Role
UI/UX Design, Prototyping, and TestingDuration
May-June 2023Tools
Figma Photoshop Canva Survey Monkey Marvel AppBusiness Goals
User RetentionCreate a Feature For Pickup Games Scheduling.
Level Up is the ultimate mobile app for basketball players who want to improve their skill level in basketball. Revolutionizing skill development through AI, community, and gamification.
Level Up is interested in a redesign of its mobile app for basketball players who want to improve their skill level in basketball.
The goal of this particular project is to add a feature that would improve user retention and make it easy for users to join pickup games.
Problem Statement
How can we make it easy for users to join pickup games and train together.
- The following are the key performance metrics we would like to improve: Increased User Engagement and Higher User Retention Rates.
- We can measure the success of the solution in terms of user retention & engagement.
Design Thinking
After receiving the project brief, I wanted to understand the rationale behind the chosen goal.
- I begin to address the problem with an approach that involves broad explorations to gather a wide range of ideas and possibilities. This involved brainstorming sessions, conducting market research, and studying user needs and pain points.
- During these initial explorations, I focused on understanding the problem space and identifying potential solutions. The research indicated that users need assistance in discovering suitable locations for playing basketball games and connecting with others who share their interests. I considered different user scenarios, examined existing products, and sought inspiration from various industries. This allowed me to generate a pool of diverse ideas that could potentially address the problem at hand.
Competitive Analysis
I identified similarities and differences in features offered from other companies and evaluated their strengths and weaknesses.
- After understanding the problem space and identifying potential solutions, by carrying out the competitive analysis, I was able to gain insights into common practices amongst competitors.
- By analyzing these aspects, including the reasons behind their success or shortcomings, I identified valuable trends, patterns, and insights. This process significantly informed my design decisions, leading to a better understanding of effective approaches for the project.
Add'l User Research
After collecting all this data from the competitive analysis, I utilized sticky notes to sort and organize the team's ideas.
- With around 25-30 ideas at hand, I employed affinity mapping as a technique to create categories and make sense of the extensive dataset.
- After the affinity mapping and categorizing of the ideas, we still found ourselves with an abundance of ideas. To refine our selection, I conducted user surveys to gather more user information quickly and identify which features were preferred by our target audience. The insights gathered from the user surveys played a crucial role in effectively narrowing down the feature selection, enabling me to focus on the functionalities that resonated most with our users.
- Then the team engaged in voting to determine the importance and urgency of different features for the project. Through this process, the most favored ideas received the highest priority, while those with fewer votes were assigned a mid priority. Ideas that received only 1 or no votes at all were marked for implementation for a later time.
Add'l User Research
I also utilized a prioritizing framework to evaluate and rank features based on factors like user impact, feasibility, strategic importance, and time sensitivity.
- The outcome of this exercise ensured that the most critical functionalities align with the project's overall strategic objectives. Additionally, the consideration of user feedback and market research in the prioritization process ensures that the most pressing user needs are promptly addressed. And by combining these methods, the team could make informed decisions and focus on delivering a product that maximizes value and meets both strategic goals and user expectations.
- Following the feature prioritization, the team chose four features to present to the stakeholders. These features were categorized based on the level of effort required for implementation: one simple, one of moderate effort, another demanding significant effort, and the last, a complex endeavor with the potential for the most significant impact.
Push Notification - let's you know when a pickup game is happening near you - simple effort
Coach Connect - coach page redesign - moderate effort
Event Page Redesign - update post to add more visual information - significant effort
Coach Ads - allow coaches to boost their post to an ad for higher reach - complex endeavor, significant impact - Each team member took responsibility for one specific feature, and I personally took ownership of the other two. The Event Page Redesign and Coach Ad.
User Flow
I wanted to see how users would use the chosen feature, so I created a user flow showing the steps they would take and what they would do with it, from the beginning to the end.
Sketched Prototypes
After comprehending the user flow and journey, my next step was to visualize how it would translate into the app's design.
- To achieve this, I entered the design phase and created sketched prototypes, aiming to establish a strong connection between the concept and its visual representation. Once the sketched prototypes were ready, I conducted user testing to gauge their effectiveness.
- During the user testing process, we as a team decided to test each other's prototypes, excluding our own, with external individuals. This approach was chosen to ensure that we obtained genuine and unbiased feedback. By observing how users interacted with the prototypes, we could identify whether they could complete tasks smoothly or encountered any obstacles, providing valuable insights for further refinement.
- I also employed cognitive walkthroughs which involve a systematic evaluation of the app's usability by simulating the user's perspective and thought processes. Through this method, we navigated through the app's interface, identifying potential usability issues, and assessing how well the app supports users in achieving their goals.
Final Draft
The results of user testing on the sketched prototype informed the refinement process for the high-fidelity mockup.
- By incorporating valuable user feedback, I made enhancements that significantly improved the overall user experience. One key refinement was the removal of unnecessary screens and steps in the user flow, streamlining the journey from beginning to end, resulting in a more efficient and user-friendly interaction with the product.
- Adding more visuals effects and pictures would make the app easy to use and more appealing.
Results
The addition of an event page with map and location info, photos of basketball courts, and the option to add events to the phone's calendar in the Level Up Basketball app can have several positive outcomes. Specific percentage values would depend on various factors, but here are potential results:
Improved User Engagement: 10-20%
Users engaging with the event page, viewing court photos, and adding events to their calendar may spend more time on the app, enhancing overall engagement.
Increased Event Participation: 15-30%
Users who engage with visual content, especially live snapshots, might be more inclined to make a purchase. This can lead to increased conversion rates for in-app transactions.
Higher Retention Rates: 15-25%
Users who actively use the event page and calendar features are likely to remain engaged with the app over time, reducing churn rates.
Calendar Integration Usage: 10-20%
Users utilizing the option to add events to their phone's calendar can lead to better attendance and organization, contributing to a positive user experience.
Increased Social Sharing: 25-50%
Users may share event details, including photos of courts, on social media. This can attract new users and create a sense of community around the app.
It's important to regularly analyze app analytics to measure the impact of these features accurately. Additionally, user feedback and reviews can provide insights into user perceptions and areas for further improvement. Adjustments and promotions related to the new features can also influence these outcomes.
