Meet. Book. Play! Prototype App Design Case Study Bryan Peebler July 2016
is an app that helps golfers find and organize golf rounds with other compatible golfers I developed the prototype over 3 weeks, as part of a product design workshop PROJECT OVERVIEW The prototype development process included ideation, user interviews, competitive analysis, MVP prioritization, paper/wireframe prototyping and user testing The final deliverable is an interactive prototype (built in Axure RP) that can be used as a basis for product development
Conducted five interviews with avid golfers Common theme: Getting on the golf course with friends is almost impossible IDENTIFYING USER NEEDS User Interviews Time consuming! doesn t fit well with busy lives It s better with friends! but they re busy too. And getting people organized is a pain Playing alone is an option, but hard to get an advance tee time as a single! longer wait/more uncertainty at the course Men s clubs address the need, but many see them as stodgy/old school Golfers generally enjoy meeting other random golfers on the course
PERSONA: Big City Bob IDENTIFYING USER NEEDS Persona Development Description: Sales rep for a major pharmaceutical company Mid-30s; married with 2 kids Avid golfer used to golf 3-5x/week. Now gets to play once a month, at best. Usually plays alone when not golfing for work. Has several friends who golf Lives in a large city most courses are 30+ minute drive away Used to have a handicap, but lost it (no club to maintain) Likes social aspect of the game (including meeting random golfers) Needs and Goals: Wants to play more golf, but needs to play efficiently Would like to play more with friends/socially Pain Points: Most courses don t take tee times for singles = he has to show up at the course and wait to be matched Friends usually too busy to play Lots of back and forth/hassle to organize outings w/friends Hard to meet new golfing friends Follow-up is awkward when he meets compatible golfers on the course
IDENTIFYING USER NEEDS Problem Statement How can we help golfers like Bob find and organize golf rounds with other compatible golfers?
Competitive research uncovered three apps offering golfer community building/social sharing services GolfMatch is the closest competitor to poor UX. Feels more like a Craiglist for golfers Others are more focused on social/competitive aspects Opportunity for new entrant laser-focused on matching golfers COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS Primary Focus Matching up golfers for local rounds Facilitating competitive matches between serious golfers Creating virtual/gamified golf communities; tracking & comparing golf stats Key Features Create/organize groups Golfers Wanted post View nearby players/ groups Social feed Basic profile matching View tee times (no integration w/golfer avail). Find & challenge local golfer(s) to a match Leaderboards/awards based on match wins Play as part of Pro Team Basic profile matching Social Feed Track Side Games (Bets) Follow friends results Post and share coursespecific photos/stats Compete against other golfers Leaderboards GPS course maps Track personal golf stats UX Quality User flows are confusing not clear how to find/ match golfers and courses Business Model Ad and tee-time bounty based. Free to users Attractive visual design. User flows are well thoughtthrough. Very focused on competition. ~$30/year fee for users Casual players play free (limited features Attractive visual design. Hard to figure out how do do much besides track a round Free to users w/upsell to premium features; no ads; unclear rev model
Initial index card brainstorm generated 30+ feature ideas. IDEATION Initial Brainstorming Deeper dive on core concept (via sketches) How do we match compatible golfers and available courses? Tinder for Golfers? Golf Partner Roulette? Location-based Matches?
Card sort prioritized features directly related to getting golfers on the course with other compatible golfers. MVP feature examples: MVP PRIORITIZATION View available courses and golfers in one place Suggest matches based on ability, casual vs serious, proximity, gender Organize group and book through the app Post Golfer Wanted invites Designate preferred golfers for future matches Card Sort Initial Card Sort
Mapped out initial flow via whiteboard sketch Initial approach matched golfers based on combination of course availability and Tinderstyle golfer matching INITIAL UX DESIGN Whiteboard and Paper Prototyping Whiteboard Flow Examples of paper prototype screens
Initial user feedback: Flow was too complicated didn t need the level of customized matching provided Just get me booked, fast! INITIAL UX DESIGN Sketched new QuickMatch flow reduced the happy path flow to 5 steps New QuickMatch Flow Sketch Whiteboard and Paper Prototyping Initial Wireframe User Flow
Built wireframe prototype for the QuickMatch user flow and profile creation/management Used Sketch+InVision to build clickable prototype INITIAL UX DESIGN Wireframe prototype Wireframes for happy path QuickMatch flow
Users responded positively to the UX design and overall value proposition Areas for improvement: INITIAL UX DESIGN User Testing Several users were confused about the differences between the major home screen options Several users were confused about what the main location search results screen was telling them Several users commented that the main search results screen was cluttered and had too much info Almost all users were confused by terminology about slots, players, golfers Users suggested being able to use it to organize current golf buddies
The course/player match screen was the most difficult to get right. The challenge: Concisely/clearly communicate a match between available/compatible golfer and available tee time within the specified time and distance UX EVOLUTION Course & Player Match Screen Initial design confused users what does it mean when course shows up on this screen? Redesign clarified meaning, but at the expense of more screen clutter Changing the verbiage about tee times/golfers to icons clarified with less clutter
Home screen features evolved considerably based on user feedback Clarified the difference between major features; replaced lower value with features giving users different ways to find a match UX EVOLUTION Home Screen Users did not understand the difference between QuickMatch and Find a Game. Redesign clarified meaning, but users did not see sufficient value in the custom match feature vs QuickMatch Final design highlights new requested features, including ability to organize with current friends
Developed fully interactive prototype (using Axure RP) Axure RP enabled full prototyping of desired UX, including carrying time/date/course/players through multiple screens, button behaviors and zoom use on match selection screen iphone 6 prototype available at h"p://wdnsqx.axshare.com/#c=2 (click here for iphone demo installation instructions) FINAL DELIVERABLE Verizon 9:00 AM 100% Verizon 9:00 AM 100% Verizon 9:00 AM 100% Interactive Prototype
NEXT STEPS Conduct additional user testing on interactive prototype. Key areas to test: Value and usability of new Play with Friends and Post a Round flows Usability of key course/golfer match screen (for continued refinement) Usage flows for how to handle group payment Different designs/flows for the golfer feed Different (and fun) ideas for the random match feature (e.g. Golfer slot machine) Explore additional visual design directions Evolve beyond current medium-fidelity design Explore how to make the app more visual and fun Build working prototype with API integration to tee time booking engine(s)
To view iphone 6 demo: Download to ios Safari browser from: h"p://wdnsqx.axshare.com/#c=2 Verizon 9:00 AM 100% This will load a web version of (which does not allow full screen use). While in Safari, click on the sharing button on the navigation bar MATCHPLAY PROTOTYPE Click Add to Home Screen button. This will place a app icon on your home screen. Launch the app from the icon. This will allow you to view in full screen. Notes: The QuickMatch flow is the most fully prototyped. Suggest starting with that flow. Post an Invite is not currently prototyped When you have an option to select courses, select Big Pines (the others are not active) Due to Axure constraints with variable handling, I suggest occasionally exiting/re-launching the app to reset variables Feedback is welcome and appreciated!!! Back