Client: NWSL and A+E Networks
Role: UX Designer and Researcher
Area of focus: Native mobile app design on iOS and Android
Design Team Members: Jacqueline Purdy & Mikaela Tavernese
Accomplishments:
Developing core interactions of the NWSL mobile app experience
Guerilla research with NWSL super-fans
Launching the MVP version of the app
BACKGROUND
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Lifetime brand with A+E Networks paired up to revamp the digital ecosystem for the league. This included creating an app from scratch, both on Android and iOS. I was a part of a small team tasked with figuring out the most essential parts of the experience and develop an MVP product within just a few months.
Lifetime and NWSL announce the partnership
THE CHALLENGE
How can we create an experience which streamlines and improves the way NWSL fans watch games and stays up to date with the latest league news?
This is how we broke it down.
THE OUTCOME
Core Interactions of the NWSL App:
Easy access to the latest news and all video content
Game schedule surfaced with a calendar view
Team stats found in one spot
THE PROCESS
Step 1: Getting a lay of the land
We conducted an extensive competitive analysis process to look through all major sports apps and websites on the market, paying attention to what worked well and didn’t.
Step 2: Guerrilla Interviews & Surveys
My colleague and I talked to as many people as we could about how they watch sports, and how they navigate their experiences on game days. We found respondents who are super fans of NWSL, who were eager to share with us their step-by-step process for staying up to date with the league.
Step 3: Documenting Key Insights
“On game days I always go to their twitter feed an hour before to see the starting lineup, I’ll do this for both teams. I’ll go to the NWSL site to see where they are in the rankings and how this could effect their championship standings. I also go there to see how the other teams in the league are doing. Maybe once a week I’ll check the site on game days just to see where the teams are in advance of gameday. ”
Step 4: Creating User Flows and Wireframes
Revisions
We needed to cut out the onboarding screens for an MVP launch. Given the time restrictions and limited resources, we pivoted to create a flow that centered on what fans wanted to see and experience the most: watch their games on game day.
