Helping golfers understand and improve their game
OVERVIEW
TaylorMade wanted to redesign and optimize an existing desktop app into an on-course experience that would provide unprecedented statistical analysis and help golfers better adapt, improve and understand their game.
THE CHALLENGE
The biggest challenge? I am not a golfer! I had a lot to learn from expert stakeholders before I could successfully execute the project goal. Beyond the personal challenge, I needed to fit all the relevant information onto a small screen and make it easily accessible and not interrupt the flow of the game.
USERS
The app is for amateur golfers who are interested in improving their game.
MY ROLE
UX Design Lead for an 8-month project that launched an iOS and Android app
EXPERIENCE PRINCIPLES
After talking to the stakeholders at TaylorMade, who happen to also be professional golfers, we agreed to keep the following experience principles in mind as we went about designing and building the app.
Stay out of the way
Simplify the in-game experience so that the user can stay focused on their game
Feedback
Provide user feedback along the way. Anything that is editable should look editable
Connectivity
Be mindful of connectivity on the course
Readability
Be mindful of readability due to glare
JOURNEY MAP
The first step in redesigning the experience was to start with the key journeys the users will be taking. By first identifying and walking the TaylorMade team through each of these scenarios, I was able to get valuable input on key elements and actions that needed to be available each step of the way.
STORYBOARD
Once we got feedback on the user journeys, I started to sketch out the in-game experience so that the visual designer could start creating the look-and-feel and developers can get started. We collaborated throughout the process to make sure the design was in alignment with the required screen elements. This was often a fluid process between design, development and the client.
Storyboard of the main flow of adding a shot
WIREFRAMES AND LO-FI PROTOTYPE
Creating a prototype of the wireframes helped with the setup flows and making sure they were streamlined. The in-game play pieces were for reference only to the developers. As the development team worked through issues like GPS and putting scenarios I helped refine them as we progressed.
Just before we launched, we conducted user testing on the course to uncover glaring issues with the app before launch. The putting process proved to be the most difficult part.
LESSONS LEARNED
Designing a complex app like this takes time to refine and test with users. As part of an agency with a set SOW, this wasn't possible.
This app also really needed the addition of a smartwatch to make it ultimately useful. Without a device that can automatically detect when the user is hitting the ball and accurately detect GPS, it is cumbersome to use.