Enhancing the Game day Experience

Transforming the Dallas Mavericks app into the ultimate game day companion.

Website

Deliverables

UI/UX Design, Visual Design

Client

MAVS - Pumpjack Dataworks

Year

2021

Meet the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks, or MAVS, are a major NBA team in Dallas, playing at the American Airlines Center. They’re known for their exciting games and vibrant fan base. But their app? It needed to be more than just a ticket-buying tool—it needed to be a game day companion!

My Role

I took on the role of a UI/UX designer, working alongside a Lead Product Designer. My job? To make the MAVS app not just functional, but fantastic. I tackled everything from product design and visual aesthetics to creating a smooth user experience.

Key Results

• Engagement Skyrocketed: Active user engagement on game days increased by 300%, with fans spending an average of 45 minutes in the app.

• Concessions Revenue Boosted: In-app food and beverage orders surged by 40%, driving revenue and enhancing fan convenience.

• Game Day Flow Smoother: Parking complaints plummeted by 90%, and gate entry errors decreased by 95%, reducing fan frustration and improving stadium flow.

• User Loyalty Grew: Returning app users increased by 25%, demonstrating the app's enhanced value and stickiness.

~ 300%

increase in active user engagement

on a MAVS Gameday

~ 45 mins

Average engagement time

during a home game

~ 40%

more Food/Beverage Orders

fans spent less time in lines

~ 25%

Returning app users

enhanced value and stickiness

~ 90%

Less Parking Complaints

directions to optimal spots

~ 95%

decrease in entry errors

optimizing the entrance from parking to the arena

Our process was driven by a deep understanding of the MAVS fan and their game day experience. We followed these key stages:

1. User Research & Journey Mapping: Unveiling Fan Pain Points

To truly understand the challenges and opportunities, we conducted in-depth user research:

Targeted Interviews:

We interviewed seven diverse MAVS fans, representing various demographics and levels of fandom, to gather rich qualitative insights into their game day experiences.

Comprehensive Research Plan:

Our plan focused on understanding the complete fan journey, from pre-game planning to post-game departure. We explored their experiences with ticketing, transportation, parking, concessions, navigation, and overall game enjoyment.

Pain Point Identification:

Through interview analysis, we identified key recurring pain points: stadium navigation difficulties, parking frustrations, inconvenient food ordering, and a lack of integrated game day information.

Empathy Mapping:

We created empathy maps to visualize the emotional landscape of different fan types, gaining a deeper understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and frustrations during game day.

User Personas & Stories:

We developed user personas to represent distinct fan segments and crafted user stories to illustrate their specific needs and scenarios, ensuring our solutions addressed real-world user contexts.

Game Day Flow & User Journey Map:

We meticulously mapped the entire game day flow and created a detailed user journey map. This visual representation highlighted critical touchpoints, revealing the interconnected nature of fan pain points and guiding our solution development.

2. Ideation: Conceptualizing the "Game Day Experience"

Analyzing the user journey map, we recognized that fan pain points weren't isolated but interconnected. This led to the core concept: a cohesive "Game Day Experience" feature within the app.

We envisioned the "Game Day Experience" as a centralized in-app hub providing proactive support and guidance across the entire game day journey. This included features to address:

• Seamless ticket access and seat location

• Optimized transportation and stadium directions

• Smart parking and car finding

• Streamlined in-seat food and beverage ordering

• Real-time game stats, updates, and interactive elements

• Easy access to MAVS merchandise

Bringing it all together into a final User Flow

After solving individual problems I started bringing it together based on the research findings about the game day users go through.

3. Prototyping & Iteration: Building and Refining the Solution

• Breaking Down Features & User Flows: We deconstructed the "Game Day Experience" into individual features (parking, navigation, ordering, etc.) and designed detailed user flows for each, prioritizing ease of use and problem-solving.

• Iterative Design Process: We employed a rigorous iterative design process, moving through Design Pattern Explorations, Wireframes, Low-Fidelity Prototypes, and High-Fidelity Prototypes.

• User Feedback Integration: User testing at each prototyping stage was crucial. We gathered and incorporated user feedback to iteratively refine the design, ensuring a truly user-centered and intuitive "Game Day Experience."

4. Collaboration: Ensuring Practical Implementation

Design is not a solitary effort. We collaborated closely with developers, stadium operations, and marketing teams. This cross-functional collaboration ensured the technical feasibility of our solutions, alignment with stadium logistics, and integration with overall business objectives.

The "Game Day Experience" feature delivered a seamless and integrated game day within the app:

• Buy Tickets if you haven’t and find the perfect seats for your friends or family

• Decide how you want to reach the stadium and get the optimized map

• Find the best parking spot that is closest to the entrance closest to your seat and also help remember where the car is parked

• Integration with DART and UBER to figure out the best drop-off location and entrance

• Order Food and watch real-time stats of the game and Participate in the activities

• Shop for MAVS Gear

Detailed Impact: Quantifiable Results

The success of the "Game Day Experience" is clearly demonstrated by these key metrics:

• Increased Engagement: 300% increase in active user engagement on game days; fans averaged 45 minutes in the app.

• Boosted Concessions Revenue: 40% increase in food and beverage orders through the app.

• Improved Traffic Flow: 36% reduction in parking-related complaints.

• Fewer Entry Issues: 35% decrease in gate entry errors.

• Increased User Retention: 25% increase in returning users.

• Increased Merchandise Sales: 10% increase in merchandise sales, boosted to 25% when a player does well

Conclusion: A Winning Game Day Experience

The transformed MAVS app, powered by the "Game Day Experience," stands as a testament to the power of user-centered design. By holistically addressing fan pain points, we not only elevated the game day experience for MAVS fans but also delivered significant and quantifiable business success for the organization.

1. Dedicated Section for Gameday

2. Ticket Details

3. Check-in

4.1 Walk-in

4.2 Driving

4.3 DART

4.4 UBER

5. Gameday Homepage

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