MINGLE SPORT - ONBOARDING
Mingle Sport is an app for non-professional ball sport players. It is an existing, extensive, ongoing project, and consists of a great number of complex flows.
In this case study, I am dealing with the Onboarding flow that lands on the Activity Feed. Because of all the added complexity and today’s maturity of the project, we considered it necessary to redefine the Onboarding flow launched 2022 and the way the user navigates for the first time in the app, and redesign it.
ROLE
UX designer
UX Researcher
DURATION
8 weeks
TOOLS
Figma, Figjam
Miro
Lookback
OVERVIEW
The users are non-professional players, both young and more seniors, trainers, team support like parents and family, and fans. Given the diverse range of users, each having their own needs, the application must meet a wide range of requirements to enhance the overall ball sports experience using innovative design and technology. Therefore, an effective onboarding flow is crucial to ensure that users can easily navigate and fully utilize the app's features.
PROBLEM
Due to constant development of the app and continuous addition of new features, the onboarding had become a patchwork of really short flows that were tailored to serve the each separate release.
Furthermore, after the onboarding, the user was landing on an empty state activity feed, not really sure about what to do next or what the value of the app was.
As a result, many users were dropping out, either during the onboarding process or after the first use.
WHY?
01
too long onboarding
02
confusing sequence of screens
03
the value was not well communicated
SOLUTION
A well-designed onboarding process can increase customer satisfaction, as users are able to realize what the app is about, to understand what is being asked of them and have fun along the way. Isn't that what a sports app has to offer?
By providing a great onboarding experience, users are more likely to stay engaged and invested in the product, leading to increased retention rates; an improved user experience can lead to long-term success for both the user and the business.
WHAT?
01
make it shorter
02
more comprehensible
03
more fun
DESIGN PROCESS
DISCOVERY
1 week
RESEARCH
2 weeks
IDEATE & PROTOTYPE
4 weeks
TESTING
1 week
DISCOVERY & RESEARCH
To validate our assumptions regarding the sequence of the steps and the effectiveness of the onboarding, it was important that we understood the psychology of the user.
Is the player, for example, engaged with the team? Will they be willing to create and invite their team from the very beginning, during the onboarding? If we do not give them the opportunity to do so, do they understand the value of the app, which is being part of a team?
01 INTERVIEWS
Thus, it was essential that we shared the players' routines, be there at their games, talk and listen to them and their needs, which of course affects the whole application and not just the onboarding.
We interviewed players, trainers and the parents of players, when the latter were minors, both at the football fields and online.
02 PERSONAS
The personas have changed along the way, as more features were being developed. Therefore, we had to re-adjust and explore this once more, to make sure we were right on track.
PLAYER SARAH
A 17-year-old football player.
She loves playing with her team and wants to improve her skills.
Sarah likes using apps to keep track of her progress. She is interested in seeing her stats and comparing them with her teammates, by following leaderboards. She wants to stay in touch with her team and share their experiences. Sarah values teamwork and enjoys playing with her friends.
Fun fact: Sarah is also an avid gamer and often incorporates video game tactics into her football strategy.
TRAINER JACK
A 28-year-old football trainer.
Jack is responsible for organizing the training sessions and matches for his team.
He is looking for a tool that will help him stay organized and communicate with his players effectively. He is interested in tracking the team’s progress and providing feedback to help them improve. He is a motivational leader who wants to instill a love of the sport in his players and help them reach their full potential.
Fun fact: Jack is a huge fan of classical music, but he'd rather listen to rock before games, to get in the zone.
FAN EMILY
A 22-year-old football fan.
Emily loves watching football matches and supporting her favorite team.
She is interested in staying up to date with the latest scores, stats, and news. Emily is also a social media enthusiast, who values being part of a community and feels a sense of belonging when she connects with others who share her love of football.
Fun fact: Emily is a talented artist and often creates fan art to show her support for her favorite team.
03 WORKSHOPS
As a member of dynamic and cross-functional teams, I am working closely with both the technical and management team. The teams are comprised of designers, managers, backend developers, and IOS and Android developers. This diverse mix of perspectives and skills allows me to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Mingle Sport app, its vision, and the challenges faced throughout its development.
I conducted a series of Brainstorming Workshops, both on-site and online, in order to explore a variety of design possibilities and identify the most promising concepts to move forward with.
04 CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAP
The customer journey map was a sequence of the redesign, as the existing flow was confusing and deficient, and did not properly guide the user to navigate through the onboarding and to take all the steps needed after landing on the Activity Feed, as shown below.
Thus, I took a step back and created a customer journey map, so that I record all touchpoints, experiences and emotions of the user while using the app, and specifically when they are being onboarded.
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05 USER FLOW
After workshops and discussions about the journey map, I created both in detail and high level flows in miro, so that we could discuss further.
This below diagram shows the redesign of the flow, which includes both the onboarding and the activity feed first landing actions.
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High Level Onboarding Journey
IDEATE & PROTOTYPE
To explore a range of design possibilities and identify the most promising concepts, I facilitated workshops and brainstorming sessions. By bringing together cross-functional teams to collaborate, we were able to generate numerous ideas and set all the necessary rules; the context in which I would solve the problem.
I created a lot of scenarios and prototypes, which I could test, eventually, with end users, to challenge and confirm our assumptions.
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TESTING
User testing was revelatory for me, as I realized how strong of an impact even minor changes can have on the user psychology. Step order and a well thought-through landing page can affect the way the user feels about a flow. When the app meets their needs and expectations, and they feel respected and valued as users, this can foster a sense of loyalty to the product.
I tested 2 scenarios for players and fans, on-site, with a group of users aged between 16-22 years old.
It's always insightful, at any stage of the development, to communicate your ideas and designs to real users.
Scenarios (Player)
01
Activity Feed empty state
02
Activity Feed match card
In this video there are also two scenarios, which again differ only in the activity feed landing.
You are a male football player, playing in JO21 - 1 Team Red.
-
Open the app and create your team
-
Create an account and setup your profile
-
Get started with Mingle Sport
Scenarios (Fan)
01
Activity Feed empty state
02
Activity Feed match card
In the video there are two scenarios, which differ only in the activity feed landing; namely, in the way they prompt the user to do an action.
You are Frank, and your friends Brandon and Randy play football in a local team. You would like to follow them and watch their matches and content.
-
Open the app and select your role
-
Create an account and setup your profile
-
Get started with Mingle Sport
ACHIEVEMENTS
It was evident while testing that the users responded more positively to the new onboarding. It felt to them more natural and concise. The user could understand the value of the product while given the opportunity to complete steps, while also providing the option to skip certain actions.
Following the launch, we observed a decrease in dropouts, and users were able to navigate smoothly through the app, which helped to increase loyalty to the app.
WHAT?
01
less dropouts
02
better experience
03
more loyalty
FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS
Due to the nature of the product and the constant addition of features, it is expected that some modification will be needed again in the future.
It is clear that the design needs to be updated and made more consistent with the rest of the application.
WHAT?
01
some modifications
02
consistent UI