UI/UX DESIGN
ATHLETE ALLIES
PROBLEM: Athletes currently find it difficult to transition from their sport and without easier access to resources for jobs, school, or their health. There is currently no application service that helps athletes take the next step in a new chapter of their lives.
MY CHALLENGE: Designing an app experience that applies what I’ve learned from class to a case study as well as all the services an athlete would require.
MY ROLE: UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer, Product Design
EMPATHIZE
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Examining the competing services gives a better understanding of what is currently lacking within a service in terms of user experience. Athlete Transition Services (ATS) provides workshops and 1-on-1 services to college and professional athletes. This option is not personalized enough to an athlete’s needs and mainly targets football players.
PROBABILITY OF BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE
Professional opportunities are extremely limited and the likelihood of a high school or even college athlete becoming a professional athlete is very low. However, the likelihood of an NCAA athlete earning a college degree is significantly greater—graduation success rates are 86% in Division I, 71% in Division II, and 87% in Division III.
USER INTERVIEW SAMPLE QUESTIONS
Tell me about what your transition from your sport was like.
What would have helped you in your transition?
How could you have been more prepared in advance?
How could other athletes be more incentivized to get help?
Who would you want to connect with? Former athletes, consultants...?
PAIN POINTS
Resources to help visualize a life beyond sports and plan for transition (if they don’t “make it”, retire, or become injured).
More tailored experience to the individual because workshops can tend to feel less personal and network events are not always a long-term solution.
Need guidance on where to start because it can feel overwhelming and directionless for an athlete.
Need to address both mental and physical health issues that can arise after leaving their sport.
define
USER PERSONA
After understanding the user more, a persona could be created to better represent the potential athlete using Athlete Allies.
POV
Athletes need a way to connect with consultants or other athletes for support and resources because athletes can feel directionless and alone during the transition from their sport.
JOURNEY MAP
Showcases a user’s steps and feelings throughout the service experience.
IDEATION
HOW MIGHT WE…
How might we provide athletes with personalized support?
How might we prepare athletes for transition?
How might we make resources more valuable to athletes?
How might we connect athletes to a broader network?
How might we advocate for more job or learning opportunities?
PROTOTYPE/TESTING
LOW FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
USER FEEDBACK
Red should be vibrant and feel both sporty and alert.
Add a phone number verification screen for extra security.
Include a progress bar for the questionnaire.
Option to select as an “Athlete” or a “Consultant”.
Add “Gender”, “Age”, “Years Played” for the questionnaire.
Include a “N/A” to both schools and teams.
Allow user to add in more than one professional team.
Add inspirational sports quotes or tips to home screen for motivation.
Bookmarked resources and goals for the day could also be added to the home screen.
Add more variety in layout on resources screen layout.
HIGH FIDELITY SCREENS
CONCLUSION
THE SOLUTION
Athlete Allies is an app experience designed to assist athletes in transitioning more easily from their sport. Whether the transition is normative or non-normative (injury, cut from a team...), Athlete Allies is the only service that offers personalized content based on the athlete’s need. The application features a questionnaire that results in directed resources and allows the user to network with others and connect with consultants.
WHAT I LEARNED
How to utilize pain points from research and interviews to drive better solutions for the users.