UI Design
UX Research
Prototyping
My objective was to revitalize a defunct Connecticut-based tennis tournament and transform it into the Ultimate Tennis Fan Experience.
Overview
Project
Rebrand old tournament into the ultimate fan experience.
Duration
4 Weeks, (80+ hours overall)
Roles
UX Researcher, UX Designer, UI Designer
Tools
Figma, Whimsical, Maze, Photoshop
Design Thinking
Competitive Analysis
Project Goals
User Research
User Interviews
Empathize
User Personas
Affinity Mapping
Feature Roadmap
Define
Feature Roadmap
Site Map
User Flow
Brand Creation
Ideate
Wireframes
UI Design
Interactive Prototype
Prototype
Usability Testing
High Fidelity Designs
Priority Revisions
Testing
The Problem
Tennis is seeking to expand its brand and attract new audiences, particularly the younger generation. However, the sport's strict rules and predictable tournament outcomes can cause fans to lose interest, especially when the same athlete repeatedly wins. Additionally, restrictions on fan behavior and athlete expression, such as limiting when fans can cheer or dictating athletes' attire, can create negative reactions. Compared to other sports that are adapting to modern audience preferences, Tennis is currently falling behind in this regard.
Why is it important?
In this hypothetical scenario, the ATP and WTA intend to revive a discontinued tournament and schedule it for the week following the US Open. Although a small tournament held after a major event of that magnitude may typically go unnoticed and receive minimal attention from casual fans, the tennis community aims to shake things up. Following the gravity of all four major tournaments, the ATP and WTA aspire to create a tournament that appeals to fans and relaxes the strict rules of play. By conducting research and user interviews, the organizers will determine what aspects fans consider essential in a sporting event and what can be offered to make it the ultimate fan experience.
High Level Objectives
Organize an ATP/WTA tennis tournament strategically positioned in the schedule before and after the US Open.
Create an event that attracts fresh fans, sparks online buzz for the sport, and offers spectators a novel outlook on one of the most physically demanding sports.
What about the competition?
In the tennis world, men’s tennis runs through the ATP and women’s tennis runs through the WTA. This means there is no competition for other leagues within the sport, as all the top talent plays in these organizations. While other tennis events such as the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells have their own unique appeal in terms of fan interaction, the primary competition for this project would be other tennis tournaments on the schedule. However, this project aims to create a superior fan engagement and overall experience compared to its counterparts.
Despite presenting itself as a gentleman's game, golf faces a similar challenge. However, it has managed to overcome this by organizing events that garner attention beyond the majors. The Pebble Beach Pro-Am is one such event that pairs celebrities with golfers, providing viewers with a closer look at the athletes while making the sport more enjoyable to watch. The Waste Management Open places greater emphasis on the fan experience rather than golf itself. Additionally, "The Match," an annual golf exhibition event that frequently features professional football players competing in golf, has proven successful. Tennis could benefit from an event that showcases the sport's excitement and personality.
Project Goals
The objective of this project is to design a tennis event that prioritizes the fans' experience above all else. The ATP and WTA plan to promote the very behavior and actions they typically discourage, in order to create a unique event. The tournament will comprise men's and women's singles and doubles tournaments, as well as a celebrity doubles tournament featuring the most thrilling pairings of dynamic personalities to ever grace the court. The primary aim is to turn this tournament into a captivating spectacle that garners attention, generates enthusiasm year after year, and entices a broader audience to the sport while creating unforgettable experiences for attendees.
This project aims to change the perception of tennis as a sport and enhance its excitement. Analyzing fan-focused strategies from other sports, we seek to uncover essential elements for our event's success. Our research objectives include:
Gauging the public's perception of professional tennis.
Identifying thrilling aspects for fans attending sports events.
Exploring factors influencing viewership choices.
Investigating shareable social media content preferences.
Defining the fan-centric elements required for an engaging tournament.
User Research
These interviews aimed to understand the general perception of tennis and explore engagement strategies from other sports. Through these discussions, we gained profound insights into the casual sports fan's perspective on attending events. We learned about their preferences, appealing aspects, spending motivations, and discovered specific offerings that pique fan interest.
I conducted individual interviews with participants aged 24-60, passionate about attending sports events, with many having attended tennis tournaments. During these interviews, key questions were addressed:
Which sport do you most enjoy watching live?
In your opinion, which sport excels in engaging fans during live events?
What type of sports content do you find most shareable on social media?
What enhancements would you propose to elevate the fan experience at live sporting events?
User Interviews
Key Insights
By conducting user interviews for the CT Open tennis tournament, I pinpointed crucial areas of emphasis crucial to the event’s triumph. Furthermore, I garnered valuable perspectives on the challenges and issues faced by other apps, as highlighted by the interviewees.
More Freedom: Tennis typically involves a multitude of rules and traditions that both players and fans must adhere to. If the Connecticut Open aims to become the premier event for attracting new fans to the sport, it will adopt a more relaxed approach to certain norms that might discourage the casual viewer. Embracing the freedom for players and fans to express their personalities could enhance the tournament's appeal.
Celebrity Influence: Inviting well-known personalities to participate in a celebrity tournament could significantly boost event attendance. The average tennis enthusiast often isn't familiar with players beyond the top few, so providing them with a greater sense of involvement in the event can foster stronger fan connections, more exciting interactions, and an unparalleled level of crowd support typically reserved for Grand Slam tournaments.
Top Tier Entertainment: An event like the US Open offers far more than just professional matches. Many attendees seek entertainment beyond the on-court action. Introducing a Tie-breaker challenge, creating an exhilarating fan center, and offering a variety of other engaging activities would elevate this tournament to the next level of attraction.
Research Constraints
The primary limitation during the user research process was the geographical location of the interview participants. Due to the limited scope of my social circle of sports fans, the interviews were primarily conducted with individuals residing in the area where I live. Furthermore, the only high-level tennis tournament that was accessible for most of the participants was the US Open, which is in Queens, NY.
Personas
Following the user interviews and surveys, we developed two personas: Emily and Lucas. Emily is a young professional in her mid-20s who enjoys living life to the fullest. She attended the US Open and had a fantastic time, and even took a day off work to take the train to Stamford and attend this event. On the other hand, Lucas is a die-hard tennis fan who is passionate about the sport. He considers himself a Fuzz-head and believes that he could have been a world champion if he hadn't suffered injuries during high school. Lucas is willing to travel up to 5 hours to attend any tennis tournament.
Affinity Mapping
A total of seven interviews were undertaken to collect insights into individuals' live sporting event encounters and preferences. The interviews encompassed inquiries about preferred events, favorite aspects, fan-centric approaches, appreciations and grievances in live tennis matches, enhancement suggestions, and ticket purchase habits. Employing affinity mapping, the data gleaned from these interviews can be structured and categorized to uncover recurring patterns, trends, and prevailing themes concerning the live sporting event fan experience.
Ideas for solutions
After conducting user interviews and surveys, it became apparent what the ATP and WTA could offer to make this event the ultimate tennis fan experience. The following are the offerings that will be available at the event:
Encouraged fan engagement throughout each match
Enjoyable celebrity doubles parings facing off
Courts and services provided to allow fans to get the experience of playing professional tennis against their friends
Dedicated Fan Village with the best food and drinks Connecticut has to offer
An article of clothing that is signature to only this sporting event
Feature Roadmap
I found it important to break down this projects features into certain phases. In this case study, my primary focus was to craft the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), while also identifying features earmarked for implementation in subsequent phases, namely the Minimum Marketable Product (MMP) and the Minimum Marketable Release (MMR). This strategic organization of features not only ensured that the project remained aligned with our MVP goals but also prevented me from becoming inundated with an excessive number of features to tackle at once.
Site Map
User Flows
Wireframes
Following an analysis of successful and unsuccessful website features of major tennis events, a clear vision of the ideal Connecticut Open website emerged. The objective was to ensure that the website reflected the ultimate tennis fan experience. To achieve this, low-fidelity wireframes were used as the foundation for building the user interface.
Branding Creation
The aim behind developing the brand identity for the revamped Connecticut Open was to dismantle the pre-existing image and craft a fresh and distinctive one. The primary objective was to design a logo that not only captures attention but also complements the tournament's thrill and can be featured on merchandise. Drawing inspiration from iconic logos in sports, such as the Air Jordan Logo and NBA logo, the Connecticut Open's logo depicts a player executing a "tweener," the most thrilling shot in tennis.
Brand Colors
Color Variations
#FBFBFB
#E5EBF3
#B1C4DA
Accent
#2660A4
#0E0B52
#D0E2FD
#CAF099
#030129
#478EF7
User Interface
Using the Style Guide, the next part of the process was to transition wireframes into complete user interface. Drawing inspiration from some of the biggest and most successful tennis tournaments in the world, I started working on the UI to create an aesthetically pleasing, information filled site.
Usability Testing
After completing the desktop and mobile UI design for the Connecticut Open website, a prototype of the site's features was created to assess its usability. The prototype was then tested with five users, and they were given three tasks that were deemed essential.
The tasks were:
View the Connecticut Open schedule for today.
Read more about Larry David's participation in the Connecticut Open on his profile.
Purchase the official CT Open tennis ball hat.
The usability test provided valuable insights that answered the following questions:
How do users navigate through the Connecticut Open webpage?
Is the event understandable, and are the menus properly placed?
Do the mobile and desktop versions of the website function similarly?
Test Findings
After conducting five interviews, it became evident that the tasks being tested were relatively simple and straightforward. The participants were able to complete all three tasks with a 100% indirect success rate and an 80-100% direct success rate for each task. Although there were a few miss-clicks, they seemed to have resulted from the users' curiosity regarding the features and their desire to find alternative routes to reach the same results.
The Solution
High Fidelity Wireframes
The final pivotal piece in assembling the puzzle is the creation of high-fidelity designs. These designs encompass the amalgamation of information gathered throughout the journey, including user research, ideation, branding, wireframes, and usability testing. By integrating insights gleaned from usability testing, I iteratively enhanced the project, culminating in a triumphant and effortlessly cohesive end product.
Check the schedule
To access today's schedule for the Connecticut Open, users can click on the Tournament tab followed by the schedule sub-tab.
Player Profiles
Take a look at the players worth watching in the Connecticut Open, particularly in the inaugural Celebrity doubles tournament.
Shop the CT Open
At the CT Open shop, you can find a variety of trendy tennis fashion, featuring the iconic Connecticut Open Tennis Ball Hat.
Prototype
Check out the prototype for yourself!
Usability Testing
Following the prototype's development, we enlisted the participation of five individuals to assess its functionality. All participants successfully navigated the schedule, accessed player profiles, and completed hat purchases. While the desktop version exhibited minimal misclicks, adjustments were necessary for the mobile iteration. In general, each task proved uncomplicated and intuitive for the testers.
Test Findings
The main two objectives of this project were to:
Help revive a discontinued tennis tournament and integrate it seamlessly into the US tournament circuit schedule.
Emphasize fan engagement and entertainment, while complying with the rules set by the tennis associations.
Redesigning and reinventing the Connecticut Open was a unique and challenging project for me. Transforming a women's-only tournament that had previously failed into the ultimate fan experience, and leveraging the momentum of the US Open to increase interest in tennis required critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and creativity. My goal was to create an unforgettable experience that would attract new fans and keep them coming back for more. I am proud of the success of this project, from the new features and flashy logo to all the details in between. Even though it is hypothetical, I believe this tournament would generate excitement for a sport and professional athletes that often get overlooked.
Tearing down an unsuccessful brand and building something new was the highlight of this case study. It was an enjoyable experience to delve deep and use creativity to develop an event that I would personally be thrilled to attend.