DREAMS
An app to fulfill dreams of athletes
Note: This project was done as a part of Google's UX Design certification.
Problem Statement
The sports industry is booming across the globe. Athletes from India have proven themselves at the top of the game on both a national and international level without a doubt.
However, India has had far less success in sports compared to other countries despite being the second most populous country in the world.
Hypothesis
Below are some of the reasons:
1. Lack of support to athletes
- In India, there are many great athletes who do not pursue their career in sports due to financial reasons, training issues, etc.
- Despite reaching a certain level of accomplishment, these athletes find it difficult to sustain their success due to a lack of opportunities and no support from the authorities, thus losing hope to continue their sports careers.
- Below are the some examples:
2. Lack of Sport awareness
In India, sports awareness is a major concern. Cricket is still considered the only popular sport in India. In schools and in childhood, we have seen and experienced the way sports are viewed. Lockdown has even led to a deterioration of sports culture.
Research
Secondary Research
- In the Tokyo Olympics 2020, India had one of the best performances, but in comparison with other countries they ended up far behind in the medals tally.
- India competed in only 18 of 46 Olympic sports, where as China & USA participated in 30+ sport events. This means that Indian athletes were even unable to qualify for participation in other sports.
- Below is India's Tokyo 2020 Olympics comparison with USA & China:
There have been many articles on India's problems with sports.
Based on the above articles, below are the findings:
- Sports is never a priority for a majority of Indian parents and their kids.
- Lack of facilities at the grass root level is a major problem. Schools and colleges lack basic facilities that can encourage other sports, so even if someone has a natural talent in a particular sport, it gets crushed at the school level itself.
- Cricket continues to dominate India's sporting landscape. Sports other than cricket are not given much weightage as a career option.
- The governing boards of the sports federations are under the control of politicians and bureaucrats who have little or no interest and knowledge of the specific requirements and anticipated problems in that sport.
- However recently, the government and many other sporting organizations have taken massive steps to sort out India's sporting mess and this revolution has taken the country by storm.
- The grassroots initiative have provided opportunities for young kids to showcase their talent at a school and college level. It also has awarded scholarships to talented kids to ignite their passion towards the sport.
Primary Research
We interviewed 10 sports fans ranging in age from 18 to 60 years old to understand what they think about sports culture in India. Apart from the general interview, below were the common questions that were asked:
1. What sport or sport tournaments do you usually follow?
2. India has the worst population to medals ratio at the Olympics. What according to you is the reason for this?
3. Where do you watch sport events?
4. Which sport(s) do you follow regularly?
5. If given the chance would you like to contribute in any way possible to the future of Indian sports with in return of equal value to your contribution?
6. How do you feel if any Indian athlete does well in any sport? Would you be willing to celebrate their victory by contributing a small amount?
- A majority of people still consider cricket to be a financially secure sport.
- A lack of good nutrition is also a reason for athletes not performing well at the international level.
- Lack of sport facilities is the major issue in India's sport d
Findings from the interview:
A majority of people still consider cricket to be a financially secure sport.
A lack of good nutrition is also a reason for athletes not performing well at the international level.
Lack of sport facilities is the major issue in India's sport development.
Live streaming on OTT platforms has played a part in raising awareness for sports.
Sport medals influence more people to consider careers in sports.
People are more likely to donate in sports if there is a historical moment to mark or if the player is from their state/hometown.
Pain Points
Below are the pain points highlighted based on research and interviews:
Lack of sport facilities & coaching expertise
Lack of nutritional awareness among athletes
Lack of awareness of less popular sports
Providing support directly to athletes is difficult
Possible Solutions
Organize fund-raising campaigns for athletes
Organizing fund raising campaigns will assist local athletes in continuing their sport careers. These campaigns can also be created for schools/colleges in rural areas to build sport facilities for students.
Arrange sports, nutrition, etc. sessions online by athletes
Arranging sports sessions in schools and colleges by top athletes will encourage children from a young age to take part in sports. Students will gain knowledge about athletes' journeys, nutrition, and fitness importance through these sessions.
Organize competitions between teams at the school and the state level
Organizing tournaments of less popular sports at the local and district level will help them improve their performance.
Raising funds by streaming sports events live. Eg: Superchat in YouTube
Over the last few years, OTT platforms have flourished. Superchats on live matches or historical sporting moments can be used to raise money that can be donated to different campaigns.
Organize fund-raising campaigns for athletes
Organizing fund raising campaigns will assist local athletes in continuing their sport careers. These campaigns can also be created for schools/colleges in rural areas to build sport facilities for students.
Arrange sports, nutrition, etc. sessions online by athletes
Arranging sports sessions in schools and colleges by top athletes will encourage children from a young age to take part in sports. Students will gain knowledge about athletes' journeys, nutrition, and fitness importance through these sessions.
Organize competitions between teams at the school and the state level
Organizing tournaments of less popular sports at the local and district level will help them improve their performance.
Raising funds by streaming sports events live. Eg: Superchat in YouTube
Over the last few years, OTT platforms have flourished. Superchats on live matches or historical sporting moments can be used to raise money that can be donated to different campaigns.
Storyboaring
Storyboarding
Persona
Sanjay is a software engineer, who is also a huge sports fan.
Scenario
Sanjay helps a young boy living in his building who excelled at tennis but now is unable to continue due to financial difficulties.
Persona
Vivek works as a consultant at a bank and is passionate about following sporting events.
Scenario
Vivek feels like giving something to Bajrang after his great victory over Daulet Niyazbekov in wrestling match.
Persona
Jaya runs a cake shop and also volunteers at an NGO for underprivileged kids on the weekends.
Scenario
Book an online session with an athlete for underprivileged kids.
Wireframes
The design process is iterative. I began by drawing sketches on paper, made several iterations, finalized my designs, and then later started designing in Figma.
Final Designs
Low Fidelity Wireframes and Process flow
Flows Covered:
- Onboarding
- Walkthrough questions for personalized feed
- Support Indian Sports
- Promote sport awareness
- Rewards
1. Onboarding
2. Walkthrough questions for personalized feed
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3. Support Indian Sports
4. Promote Sport Awareness
Promote sport awareness by holding sessions/interviews with great athletes and organizing games.
5. Rewards
Usability Testing
Prototype
The live prototype can be found here:
LinkTakeaways & Future Scope
Takeaways
After I completed this exciting project, I took a moment to consider what went well and what needs to be improved.
What went well?
1. I was working on a problem statement I felt really passionate about. To become an athlete requires a lot of dedication and they should be supported in every way they can to make their country proud.
2. This reminds me of Amir Khan's dialogue from the Dangal movie - Medalists don't grow on trees, they have to be made - with love, hard work, dedication
3. By starting from scratch, I was able to gather information, compile research, think of app features, create a storyboard, understand user flows, create prototypes and think about the overall impact of the app.
Areas which need improvement:
1. There is still room for improvement in my visual design skills, which I will constantly strive to do.
2. Good interactions make a prototype of the app much better, which I will definitely try to improve on in my next project.
Future Scope
Below are the some features that be build for future enhancement of the project
1. Document athletes' journey: Document the journey of athletes who received assistance from this app and share their inspiring stories with others.
2. Brand work for athletes: Help those athletes to work with brands that will help them to increase their net worth and bring more stability to their life.
3. Mental Health Support: A feature of providing support for athletes and what athletes should do to stay strong mentally during tough times.
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