Crease Pro Case Study
Crease Pro is a lacrosse training app where users can find custom training programs to help reach their goals.
The Challenge
Crease Pro is a developed lacrosse training app with capabilities that allow users to complete training outside of their team practice through app-generated workouts. Currently, users only spend 1-2 days per week on average in the app. Crease Pro wants users to stay on the app more and engage with their teammates more. I was tasked to find a solution that incentivized users to regularly return to the app.
The vision
The vision is twofold: focus on Gamification and Social Interaction
1. Design multiple features within the app that allow users to track their stats, relevant numbers and training accomplishments.
2. Implement social features for players to interact with their teammates.
My Role:
UX/UI Designer and Researcher
The Team: I was on a team with 2 other UX designers
Tools Used: Figma, Miro
Timeline: 30 Days
Platforms: Mobile
Understand and Map
Through initial research and interviews with 5 lacrosse players and coaches, I discovered that some of the key indicators for player success were related to the ability to track stats and interact with other players. The feedback I received indicated that users would be encouraged by both personal and team competition.
One user stated, “I think I would be more motivated to train on my own if I could track my progress easily.” Another stated, “When I think about lacrosse, I think about my team. I want to interact with my team both on and off the field to build a sense of camaraderie and trust.”
From this research, my team and I concluded that the critical screens we needed were related to: User Stats, Workout Summary, Team Feed, and a way to view training accomplishments. Here is the initial user flow we developed:
Competitive Analysis
Before creating wireframes, we conducted competitive analysis of brands that excel in gamification and social interaction.
Crease Pro is an existing lacrosse training app that wants to add features that boost engagement and interactivity. With this in mind, we completed an analysis of the following mobile apps: Gymshark, DuoLingo, and Whoop. Gymshark is a fitness apparel brand that incorporates a dynamic home feed in their app and interactive tracking for products ordered. DuoLingo is a language learning program that implements highly effective gamification into learning progress tracking. Whoop is a fitness tracking band that allows users to see custom metrics when they link their band to the app. The competitive analysis among these 3 companies allowed us to:
Compare functional design of apps that encourage users to STAY on the app and keep coming back as a returning user.
Identify core features that promote social interactions
Verify the ways users respond best to gamification
Below is a summary of some key findings from the analysis.
Wireframes
After conducting the competitive analysis and finishing initial user interviews, I designed wireframes for the critical screens we determined from our initial research and user flows. These screens include the ability to track personal stats, acquire badges for achievements, see your teammates activity and interact with other players. I designed the profile screen to feel as engaging as possible with numbers and statistics driving user interaction.
Initial Mockups
5 user tests were completed with the wireframe design. Users ranged from current lacrosse players, lacrosse coaches, and past collegiate players. Users expressed continued interest in the ability to track stats. 3 users expressed they would like the ability to upload their current game stats in addition to training stats. From these tests, we concluded there were 3 main elements of the design we want to expand:
Adding the ability to see a user’s training progress on the profile screens
Implementing a summary of the workouts with a rating at the end of training
Allowing users to upload their own game stats
Below are a few screens from the first round of high fidelity designs created.
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Dynamic Home Screen
Users are able to immediately start training, view highlights from their team, and see their own progress towards goals on the home screen
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![app high fidelity mock-up]()
Team Feed
Created a team feed where users can “cheer on” or love the achievements of other players
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![app high fidelity mockup]()
User Badges
Created and added achievement badges to the app to incentivize players to keep returning
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Workout Summary
Added summary of workout to show player’s progress towards goals
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Train Screen
Implemented chat with coach feature to add a more social, interactive feel to the app
Comparison of Designs
The existing Crease Pro app had minimal interactivity and gamification features. Here are some of the screens before and after the re-design focused on engaging users to stay on their app. Click on the image below to see comparisons.
Final Iterations
In the final phase of testing, we learned from a combination of coaches, current lacrosse players, and past collegiate players that we needed a little more incentive for users to stay on the app. We found that users wanted to have more capabilities in the app other than training and viewing stats. To implement more gamification, we added a few pop-ups to highlight the interactivity of the app.
A mental health check-in was added so players can record how they are feeling as needed. A feature to expand unearned badges was created so users can see what they need in order to achieve that. A share with team feature was also added to the end of the training screen so players are encouraged to share their progress. In addition to these changes, we replaced the “My Team” feed with a “My Goals” tab to highlight the main purpose of this project: gamification.
Interactive Prototype
If you’d like to access an interactive prototype of the Crease Pro app design, click on the image or click HERE to launch.
Results & Next Steps
This project allowed me to collaborate on a team and develop critical skills like time management, communication, and delegating roles. In partnership with Crease Pro Founders, I was able to solve a real-world problem that was presented to my team and provide solution designs that are being implemented in their app with now over 8000 users. I focused mainly on gamification and building social features within the app that engage users to return on a daily basis, and the app has continued to grow since working on this project.
If given the opportunity to continue working on this project, I would love to build out a portion of the Crease Pro app that allows users to view blogs, podcasts, and links to professional sports resources to make the app more engaging and informative. I think if Crease Pro continues to develop their designs and expand on what they currently have, there is potential for this app to become the “standard” in the lacrosse community for tracking stats, interacting with other players, and training in an informative way.