leading provider of digital solutionsfor the sports industry
COMPANY
OVERVIEW
GameDay, part of Stack Sports, is a leading provider of digital solutions for the sports industry with over 20 years of experience. Since launching in Australia in 2001, the company has expanded into the UK, Europe, and New Zealand, delivering a comprehensive suite of products including membership management, competition and event platforms, ticketing systems, websites, e-commerce, and fundraising tools.
GameDay supports a wide range of clients from grassroots clubs and associations to professional teams, governing bodies, and charities by combining technical expertise, continuous innovation, and industry-focused solutions to enhance engagement and performance across all levels of sport.
PROJECT
SCOPE
GameDay’s mission is to deliver a seamless, personalised digital experience that connects sports fans to the teams, competitions, and communities that matter to them. However, the current app experience falls short—users encounter friction during onboarding and struggle with an unintuitive search process, making it difficult to quickly find relevant clubs, teams, and leagues. This breakdown in usability leads to frustration, reduced engagement, and missed opportunities to retain users and drive ongoing interaction.
THE
GOAL
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Transformed key user pain points into actionable product opportunities
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Designed a guided, personalised onboarding experience to reduce friction from the first interaction
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Created a streamlined dashboard highlighting live scores and upcoming matches at a glance
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Simplified the search experience to make discovering teams, players, and competitions fast and intuitive
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Defined a clear design challenge: reimagining onboarding, dashboard, and search to enable confident navigation and position GameDay as the go-to local sports app
THE
PROBLEM
Users struggle to navigate GameDay’s mobile app due to fragmented onboarding and an unintuitive search experience, making it difficult to quickly find teams, clubs, and leagues or get set up efficiently. This friction drives frustration, lowers engagement and conversion rates, and delays access to critical sports data—ultimately limiting retention and preventing GameDay from delivering on its potential as a go-to platform for sports fans.
smarters
connections for sport fans
RESEARCH
APPROACH
To develop a clear understanding of the problem space, we used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. This approach helped uncover user behaviours, identify key pain points, and validate insights that informed the product’s design direction.
RESEARCH
GOAL
The research aimed to:
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Understand how users currently discover and manage fashion items
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Identify pain points in existing fashion and shopping apps
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Explore how users make decisions about their personal style and purchases
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Identify opportunities for improving convenience and decision-making
Method #1
Heuristic Evaluation
For research, we started with a heuristic evaluation, which is a quick way to check how user-friendly a design is against Jakob Nielsen’s 10 principles.
The benefits of conducting a heuristic evaluation are that it allows us to identify usability problems early, making the design process more cost-effective, while also providing actionable insights.
Method # 2
User Interview + survey
Participants
We conducted 1O semi-structured interviews with participants aged 18–60, with the majority being younger users who frequently engage with fashion, shopping, and lifestyle apps.
Method
The interviews explored users’ current behaviours when discovering fashion items, managing their wardrobe, and deciding what to purchase. Participants were asked which apps they currently use, the challenges they experience with those tools, and what features would make a fashion app more convenient and useful for them.
Survey Validation
Insights from the interviews informed the design of a follow-up survey aimed at validating patterns and quantifying user preferences across a broader audience. The survey helped confirm recurring pain points and measure interest in potential features.
Outcome
This mixed-method research approach helped identify key user needs, validate design assumptions, and prioritise features that could address decision fatigue and improve the overall fashion discovery and wardrobe management experience.
UX
WINS
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Login and password is familiar
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Account creation steps are simple and clear
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Email verification works quickly
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Login takes you straight to the home page
UX
PAINPONTS
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No “account created” confirmation page
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No “account created” confirmation page
Next, the onboarding process was assessed. In theory, it was straightforward, and having the sports categorised with icons was effective. However, the search function was not intuitive, as it had a low tolerance for errors and lacked alternative ways of inputting team names. This negatively affected the flexibility and efficiency of use.
UX
WINS
-
Sports options available are great,
could also implemented for searching in the app later too
UX
PAINPONTS
-
Search function not intuitive
The home dashboard featured clean and simple icons, with a clear view of the calendar and schedule beneath. The menu bar supported smooth navigation between pages, adhering to the principle of aesthetic and minimalist design. However, there were drawbacks. The large ad dominated the screen, visually overpowering the interface.
This undermined the principle of aesthetic and minimalist design by introducing distracting and unnecessary elements into the user experience.
UX
WINS
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Clean and simple icons
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Clear visual of calendar and schedule underneath
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Menu bar is good for navigating between pages
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No quick links for favourite teams
UX
PAINPONTS
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Empty states: no personalised content
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No quick links for favourite teams
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Live games don’t stand out
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Ads take up too much space
Lastly, the search experience was evaluated and showed issues against the principle of recognition rather than recall.
If you wanted to search for a team previously entered, there was no memory function or auto-complete to support this.
Flexibility and efficiency of use were also compromised, with no search suggestions provided. The search function was unforgiving, and a single typo produced no results. This represents a clear opportunity to enhance the user experience significantly.
UX
PAINPONTS
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No search suggestions based on favourites, profile, history, sport, or location
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Search is unforgiving - a single typo returns no results
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No auto-complete when typing a team or comp name
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No quick search recall - frequent searches must be retyped
COMPETITOR
ANALYSIS
We analyzed three key competitors:
Live
Score
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Play
HQ
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Premier
League
LIVE SCORES
speed | reliability | depth of football focus
Live Score aims to deliver lightning-fast, real-time sports updates and rich editorial content particularly for football across mobile and web platforms.
Streamline onboarding, effectively filtering user interests and notification preferences.
Curated headlines and relevant stories based on followed teams and competitions.
Consistency on navigation and overall user experience.
PLAY HQ
community accessibility | comprehensive local competition data in one place
AFL is a free app designed for the football community, offering fixtures, ladders, results, and statistics for local leagues, all powered by the PlayHQ platform.
Customisable home screen, allowing users to add players, teams, grades, clubs, or leagues.
Real-time score updates (E-Scoring), instantly reflecting results, ladders, and stats .
Consistent colour-coding makes competition status instantly clear.
P. LEAGUE
comprehensive | blends real-time action with interactive fantasy engagement
The Premier League app unites live match coverage with Fantasy Premier League and the new AI Companion for a uniquely official fan experience.
Easy interpretability
for new users, with key navigation aids and notifications.
Smooth explore section
offers a user-friendly search experience.
Unified design enables intuitive, seamless navigation.
WHAT USER
ARE STAYING
As part of our research approach we interviewed 4 sports fans and players as well as 2 GameDay staff members, having them complete hands-on tasks with the product to test its usability and asking open-ended questions to delve deeper into their thoughts and feelings as a user. As shown in the quotes on the slide, through undertaking this testing we identified some very interesting pain point and opportunities regarding various features of the application.
“It’s interesting I guess, how it tells you to put the team name in and...you gotta put the team name in again”
"It’d be good... to have a list of teams there already when you start... and then be able to search that list to filter it down."
"The dashboard provides useful information but lacks quick access to frequently used teams."
“Filter: needs to be more prominent. Leagues & teams mainly used.”
USER
PERSONA
We’ve done two user persona and journey, a fan and a player.
Ryan is a busy sports fan with little spare time.
He needs an app that makes following his teams effortless, with clear on-boarding, smarter search, and a personalized dashboards with quick updates
USER
JOURNEY
Ryan is a busy sports fan with little spare time.
He needs an app that makes following his teams effortless with clear on boarding, smarter search, and a personalized dashboards with quick updates.
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For Ryan, the sign-up experience is smooth but the journey quickly breaks down at onboarding
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He wants to set up his teams, yet the lack of guidance and feedback leaves him stuck from the start
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Logging back in becomes a recurring friction point, with repeated credential entry slowing him down during busy moments
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The search experience amplifies frustration requiring exact spelling, returning irrelevant results, and undermining confidence in finding his team
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Navigation adds to the confusion, with disorganised tabs, missing ladders, and static maps creating a fragmented experience
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The dashboard fails to deliver value feeling generic rather than personalised, burying key information like recent results, and disrupted by intrusive ads
USER
PERSONA
USER
JOURNEY
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Jack signs up, creates his account, and enters the app
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He begins searching for his team by navigating categories and using search
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He attempts to locate key information such as fixtures and results
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Along the way, he moves between multiple touchpoints—onboarding, home, and search
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Reaching the desired information requires several steps and transitions
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This journey highlights a fragmented flow and the key interactions needed to follow a team and stay updated
AFFINITY
MAPPING
We consolidated these insights into an affinity map, synthesising findings from user testing, heuristic evaluation, and competitor analysis to identify the most prevalent themes and recurring patterns across our research.
GUIDANCE
No explanations about how to use the app or what to use it for after logging (unlike similar apps)
Prompts asked users to enter a team name and select a sport but provided insufficient feedback after doing
ACCESSIBLE
Homepage was blank with no call to action for some users as they couldn't find a team during onboarding
Results lists could be overwhelming, making it difficult to find desired teams without more extensive filtering
RESTRICTION
Search bar required characters to be entered in the exact correct order (e.g., Hume FC vs Hume City FC)
Tab bar lacked sufficient contrast and further restricted the search by only showing results relevant to that category
HOW MIGHT WE ...
Enhance the Onboarding Experience
How might we
Enhance the onboarding experience to empower users to effortlessly discover their favourite teams?
Redesign a
Personalized
Dashboard
How might we
Redesign a personalised home dashboard that highlights upcoming matches, live scores, and notifications at a glance?
Optimize
Search
Filters
How might we
Optimise search filters and suggestions to help users discover content faster and enjoy a seamless experience?
MVP
Based on our key research findings, we’ve identified the top 4 quick wins that will add immediate value to the GameDay app
Guided, Personalised
Onboarding
To provide users with immediate feedback to boost first-time user engagement.
Personalised Home
Dashboard
Showcasing today’s schedule
and followed team fixtures/results, with a “+” option to quickly add a team, competition, or league
Implement Predictive
Search
Displays relevant teams
and options based on typed keywords, giving users clear guidance as they search.
Add Filter
Option
Filter by location, age, sport, and team/league/competition for faster, more relevant discovery.
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
We restructured the information architecture to eliminate friction across core user journeys and enable faster, more intuitive access to relevant content.
The redesign focused on three critical areas.
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Onboarding
Transformed from a fragmented, unguided flow into a structured, personalised experience that aligns user intent with relevant teams and content from the outset, removing empty states and early drop-off
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Dashboard
Evolved from a generic layout into a dynamic, personalised hub that prioritises live scores, fixtures, and key updates, enabling users to access critical information at a glance
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Search & Navigation:
Redesigned to reduce discovery friction and improve findability through smarter search logic and simplified navigation patterns.
KEY DESIGN
DECISSIONS
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Introduced guided onboarding to reduce cognitive load and accelerate time-to-value for new users
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Implemented predictive search and contextual suggestions to minimise effort and improve search success rates
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Designed advanced filtering systems (location, sport, team, league, competition) to support precise and relevant results
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Simplified navigation architecture to create clearer pathways to teams, competitions, and player data
IMPACT
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Reduced friction across onboarding and discovery journeys
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Improved speed and efficiency in accessing teams and competition data
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Increased content relevance through personalisation and smarter search
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Strengthened GameDay’s position as a reliable, user-centred sports platform
This is the current Information Architecture of the GameDay app, which reflects the layout and flow based on the existing downloadable experience.
We’ve grouped the screens into key categories:
Current, Onboarding, Schedule, Teams, Search, Events, and Profile, each shown in a different colour.
PREVIOUS VERSION
here, we have the revised Information Architecture, which is designed around three core objectives:
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Streamline onboarding to create a smooth, personalised first-time user experience.
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Redesign the home dashboard to show helpful, personalised information at a glance.
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Enhance navigation and search to make it easier for users to discover teams, competitions, players, and related content.
CURRENT VERSION
At the top, we’ve focused on optimising search filters and suggestions to deliver faster, more intuitive content discovery. This includes:
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Predictive Search – As users type, the app shows personalised team names and suggestions to help them get results quicker.
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Advanced Filter Options – Users can now filter by location, age group, sport, team, league, or competition, allowing for more precise and meaningful results.
At the bottom, the focus shifts to navigation enhancements. Our goal here is to make it easier for users to quickly locate key information about teams, competitions, players, and related contentimproving the overall discovery experience throughout the app.
USERFLOW
This page shows the updated user flow we have developed for the app.
The cells in the darker colours represent screens/actions that we have added or made amendments to.
The aim of the updated User Flow was to streamline the app and make it more intuitive.
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Previously, users were overwhelmed by a maze of tabs, making it difficult to access key stats and game details. Navigating through multiple layers just to uncover a single piece of information felt clunky and unintuitive. The fragmented layout often led to confusion, forcing users to jump back and forth in search of what they needed.
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Now, the new guided onboarding feature gets to know the user from the very beginning—capturing essential preferences so the app can deliver a personalized experience that feels intuitive and relevant from the get go.
BRAND IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT
ONBOARDING
Clear - Guided
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Provide clear guidance on password requirements, along with easy and accessible support for password reset
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Introduce a structured, step-by-step onboarding process to help users confidently set up their account and navigate the app from the beginning
DASHBOARD
Samless
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Deliver a personalised dashboard experience with saved shortcuts and user preferences (e.g. following a favourite team)
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Surface live matches with real-time scores, alerts, and notifications to ensure users receive instant and relevant updates
DESIGN
DIRECTION
Based on research synthesis, we defined a clear design direction focused on reducing friction, improving clarity, and enabling faster access to relevant content across key touchpoints
SEARCH
accessible
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Enable precise results through the introduction of advanced filtering options
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Incorporate search history and predictive search to make discovering teams and competitions faster and more intuitive
NAVIGATION & IA
accessible
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Establish a clear hierarchy of information to reduce cognitive load and navigation friction
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Organise results and schedules chronologically to support intuitive browsing and improve content discoverability
REDESIGN OF
ONBOARDING
The onboarding experience was redesigned to reduce friction, improve clarity, and accelerate time to value for new users entering the app.
Insight
Users experienced confusion and drop-off during onboarding due to unclear guidance, lack of feedback, and difficulty completing key steps such as password setup resulting in slow or incomplete account creation.
design
improvement
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Enhanced visual accessibility by darkening the background gradient, improving contrast and readability across devices
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Introduced a skip option, giving users greater control and allowing faster access to the app when onboarding is not required
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Added a progress stepper to clearly communicate each stage of the process and reduce uncertainty throughout the flow
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Redesigned onboarding into a more personalised setup experience, enabling users to tailor their profile and connect with relevant content early
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Implemented clear password requirements with inline guidance, reducing errors and preventing failed sign-up attempts
impact
This redesign reduces cognitive load during onboarding, improves completion confidence, and shortens the path from sign-up to meaningful engagement helping users access relevant content faster and with less friction.
IA OF
ONBOARDING
we’ve zoomed in on the onboarding experience, where we’ve created a more guided and personalised flow.This is aimed at helping users easily discover their favourite teams and get set up with content that matters most to them, right from the start
USERFLOW OF ONBOARDING
CURRENT VS
PROPOSED DESIGN
PREVIOUS
DESIGN
NEW
DESIGN
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Tweak to Colour
Gradient Darkening of the core background gradient to improve contrast and accessibility.
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Password
Users were unsure about password rules. We've added clear, in-context guidance to help set a valid password.
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Skip Button
Addition of a skip button to give users control and faster access to the app experience if wanted.
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Stepper Bar
Previously, users lacked step clarity. We've added a progress stepper for better guidance.
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Personalised Experience
Streamline onboarding with a guided, multi-step flow and allow users to create a personalised profile.
REDESIGN OF
HOME SCREEN
The Home Screen was redesigned to deliver faster access to relevant information through a clearer hierarchy, improved visibility, and personalised content.
Insigh
Users struggled to quickly find key information such as live scores, fixtures, and followed teams due to a cluttered layout and lack of prioritisation, leading to slower access and reduced engagement.
design
improvements
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Simplified the layout to prioritise key information, reducing visual clutter and enabling quick, at-a-glance understanding
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Introduced a flexible calendar system, allowing users to switch between daily navigation and a full monthly view for greater control and planning
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Elevated live matches to a primary position, ensuring real-time scores and updates are immediately accessible
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Implemented a Following section, giving users direct access to their favourite teams and personalised content
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Enhanced the Fixtures & Results section with a favourite (star) feature, enabling users to save and quickly return to specific matches
impact
This redesign improves content discoverability and reduces time-to-access for critical information, creating a more efficient, intuitive, and personalised experience that supports ongoing user engagement.
IA OF
HOME SCREEN
PREVIOUS
DESIGN
NEW
DESIGN
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Fixtures and results
Fixtures and result section now have the ability to star/favourite for easy access
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Streamline
This has screen has been designed with convenience in mind for users. Everything they need at a glance.
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Calendar
Click through by day, but also the ability to see a monthly view.
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Live matches
Front and centre.
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Following section
Quick access to favourites.
REDESIGN
OF SEARCH
The search experience was redesigned to improve speed, relevance, and ease of discovery—enabling users to find teams, competitions, and content with minimal effort.
Insight
Users struggled with slow and inaccurate search results due to strict keyword matching, lack of filtering, and no support for recent activity—leading to frustration and failed searches.
Design
Improvements
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Integrated predictive search with smart keyword suggestions, helping users reach relevant results faster as they type
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Added recent search history, allowing users to quickly revisit previous searches and continue their journey seamlessly
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Consolidated filters into a single, Clear and categorised view, reducing the need to navigate between multiple screens
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Improved overall search structure to deliver more relevant and accessible results
Impact
The redesigned search reduces effort and time-to-result, improves accuracy and discoverability, and enables users to find relevant content faster with a more intuitive and efficient experience.
IA OF
SEARCH
PREVIOUS
DESIGN
NEW DESIGN
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Predicative Search
Integration of predicative search with keyword suggestions. Alongside this a recent search history for users to refer to.
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Filter Options
Filter options have been developed to include all filter options in one spot under specific categories to allow the user to easily filter what they need.
REDESIGN
OF TEAM
The Team screen was refined to improve clarity, usability, and efficiency making it easier for users to access key actions and understand team information at a glance.
Insight
Users experienced friction navigating team details and actions due to scattered controls, unclear status visibility, and low visual distinction between different types of content.
Design
Improvements
-
Grouped key actions: share, favourite, and search into a single, centralised location for easier access
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Enabled editable team details, allowing users to quickly update and manage team information
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Introduced a colour-coded status pill to clearly indicate whether a team is active
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Increased prominence of the Club Home button to support faster navigation
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Applied distinctive visual cues to differentiate upcoming and past games, improving readability and context
Impact
The redesign simplifies interaction, improves information clarity, and enhances overall usability allowing users to navigate team details more efficiently and with greater confidence.
USERFLOW OF TEAM & MATCH CENTER
PREVIOUS
DESIGN
NEW
DESIGN
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Club Home button
Highlighted Club Home button for stronger visibility and quick return.
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Distinctive Colours
Distinctive colours used to clearly separate upcoming vs. past games.
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Grouping of key functions
Centralised share, favourite, and search functions for easy access
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Easy Edit Ability
Easily editable team name/details for quick updates.
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Active Status Pill
Colour coding to show in-season vs. off-season
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Sync to calendar
button Sync to calendar button to help users schedule around games.
REDESIGN
OF MATCH CENTER
The Match Centre was redesigned to prioritise key information and create a more focused, insight-driven match experience.
Insight
Users struggled to quickly interpret match outcomes and key highlights due to scattered information, excessive tabs, and lack of visual emphasis on important data.
Design
Improvements
-
Displayed the final score prominently, allowing users to quickly understand match outcomes at a glance
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Introduced a Top Performer card, highlighting standout players and adding meaningful context to the match
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Streamlined navigation across Summary, Play-by-Play, and Stats, reducing tab overload and improving content accessibility
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Added intuitive icons to clearly communicate location and time details, enhancing readability
Impact
The redesign improves clarity and information hierarchy, enabling users to quickly absorb key match insights and navigate content more efficiently resulting in a cleaner, more engaging match experience.
PREVIOUS
DESIGN
NEW
DESIGN
-
Use of intuitive icons
Clear location and time details using intuitive icons.
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Top performer highlighted
In a dedicated card for standout visibility.
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Calendar
Click through by day, but also the ability to see a monthly view.
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Prominent Display
Of final score for quick match reflection.
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Streamlined Navigation
For Summary, Play-by-Play, Stats. To reduce tab overload and improve usability.
USABILITY
TESTING
ONBOARDING
-
Participants responded positively to the inclusion of location-based services for discovering local teams and events. One participant noted the onboarding flow outperformed their current go-to app, signaling strong first-impression value.
HOME DASHBOARD
-
The "Live Now" feature, real-time scoring for ongoing games emerged as a standout, drawing praise across the board. Participants described the dashboard as intuitive and easy to navigate, with one noting a marked improvement over a previous iteration of the design.
SEARCH EXPERIENCE
-
Filtering options (age, gender, sport) were well-received, giving users a fast path to relevant results. Predictive text in the search bar, paired with suggested tabs, further streamlined discovery and reduced friction in the search flow.
TEAM PAGE
-
The team page received the strongest overall response, with participants describing it as clean, well-organized, and easy to use. Standout features included calendar sync and play-by-play updates, both cited as highly appealing additions.
ISSUSE &
ITERATIONS
ONBOARDING
-
Participants found the scrolling mechanism for sports selection unclear, indicating a need for stronger visual affordances.
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The password requirements icon was also flagged as too small to interact with comfortably;
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feedback suggested surfacing these requirements upfront rather than requiring an extra interaction.
HOME DASHBOARD
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Participants questioned the value of surfacing the previous day's schedule on the dashboard, suggesting it would be better housed within the calendar icon instead.
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Navigation consistency was also raised, with a recommendation to reposition the home button to the far left to align with the app's broader navigation pattern.
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Additionally, the schedule view was found to display only six of seven days, a gap that could create confusion.
SEARCH EXPERIENCE
-
Participants recommended that collapsed filter dropdowns display currently selected options, improving visibility into active filters.
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Adding text labels alongside sport icons was suggested to improve clarity.
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Feedback also indicated that recent searches added little value once a user was actively conducting a new search.
TEAM PAGE
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Participants felt the "competitions" tab was redundant, with its content better surfaced elsewhere.
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Suggestions included incorporating each team's brand colors into their page for a more personalized feel,
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displaying the team name directly beneath the logo to reinforce context for the next upcoming match.
USABILITY TESTING & VALIDATING
We conducted usability testing with a targeted group of participants, including returning interviewees—sports fans (David and Jack) and GameDay staff (Ash and Jorge). The objective was to validate whether the redesigned onboarding, search, and dashboard experiences reduced friction, improved task efficiency, and increased user confidence.
Participants completed key tasks using the interactive prototype, including onboarding, finding teams, and accessing match information. Feedback was captured through observation, direct quotes, and post-task reflections.
“Using the location to bring up local events, clubs, and teams… I actually quite like that.” – Ash
“Overall, the UI looks really nice. It’s clean, straightforward, and the team page and home page are very well designed.” – Jack
“The onboarding felt pretty seamless… I like that if someone’s in a rush, you can skip through it.” – Jorge
“It was nice to have predictive text while searching, so you didn’t have to type the entire name.” – David
Validated Improvements
-
Personalised onboarding improved relevance and reduced early confusion, particularly through location-based search and filtering (age, gender, sport)
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The dashboard redesign enabled faster access to key information, with users highlighting live scores and layout clarity as major improvements
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Predictive search significantly reduced effort and time-to-result, increasing confidence in finding teams and competitions
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Play-by-play updates** enhanced engagement by surfacing real-time match insights in a clear and accessible way
Areas for Iteration
-
Improve visibility and affordance when selecting favourite sports during onboarding (e.g. clearer indication of scrollable content)
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Strengthen active filter feedback to ensure users understand which filters are applied
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Reduce cognitive load by minimising recent searches when users begin typing
Outcome
The testing validated that the redesign successfully reduced friction across key journeys and improved efficiency in completing core tasks such as onboarding and team discovery. Users demonstrated higher confidence navigating the app and accessing relevant content, while targeted refinements were identified to further optimise clarity and usability in future iterations.