XSPORTS
Explore what's new – photos, videos, stories, events, groups, people. Everything for your extreme sport all in one place.
I. Background
I had many questions when I just started longboarding and snowboarding. And when I first came to Toronto, I didn't know anyone until I ran into a longboarding group hanging out by the College Park. I started going to their events and wished I could have known them earlier.
Although there are many big or small online forums for each extreme sport, there is a lack of an integrated community that allows people with similar interests to share, connect, discover events, ask questions, and get advice.
II. Research
1. Online research - RIDERS
I found there is one mobile app, RIDERS, designed mainly for extreme sports enthusiasts to connect. Still, it is more like a learning community for beginners to view tutorials, learn tricks, track progress, and for coaches to offer lessons.
In addition to the limited functions, using Jakob Nielsen's 10 general principles for interaction design, I found the following usability issues within the app.
2. User Research
I interviewed four people—two in Toronto and two in Boston—to learn about their experience riding skateboards and snowboards since the beginning and what would make their whole riding experience better.
III. Define
Persona
Based on the user interviews, I created the persona of Samantha, a young skateboarder who just moved to Montreal and plans to start snowboarding. She doesn't know anyone there and is looking for people who share the same interests and recommendations for a snowboard and accessories.
VI. Design
1. Wireframes
The wireframes show the main functions of the app:
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View posts and tagged products. Add a new post to share photos, videos, and texts.
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Join interest groups, engage in discussions, and add a discussion post
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Explore local and world renowned events, participate and meet new people
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Learn new trick and keep track of the progress
2. Style Guide
I put together the style guide with core components that are used in the hi-fi prototyping process, including typography, colors, icons, buttons, and cards.
GET STARTED
Discover events, explore groups, and meet new people, no matter where you are
ONBOARDING
Select your sports and get tailored experiences
Choose your passion and specialty, and get personalized feeds and recommendations. Users can modify the preference later in the profile settings.
Join the biggest extreme sports community and discover events, groups, and people who share the same interests as you
HOME
See others and post your own
Explore what's new and stay up to trends. Share your photos, videos and stories. Stay connected with friends and the world.
Get inspired by stories written by pro
SEARCH
Explore what's trending and what's happening around you
Find posts, events, groups and people and use filter to refine the results
And find out what makes it happen
See what equipment and gears others are using
See full video from Under An Arctic Sky
VI. Reflections
1. Due to the time constraint, I didn't conduct any usability testing. To validate the design, I will conduct at least two rounds of usability testing with four to five users, gather their feedback, and reiterate the design.
2. This project shows the overall surface of the app but lacks depth. For example, I didn’t dive into a complete flow from view an event, get a ticket, to checkout. Further research and prototyping are needed to amplify the design.
GROUPS
Join your favorite groups and engage in interesting topics
Get answers to your questions, view product reviews, and browse conversations between millions of other people.
EVENTS
Become more involved in your community
Find events based on interests, date & location, and also create your own.
TRICKS
View thousands of tricks and useful tips and keep learning
Learn tricks from easy to professional by watching video tutorials and tips shared by riders worldwide. Keep track of the progress and improve your skills.
MESSAGING
Stat in touch with friends
Send messages to friends and get to know nearby riders who share the same interests as you.
Overview
For the final project of the User Interface Design course, I redesigend an app that allows extreme sports enthusiasts to share and connect, an online community that I have been longing for.
Role
UI/UX Design
Timeline
April 2020
IV. Ideate
1. How Might We
From user research, I came up with 3 HMW questions to focus on brainstorming for ideas.
🤝 How might we create an online community so users of same interests can connect with each other?
❤️ How might we make users feel confident and included in the online community?
ℹ️ How might we make it a place where users can easily find the various kinds of information about their sports?
2. Ideas
