Booking NYC Courts
Overview
Starting this project from scratch, me and my team specifically focused on improving the reservation system for public courts in NYC parks. Currently, the system is fragmented, with different parks having various reservation methods, some online and some in-person. We identified this fragmentation as a potential source of frustration for users.
My Role
In my team of three, I held the role of UX researcher and designer, with a primary emphasis on the user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design aspects of the website. My responsibilities included conducting user interviews, analyzing the findings, creating user persona and user journey, and overseeing the design process from initial sketches to the final prototype.
Project Report
The project report includes the full documentation on the Play On project.
Tools
Methods used
User Interviews, Affinity Map, User Persona, User Journey, User Flow, Problem Statement, Feature Prioritization, Sketching & Design Studio, Prototyping & Iterating, Usability Testing
Specification Document
The user interface specification document captures the visual details and interactions of a user interface to guide developers while building a product.
The Challenge
The system for reserving public courts in NYC parks offers some room for innovation. Different parks have diverse reservation methods, some are accessible online while others only in-person. We felt it was a potential cause of frustration for users.
Our goal was to better understand the current reservation systems or potential lack with reserving courts in NYC public parks. We set out to learn this information in order to inform our design process and ensure we could create a product useful to the most amount of people that also improves upon the current system.
What was causing problems?
The space we wanted to explore was the use of public courts and fields in NYC parks. We wanted to start with a wide scope and get data on any type of court, tennis, pickleball, basketball, etc. We also wanted to understand any experiences, both positive and negative with the current systems.
How might we provide a universal way for people to confidently reserve courts, fields and recreational facilities, in order to have positive sporting experiences across NYC?
Spotlight on: The Booking App
Welcome to Play On,
the ultimate app for booking tennis and pickleball courts in NYC. Seamlessly plan your sports activities by reserving a court whenever you want, ensuring you never miss out on the best playing opportunities.
Design Process
Different sports, different solutions
Before going too far, it was important to narrow the scope of sports we would initially solve for, and concentrate on similar and popular options.
We focused on sports with similar needs and users to find a better solution and narrowed our focus down to Tennis and Pickleball.
Empathize
What did we hear from potential users?
We began by identifying a few key factors in who we would talk to. These would be critical to make sure our interview subjects provided appropriate insight into our space.
We decided to focus on two key traits:
-
People who utilize parks/recreational sports facilities
-
People who enjoy sports and would want to play in proper facilities
Our first step was to speak with users to gather data to inform our design process. We created a Screener Survey and identified our target candidates, then sent it out to find participants.
We talked to people who currently play or had played pickleball or tennis on NYC public courts.
5
people
were conducted
minutes
per interview
15-25
Notes
were taken
while interviewing
After conducting our interviews, we were left with a lot of new insights and information. From here, we identified key themes and were able to generate key insights we could later ideate design features from.
Knowing a reservation is valid
and the court will be free when
you arrive is a key component
Reservations
Booking in advance
allows enjoyment of hobbies
within busy lifestyles
Reserving ahead
Having precise information about
the availability of timeslots at various
parks and courts is essential.
Court Availability
Define
Who are we designing for?
Guided by our insights that offered a clear orientation, we started creating our target user.
What is Ryan’s journey?
Furthermore, we envisioned a typical day in Ryan's daily routine. This exercise enabled us to identify his most frustrating moments, which could potentially be transformed into valuable design prospects.
Ideate
What features does the app need?
We took another look at our core insights we discovered in the research phase to guide our design process. There are some prioritized features that are most essential to the product creation process.
Quick Booking
Booking from Maps
Share Booking
Design
Designing PlayOn
With all our research in mind we started working on some sketches which turned into a mid-fidelity prototype and later on into a high-fidelity prototype.
User Interface
Before starting to work on the High-Fidelity Prototype, we made a few design choices. We decide on a Typeface and Color Palette to build a cohesive design layout.
Our Typeface choice was Proxima Nova. It embodies the sense of security while placing a reservation and also captures a playful essence that aligns with the lighthearted nature of sports.
Play On Walkthrough
Take a look at the app from start to finish.
Test
Testing the App
To assess the effectiveness of our product for users, we conducted two rounds of usability testing involving another 5 participants. We collected feedback and data. Following the initial feedback round, we elevated our designs to a final high-fidelity level.
Looking back
Reflecting on our journey in crafting a court reservation app, we are happy in having developed a solution that genuinely addresses a requirement for users in NYC. We did a lot of research and came up with easy-to-use features that we tested and only had to change a little bit.
In the future, we might add more sports to the app and even include private courts. This way, we can give users more choices and make the app even better.
Other Projects
We were assigned of designing a mobile-responsive website centered around social impact. My team and I refined our focus to crafting a platform dedicated to assisting mindful consumers in minimizing food waste within their households.
Take a look at the solution.
Roamefy, is a trip planning tool to help travelers plan their trips within seconds. Trip planning takes hours of research and browsing lots of different resources, Roamefy simplifies this by generating a curated travel itinerary based on traveler preferences. Take a look at the solution.