviar Dreams Regular 96
Roboto Regular 24
Roboto Bold 20
Roboto Regular 16
Roboto Regular 12
Type Scale
Font
Weight
Size
The selected font expresses to its users a vibrant and formidable impression. The font promotes a natural reading rhythm with friendly and open curves, settled into their natural width.
Login
Login
Login
Normal
Active
Inactive
Buttons and States
Designed three distinct states that improve recognition and clarity.
Logo
The idea behind the logo was to illustrate that sports competition can lead to cash earnings. I was inspired by the traditional money bag concept, but instead of money filling the bag, sports balls took its place. By and large, stakeholders were sold on the idea.
What I learned?
Pros:
-
Enhanced Engagement: Betting adds an extra layer of excitement and competition to pickup games, potentially increasing user engagement and participation.
-
Monetization Opportunity: Implementing a betting feature can open up revenue streams through commissions or fees from bets placed within the app.
-
Social Connection: The app can facilitate connections between users with similar interests in sports and gaming, fostering a sense of community.
-
Convenience: Users can easily find and join pickup games through the app, streamlining the process of organizing and participating in recreational sports activities.
-
Data Insights: The app can gather valuable data on user preferences, behavior, and betting patterns, which can be used to improve the app's features and user experience.
Cons:
-
Legal and Regulatory Challenges: Introducing betting features may subject the app to complex legal and regulatory requirements, depending on jurisdiction and the legality of sports betting in various locations.
-
Ethical Concerns: Betting on pickup games may promote unhealthy competition and risk-taking behavior, potentially leading to disputes or conflicts among users.
-
Financial Risks: Users may experience financial losses from unsuccessful bets, leading to dissatisfaction or negative experiences with the app.
-
Security Risks: Implementing a betting feature introduces additional security risks, such as fraud, hacking, or unauthorized access to user accounts and financial information.
-
Negative Perception: Some users may view betting on pickup games as inappropriate or against the spirit of recreational sports, leading to backlash or criticism from certain segments of the community.