The Dedicated
Digital Network for Women's Sports

Role

Solo UX UI Designer:

User Research
Journey Mapping
Wireframing
Information Architecture
Interaction Design 
Design Systems
Prototyping User Testing

Timeline

4 months

Overview

Screenshots of a mobile app interface related to outdoor sports and activities, including sections for articles, user profile, search, and browsing snowboard spots.

I was hired by She is Action team to design the MVP of a new innovative platform from the UK, that aims to unleash the sporting ability that is locked inside all women, by breaking down the barriers that stop them participating in sports.

The initial vision was to create an online community platform to be the home of women’s sport, providing the most accessible recourses and connecting woman together.

A woman sitting on grass near a body of water during sunset, facing away from the camera.

The Problem

Women’s sports is a hot topic, but despite the number of resources catering to them, businesses still struggle to overcome the barriers of getting more women active, especially in radical sports.

Disappointingly, research carried out by She Is Action team found a majority of women surveyed mentioned at least one sport they wanted to try that they had been put off participating in.

Why? Barriers cited by women as preventing participation included body image, fear of being judged as a beginner, lack of knowledge on how to get started, and no one to go with.

My Process

Graphic representation of a magnifying glass with blue and black elements, featuring circular nodes combined with network lines.

Discovery and Analysis

  • Research and surveys

  • Competitors research

  • Persona development

  • User journey mapping

A blue pie chart with four sections, on top of three blue bars of varying lengths, all representing data visualization or statistics.

Concepting

  • User flows

  • Wireframes

  • Defining the creative direction

  • Client feedback cycles

Hand-drawn illustration of a smartphone with a blue screen and two adjacent vertical blue bars, resembling a bar graph.

Outcome

  • Design system

  • Final high fidelity designs

  • Prototyping

  • User testing

Research

“She Is Action” Survey Results - Oct to Nov 2022

The Audience

We conducted a survey focusing on women aged 18-65+, mainly from the UK and central Europe, with interests across a variety of sport disciplines. This survey included more than 10 questions that helped us understand our target audience, and the pain points that they face.

Pie chart showing 84.8% Yes and 15.2% No responses.

The audience was asked if women’s sporting content was important to them. Of the respondents who answered “yes”, a further 92% of those said that they found mainstream media / content too male focused. 

Bar chart showing reasons for not engaging in a certain activity, with categories such as 'Nothing available in my area,' 'Too expensive,' 'I don't know how to get started,' 'Not enough time,' 'Fear of being judged as a beginner,' 'No one to go with,' 'Not enough knowledge about what to expect,' 'Male dominated / not enough women,' and 'None of the above.'

Respondents were asked which of a set of options (if any) had put them off participating in the sports. 

Framing the Problem

5 Ws Framework

A colorful project board with four sections, each in a different color, containing text about a sports community project. Yellow section titled 'Who?' explains target users, blue 'What?' describes the project's vision, green 'Where?' identifies the location, and red 'When?' specifies the usage timeframe. The sections are signed by Sofia Tendero.
Text content about a new platform empowering women in sports and mental health, with the quote attributed to Sofia Tendeiro.

Concepting

Wireframe shows a social networking app with screens for connecting with new members, a news feed, messaging, and editing user profile details. Elements include location input, sports interests, skill levels, and connection options.

Designing the user flows wireframes consists on defining the information architecture of screens. I explored various navigation approaches to determine the best experience for the user.

Wireframe of a mobile app interface with a landing page on the left and artist profile on the right, showing user interface elements and descriptions.
Flowchart diagrams the structure of a platform's user interface, including sections like settings, user profile, members, news, library, messages, rooms, and their sub-functions. It uses different colors and icons to indicate statuses or actions.

I collaborated with She is action team along the way to validate concepts and gather feedback to continue improving the experience.

Design System

A presentation slide with four sections titled 'Spacing,' 'Typography,' 'Colors,' and a blank area, featuring examples of font styles and color palettes.
A collection of various button design styles, including different colors, states, and sizes, organized on a white background with labels such as 'Default,' 'Hover,' 'Active,' and 'Disabled.'
Design mockups of navigation bar styles for a user interface, including master, default, and alternate color themes with icons and labels for Home, News, Find Members, and Messages.
Screenshot of a dropdown menu titled 'Placeholder' with multiple items labeled 'Item' and icons, and a list of items with labels and icons in a user interface.

The Solution

Screenshots of a mobile app interface for a social or activity platform, featuring a welcome message with a member's profile, tabs for news and messages, and sections for top stories, including mountain landscape and snowboarding content.

Landing page

Creating a new platform that brings women closer to the resources they need, and each other, empowering them to confidently participate in sport at all levels.

Easy to navigate, the platform will bridge the gap between businesses and their target audience, while connecting likeminded women.

Mobile app interface showing a surfing location in Carolina, Wales, UK, with options to filter by sport and skill level.

Browse members

She Is Action will offer members an indexed resources management platform, using digital technology to match specific content. From a database of aggregated resources based on needs such as location, interest and skill level.

Screenshots of a mobile app featuring outdoor activity articles, including hiking and surfing, with a detailed page about beginner hiking tips.

Newsfeed and article

Mobile app interface showing a profile page of Sarah Williams, an intermediate surfer from the Philippines, with a photo of her holding a surfboard at the beach; achievements include skateboarding medals; photos of rock climbing and surfing; social media section with a connect button.

Members Profile

Screenshots of a mobile app showing a search feature for snowboarding and hiking activities, with a search bar and search results with images, tags, and dates.

Search feature

Mobile app screens displaying outdoor recreation content. The left screen shows a news feed with a headline about hiking tips, while the right screen provides an overview of Patagonia, an outdoor apparel brand, with a logo and article related to mountain sports.

Top Stories | Brand Profile

Play with the Interactive Prototype
Play with the Interactive Prototype

Let’s collaborate!

Have a similar project in mind?

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