Problem statement
How might we gain insights, and identify opportunities for maintaining a competitive edge for Played in the market?
Role: User Experience Designer
Skills: Market research, Competitive analysis, User research
Timeline: October - December 2022
Approach
Created two different use cases based on customers to understand their goals and motivations.
Identified and compared competitor features with Played’s product by creating and testing the platforms using demo accounts, utilised market research data by sales team, supplemented by user reviews from websites like ProductHunt or TechCrunch.
Documented observations to map pain points, likes and ideas.
Utilized findings to inform UX design and development strategy, focusing on addressing current customer pain points - improving scheduling, customer and booking management, and enhancing the mobile app experience.
Identifying use cases
Two different personas were identified for Played - customers with multiple venues and activities and customers with single venue and activities. Understanding their motivations and frustrations helped in identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Research and observations
Once the competitors are identified, a comprehensive analysis is conducted to compare their features with Played's product. Direct competitors included sports management platforms with similar offerings, whereas indirect competitors included other booking management platforms in different domains.
The team created demo accounts on these platforms to explore their functionalities and study features and their user flows similar to Played. Data from the sales team was utilized to identify pain points, while secondary data sources were employed to gather user reviews and best practices in UX.
It was observed that most platforms excel in payment options and booking management, while areas for improvement include customisation, third-party integrations, enhanced analytics for data-driven decisions, marketing tools, and customer management.
How can Played be improved?
The different patterns identified in both the audits were mapped into three sections - Likes, Wants and Ideas which were then used to to inform Played's product development strategy.
To achieve the main goal of both the use cases - increasing participation and automating tasks, following recommendations were done for Played based on the observations:
Third-Party Integrations: Implement seamless integration with popular calendar and payment providers, allowing users to synchronize their schedules and payment methods easily.
Improved Customer Management: Enhance the customer management system to handle refunds, cancellations, and automated reminders, ensuring better customer service and reducing manual intervention.
Customization Options: Provide users with more customization options to personalize their storefronts, allowing them to showcase their brand identity and unique offerings effectively.
Enhanced Analytics: Upgrade analytics tools for actionable insights, enabling data-driven decisions. Enhance data visualization with interactive charts, graphs, and additional filters for flexible analysis.
Marketing Tools: Introduce built-in marketing tools such as email campaigns, promotional offers, and social media integrations to help providers attract and retain customers.
Mobile App Experience: Optimize the mobile app interface for a smooth and intuitive experience, catering to users who prefer booking and managing activities on-the-go. Accessibility considerations should also be taken into account to cater to differently abled people.
Improved Schedule Management: Streamline the schedule management process, enabling providers to easily add, modify, and update activities without complexity.
User Education with FAQ and Video Tutorials: Implement a dedicated section for FAQs and video tutorials to educate users about the platform's features and ensure a smooth onboarding experience.
Future recommendations to improve end user experience and business growth for providers:
User Reviews and Ratings: Allow users to leave reviews and ratings for sessions they have attended, creating a transparent and reliable feedback mechanism for providers and encouraging trust among potential customers.
User Rewards and Loyalty Programs: Introduce rewards or loyalty programs to incentivize frequent attendees, encouraging repeat business and fostering a sense of appreciation among loyal customers.
Limitations
At this stage, the project scope only allowed for key feature updates based on current customer pain-points, and some limitations were present due to technical and time constraints.