Overview

My Role: Research, Ideating and wireframes, Branding and UI design, Prototyping, Usability Testing

Hurling is the 2nd largest sport in Ireland, behind only Gaelic Football, and has a deep connection to Ireland’s history. The governing body for Hurling is the GAA (Gaelic Athletics Association) which oversees all affiliated clubs, players, and their safety. In 2014, they were able to claim over 500,000 members worldwide. In the United State, the USGAA is responsible for over 150 teams and over 4,700 players across the country.

Problem

Due to the growth in popularity of the sport worldwide, and in particular the US, the USGAA wanted to affiliate themselves with an application that helps to not only promote the sport, but entice new players and educate them on the game and its history. If you aren’t of Irish heritage, haven’t visited Ireland, or haven’t been to an Irish pub, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Hurling, or Camogie, the name of the women’s game. Most current players in the US are either of Irish decent or were told about the game by word of mouth. I wanted to create an app that allowed users, who have been introduced to Hurling, an easy way to integrate themselves into the sport.

Process

User Research

The first goal for user research was to learn about the sport itself. I talked with a couple people that play to gain an idea of how Hurling started, how it grew, and how you play it. I looked at the current USGAA website to see what information they were providing.

Since I wanted to create an app, the next step was to see what the apps looked like for other sports. I wanted to understand what information they were providing and how that information was presented. I looked at a few major sports apps, such as the NWSL, FIFA, and WSL (World Surfing League), and I also looked at less mainstream sports like roller derby.

When it was time to conduct user interviews, I got in contact with a friend of mine who plays, who helped recruit some other players to be interview participants. I wanted to talk to current players to learn how they became aware of Hurling, what made them interested in playing, how they ended up playing, and what they thought would be the most important information for someone new to the sport.

Through my interviews, it was clear that people were very passionate about the game and were very welcoming and supportive of newcomers. Most people were discovering Hurling through word of mouth from their friends or happen to see it being played on a TV at an Irish pub. All of the interview participants said that they were invited to come to a team practice, given a Hurly (the stick), and were taught the game on the spot.

One of the biggest takeaways from the interviews was the camaraderie and relationships that were built through joining a team. One interview participant said that she had played other sports, been involved in other activities, but none provided the support and community that she found in Hurling.

Meet Teresa

I developed the persona of Teresa to mimic the sentiments made in the interviews. Her main goals are to find a supportive community, find a physical outlet, and connect to her Irish heritage. Her frustrations stem from poor previous experiences with social groups or activities.

Problem Statement and “How Might We’s”

Through the research and interviews, I developed our problem statement using our Persona: Teresa is having trouble integrating herself into the sport of Camogie.

Then to get the juices flowing, I created a list of How Might We’s to see all possible ways of helping Teresa reach her goals. I then color coded each one to develop possible categories of information for the application.

Creating Flows

Based on the three categories (watch, education, get involved) that came out of the HMW’s activity, possible task flows and user flows were created in conjunction with sketches.

Information Architecture Testing

I wanted to get a sense of whether or not the initial hierarchy and labeling of information made sense for users, so utilizing Optimal Workshop, I conducted a short IA test. I gave two tasks to the participants that would make them use the different labels. The results of the test show that users thought the initial “Learn” label took them to place where they could join a team and the “Play” label was where they could find information on practicing skills. This was the opposite of what they were intended to mean, so it was clear that I needed to change at least the label names to be more clear.

Sketching

Because of the three categories that were developed, I focused on those as three different main screens when creating sketches.

Wireframes

Utilizing Figma, I developed and iterated wireframes based on my sketches. I used the user flows to help guide possible screens and navigation.

Branding and UI Design

As fidelity of the wireframes began to increase, branding and UI design was being developed. Initially, I wanted to find a way to incorporate Irish themes into the app to keep it rooted in its heritage, so the original color palette was based on the Irish flag and the logo was a Celtic symbol called the Triskelion.

However, after iterating and adding the UI to the wireframes, the color palette and logo were simplified for easier readability and understanding. The darker green became the main color and a grey and black were used for accents and text. The logo changed to two crossed hurly sticks and a ball.

Prototyping and Usability Testing

Once the wireframes were fully developed and the UI was added, a usability test was conducted on the prototype. The tasks that the participants were asked to complete were similar to those in the initial IA testing:
1. You live in Baltimore and want to find a local team to join.
2. You’ve been practicing with your new team for a week or so, and want to practice the roll lift skill on your own.

Results:
1. Two of the three test participants were initially unsure of where to go with both tasks due to a lack of labeling of the inactive bottom navigation items. (High Priority)
2. All three participants expected to find the same information through the hamburger menu.
3. All three participants said that, overall, the app was clear and easy to understand.

Final Prototype

Due to the results of the usability testing, I went back into the prototype and worked on the problems that arose. The main problem was the lack of labeling on the bottom navigation items that weren’t currently in use, so labels were added.