After the successful launch of the WNBA redesigned website, the league contacted us again. This time they wanted us to redesign their mobile app. They were unsatisfied with the previous app limited functionality and they wanted to bring in some of the features we had implemented on the web to the application.
Role:
Lead UX Designer
Time frame:
Oct 2022 - May 2023
Tools:
Figma, Optimal Workshop, UserTesting, Jira
Our research insights helped us define three mobile design principles that were our guiding star through the process.
Get to know the user upfront and provide curated content specific to their interests.
Bring fans closer to their favorite players on and off the court through different types of unique content.
Be a real-time one-stop-shop for fans. Allow fans to find all the league information and content in just one place.
We included multiple features that allowed fans to feel connected to the games and players. Enhancing the viewing experience and heightening the sense of community were key to make the app stand out.
Live game streaming, real-time scores and statistics, customizable alerts, video highlights, and enriched game details enable fans to engage more deeply with the sport. Fans can track game progress, stay informed, and enjoy a more satisfying and immersive experience.
Highlighting the stars of the league: the players and teams. Fans can explore in-depth information about their favorite teams and players through their profiles and never run out of ways to stay connected during the off-season through exclusive video content and social feeds.
By leveraging patterns and behaviors common in social media such as short form digestible content, stories, reels, and favorites, fans can more easily navigate and immerse themselves in the content of app.
Innovating and growing fan touch-points through new digital offerings. Keeping pace with the evolution of new mobile technologies, fans can add live activity from games directly to their lock screen and dynamic island so they can get real time updates even when their phones locked.
By clearly displaying the benefits of League Pass, providing multiple avenues for purchase, and simplifying the process, users were more likely to purchase a subscription package.
Increase in App Downloads
Increase Content Conpsumtion
More Streaming Subscriptions
We had a very tight timeline for this project, so we replicated the working flow we had previously used for the WNBA website redesign. This is the process we followed:
We already had a lot of fan research from the website redesign project so we utilized those learnings as a starting point for the app. New research focused on identifying mobile specific behaviors and needs.
View Deliverables on Figma →
Equipped with our research findings, we moved on to the MVP planning stage. We identified the core features necessary for the app's optimal functionality. Our focus was to deliver a Minimal Viable Product that stood out for its simplicity, usability, and value.
The next step in our process was the development of the information architecture. We meticulously planned and structured the app's content in a user-friendly way, ensuring easy navigation and a seamless user experience. We used app analytics, competitive analysis and our research findings to help guide htis process.
From our research we knew what features were more important fans. We held an internal workshop with our product, engineering and client teams to determine which screens to focus on based on impact and feasibility.
As we progressed with the designs, we conducted multiple rounds of usability testing wit real WNBA fans. We used usertesing.com as well as optimal workshop as our research tools. We ran a total to 24 unmoderated remote usability testing sessions and 36 tree testing sessions. We discovered several opportunities for improvement and made necessary adjustments to optimize the user experience and ensure the app's design was in line with users' expectations.
Finally, we brought our design to life through the UI design stage. We used the same design system we had used for the web but we adapted it to include mobile app specific patterns and components.
