The Fantasy Hoops Podcast
Client Project
Mobile Browser Design
2023
Role
UX Designer
Platform
Web, Mobile
Tools
Figma
Duration
1 month
Deliverable
Hi-Fi Mockups
The Challenge
Providing actionable fantasy basketball insights to players improve their teams
Solo Client Project
Objectives
The business goal is to decrease abandonment and increase user retention.
What I did
After reviewing the website, I proposed to consolidate tips and advice and bring them to the front of the user flow so that users can access actionable information as quickly as possible.
How?
I relied on research insights from user interviews to guide UI decisions and content hierarchy, and competitive analysis
Assessment
Competitive Research
I asked 10 people how they improve their fantasy teams and 80% of participants said when looking for prospects, they look at :
"Player Overview" (Summary of the player's most recent games)
"Recent Stats" (Point averages in the last x days)
Competitor Highlights
Current fantasy basketball applications provide realtime statistics and recent point averages
Opportunities for Improvement
The Fantasy Hoops Podcast can provide performance projections with current data to stay on top of player trends
What's already good? What can we improve upon?
Usability Heuristic Evaluation
I conducted a heuristic evaluation on the original website to identify any usability issues.
Original Website (Blog and Ranking Page)
Aesthetic, and Minimalist Design
Does the system provide the user to focus on key elements without application notice?
Is the application designed with proper grouping, colors, and use of good shapes?
Is the application designed with proper grouping, colors, and use of good shapes?
Evaluation
The contents "Blog" page and the "Ranking" are difficult to differentiate.
Original Website (Podcast Page)
User Control and Freedom
Is there an “undo” function at the level of a single action, data entry, and a complete gorup of actions?
Can users cancel out operations in progress?
Can users move forward and backward between fields or options?
Can users easily reverse their actions?
Does the application allow users to recover from errors easily?
Does the application guide over the functions or the application restrict user freedom in the application?
Evaluation
None of the pages had a "back" button, creating clunkiness in the navigation and causing users to feel trapped at times.
Original Website (Call to actions)
Visibility if System State
When clicking on an action button or completed a process does the system provide feedback to the user?
Does shape / color change when the element being selected or cursor on top the element
If multiple options can be selected in a multi-select menu, is there visual feedback about which options are already selected?
Does the system provide feedback when primary actions are clicked?
Evaluation
There was no feedback on most of the major call to action buttons
Planning
Old User Flow
Reframing decision points
I found that the original user flow contained too much cognitive overload and I thought to streamlining this process by reframing the decision junctures of the flow.
Restructure information hierarchy
In the original flow, there was a summary of the podcast indicating useful, actionable tips (which players should be dropped picked up, etc.). This information was a bit hidden from the users so I moved it to the front.
Removed search bar function
I removed the search bar because I would rather feed the users what they want, I don’t want them to think, and I don’t believe this is worth having coming from a developer/business standpoint
New User Flow
The new user flow is simplified to promote users thinking less and give users information faster.
Information Architecture
I prioritized information that would have the most immediate impact to improve teams.
Low-fidelity Wireframes
I tried to make the format similar to how stock market trends and updates appear. (Through the usability test, users found this confusing and was not compatible.)
I added a "trend belt" that would update player values in real time.
I used contents in the form of a border to separate sections of the home page.
I reformatted the player rankings to preview information.
How would I even know if this would work?
Mid-Fidelity Prototype and Usability Testing
I tested the Mid-Fidelity Prototype with 5 NBA fantasy basketball players
Users had a hard time figuring out what the website had to offer just from the home page.
Users thought player rankings was still finding its place in the website and users were questioning its use.
The useful information was still too many clicks away, however, users thought this information was beneficial.
Users figured having the podcast so high in priority was not beneficial to the website.
Affinity Diagram
I organized the feedback from the usability test and categorized them into "Player Advice Task Flow" (main task flow), UI, Navigation, External Links, and Information Organization.
Insights from Usability Test
Condense and organize home page to have items easier to view
Narrow down player info even more and consolidate with rankings information
Create more freedom in navigation
Final Hi-Fidelity Prototype
Using the insights from the usability tests, I made the main element the waiver wire section, which is what fantasy players are familiar with and will be looking for.
At each page, users were able to find actionable information to improve the fantasy teams easily.
Mobile Iterations
Outcome and User Metrics
100% of usability heuristics were resolved, conversion rates increased by 70%, and 50% more of users were no longer confused about contents and were able to complete the task flow.
Next Steps
I would like to keep an eye on user retention rate in real time as this is the main goal with Fantasy Hoops Podcast and I would run more usability tests on my iterations to identify more pain points.
I would also like to look at projection successes to give the website credibility and to build more trust with users.
Reflection: Balancing User Needs and Business Needs
A reoccurring problem was keeping the user in mind while also thinking of stakeholder goals. Finding a balance in what users are looking for and what stakeholders want required me to communicate an agreement with stakeholders on what the end goal is.
I was constantly attempting to please two separate entities with the solution. The key was to constantly communicate my thought process and keep stake holders in the loop.
By updating them with audits, testing results, and iterations and reasoning, the end product was something that both users and stakeholders were happy with.
