SportLink

THE PROJECT

SportLink is the ultimate networking platform for athletes. Whether you're a college athlete, an aspiring professional, or a seasoned sports enthusiast, SportLink is here to connect you with like-minded individuals who share your passion for sports.

THE CHALLENGE

Available online networking websites for athletes have a number of problems. These problems include cluttered designs, inefficient systems for browsing through posts, and confusing processes.

THE GOAL

The goal of designing a SportLink website to be user-friendly is to make it easy for athletes to find the information and resources they need. This can be accomplished by providing clear navigation and offering a fast account and post creation process.

RESEARCH & PLANNING

I conducted user interviews with 10 target users to better understand their needs and motivations. I discovered that many target users treat social media surfing as a fun and relaxing activity when they need a break from school or work. However, they also expressed frustration with the way that many networking websites are designed. They found these websites to be overwhelming and confusing to navigate, which made it difficult for them to find the information and connections they were looking for.

This caused a normally enjoyable experience to become challenging and frustrating, defeating the purpose of relaxation.

PERSONAS

Emily, a fitness enthusiast, requires an efficient networking platform for athletes that offers intuitive user navigation and comprehensive search filters. She seeks a stress-free experience where she can connect with like-minded athletes and discover relevant opportunities.

The simplest starting point was to survey the target users to learn about the websites they visit most often. I found that the most popular websites were social media websites, news websites, and gaming websites. This suggests that target users are looking for websites that are engaging and allow them to connect with others.

Next, I asked them to use their imaginations - what if there was a website they could use to connect with other athletes and learn about sports? What would it look like, and how do they think it should work?

Emily is a fitness enthusiast who is always looking for new ways to connect with like-minded athletes and discover relevant opportunities. She is frustrated by the current state of online networking platforms for athletes, which are often clunky and difficult to use. She wants a platform that is easy to navigate and has comprehensive search filters so that she can quickly find the information and connections she needs.

SportLink is designed to be the perfect platform for athletes like Emily. It is efficient, stress-free, and offers a variety of features that meet the needs of fitness enthusiasts.

DESIGNING THE SOLUTION

USER FLOWS & Early sketches

Emily is a fitness enthusiast who is always looking for new ways to connect with like-minded athletes and discover relevant opportunities. However, she has found that many networking websites for athletes are difficult to use and navigate. The designs are often busy and cluttered, which makes it difficult to find the information she needs. Additionally, the buttons on these websites are often small and difficult to click, which can lead to mistakes.

When designing SportLink, I focused on addressing these pain points. I wanted to create a platform that was easy to use and navigate, even for athletes who are new to online networking. I also wanted to make sure that the buttons on the website were large and easy to click, so that athletes could easily find the information and connections they need.

I believe that SportLink is the perfect platform for athletes like Emily. It is easy to use, navigate, and engage with. I am excited to see how SportLink helps athletes connect with each other and discover new opportunities.

Lo-fi wireframes

Usability study: findings

I conducted a round of usability study. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups.

Study findings:

1. Participants expressed confusion regarding the website's navigation structure, particularly in locating specific features and sections.

2. Users expressed a desire for more customization options in their athlete profiles.

I included considerations for additional screen sizes in my mockups based on my earlier wireframes. Because users blog from a variety of devices, I felt it was important to optimize the browsing experience for a range of device sizes, such as mobile so users have the smoothest experience possible.

CONCLUSION

KEY MOckups & HI-FI prototype

Key takeaways

Target users shared that the design was intuitive to navigate through,
more engaging with the images, and demonstrated a clear visual hierarchy.

I learned that even a small design change can have a huge impact on the user experience. The most important takeaway for me is to always focus on the real needs of the user when coming up with design ideas and solutions.

Next steps

• Conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been effectively addressed.

• Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of need.

User journey map

I created a user journey map of Emily’s experience using the site to help identify possible pain points and improvement opportunities.

SITEMAP

Difficulty with website navigation was a primary pain point for users, so I used that knowledge to create a sitemap.

My goal here was to make strategic information architecture decisions that would improve overall website navigation. The structure I chose was designed to make things simple and easy.

Moving from paper to digital wireframes made it easy to understand how the redesign could help address user pain points and improve the user experience.

Prioritizing useful button locations and visual element placement on the home page was a key part of my strategy.

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