The Design Thinking Process

The drawing board

To begin, I defined my research goals to compile the demographics of tennis players in the US today, see what similar apps are doing, and understand the perspective of the individual user.

Do people still play tennis?

Following my plan, I conducted market research to uncover insights about the current state of tennis in the US.

Getting competitive

I also took a look at how courts could already be reserved through the city, and how other apps were solving similar problems in other industries.

Good commentating

In order to better grasp the goals, needs, motivations, and frustrations of potential users, I sat down and had a conversation with several current tennis players that match my demographic research. I then synthesized these conversations into user needs to be addressed by the design.

Prototypical player

By combining market research and user needs, I produced a “persona”, or a user that embodies my research - Devon.

Devon is someone that I can refer to when making design decisions - if it works for him, it works for the design.

Point construction

User needs are converted into statements that define the space for which to design solutions. This is done using “Point of View” and “How Might We” statements to ensure cohesion from user insight to problem statement.

Big brain time

Using the “How Might We...” statements as prompts, I produced initial solutions/features that could later be more closely examined and prioritized.

Conserving energy

Referencing user research, the original project brief, indirect competitor analysis, and the brainstorms, I derived a list of prioritized features needed to constitute a minimum viable product (MVP).

Features like a “window-of-time” chooser and court feature tags by review score must be included to directly address user needs. A feature like court reviews can wait.

Mapping for success

Referencing the prioritization, I created a blueprint for where features would fit into the structure of the app.

Finding the flow

Task Flows and User Flows define the expected path through the site, as users seek to accomplish specific goals.

As I implement features into the design, I can refer back to these flows to ensure that each feature empowers the user to do what they intend to do.

The devil is in the details

Knowing what tasks Devon would be looking to accomplish on the app, I created an in-depth explanation of every feature and its purpose.

Practice drills

With data-driven structural planning finished, features were able to start taking form, beginning with low-fidelity sketches of screen layouts.

These sketches were based on design patterns found in similar reservation apps, such as Yelp and OpenTable. Many iterations were considered, with the below layouts being the ones I decided to move forward with.

Warming up

To allow for testing without creating a finalized app, I created a set of medium-fidelity wireframes that would support the tasks from the earlier flow diagrams. I then connected those frames together in Figma to create the testing environment.

Right on the line

Based on my user testing, as well as feedback from fellow designers, I arrived at a number of iterations that were needed to finalize the MVP from a usability standpoint.

Major Iterations

Pre-match hype session

Before branding, I took some time to put together a mood board.

Defining a play-style

Based on the mood board, I created a basic style tile to guide the UI design of the high-fidelity wireframes.

What’s in my bag?

To aid developers and other designers, I created a UI Kit that contains all of the elements from the final MVP in the form of a centralized library.

Game, Set, Match

The MVP can now be handed off to developers to be fully realized as a mobile app, which will be followed by further testing.

The app will need to be connected to existing city-controlled reservation systems. As an MVP, there is huge potential for expansion of features, as well as applications for sports beyond tennis.