777 Partners / British Basketball League Digital Transformation / 2021

Empowering clubs to create delightful fan experiences.

Product Summary

Overview

The British basketball league is home to 10 clubs that each manage their digital content and fan engagement digital platforms individually.
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This project seeks too create an easy-to-use scalable digital product that empowers the British Basketball League and it’s clubs to seamlessly manage, connect, share and sell British basketball experiences. 

The Problem

Our clubs experience a painful process when using outdated or segmented digital platforms for creating sharing and selling products with their customers and fans. As a result they waist time and money credibility… If this problem was solved it would benefit clubs by allowing them to spend less time focusing on the technology used, and more time attending to the needs and wants of their customer and fan base. 

The Challenge

Our teams and fans deserve a cohesive and delightful experience. By creating a experience that is easier used on both end would increase engagement and result in an increase sales both tickets and online. 

My Role

As a Product Designer at 777Partners, I lead design for all British Basketball digital experiences. I'm responsible for providing an overall vision, roadmap and design direction in a collaborative effort with the team of designers, developers and stakeholders.

Discover

Internal Stakeholder Interviews


To initiate a comprehensive digital transformation, it was crucial to grasp the current challenges and goals of the business, particularly in relation to their primary end-users, the fans. To gain these insights, I conducted a series of interviews with key stakeholders associated with the British Basketball League (BBL). These interviews included discussions with esteemed board member Sir Rodney Walker, BBL Community Outreach Director Jason Henley, BBL Outreach and Marketing Lead Selina Conroy, as well as club operators such as Dominic Stevens from the London Lions and Mark Clark from Abbey basketball.

Through these interviews, my objective was to gain a deeper understanding of their day-to-day activities, the challenges they encounter, and the limitations of their existing technological infrastructure. Additionally, I sought to uncover the tools and platforms they currently utilize to manage various aspects such as marketing, fan engagement, and Ecommerce. This valuable information would serve as the foundation for determining the appropriate next steps in this transformative journey.

Technology Audit

10
60 min one-on-one sessions
18
Surveys with BBL, 777partners and technology teams.

Key insight,
Most clinics desire to post content how they want when they want. Currently they require a post request from the US office when updating content which made it impossible to provide up to minture time sentive information like news and score to their fans.

Key insight,
Most clubs have there own combonation of solutions for e-commerce, marketing management, and fan engagement.

Key insight,
Clubs wanted an easy experience when sharing content.

Key insight,
Almost all of the sites were not responsive and or mobile friendly.

Key insight,
Most clubs wanted but did not have access to site alalytics.

User Interviews and Team Workshops

As a newcomer to British basketball, I recognized the importance of understanding the industry and its intricacies. To gain comprehensive insights, I facilitated a series of workshops that provided valuable perspectives on both fan expectations and the specific needs of club operators. By engaging with various stakeholders, I was able to delve deeper into the requirements necessary to meet the expectations of both parties effectively.

4
Collaborative Workshops

Fans

Club Operators

We found Fans and Customers are eager to learn more about the clubs and their team members. They want to be part of the community events, and be able to share their involvement with their friends. But of course ultimately they wanted to know when the next game is, who's playing and how can they buy tickets.

Club Operators want to connect with their fans and recored who they talked to when and why. They have very little time and resources and need there technology to be uncomplicated and easy to use. They want understandable data and success metrics and predictive intelegenc with fan engagement, ticket and product sales.

Understand

The Audience

With our research we During our research, we uncovered a total of seven provisional personas, catering to both the clubs and their dedicated fans. These personas provided valuable insights into the diverse range of individuals and their unique needs, allowing us to tailor our design approach and create meaningful experiences that resonate with each persona group. 7 provisional personas for both the clubs and their fans.

Personas

Club Operators goals ranged from marketing focused to community outreach driven to product sales improvement.

Fan personas goals were; I want to learn more, I want to find highlights and share content and I want to get me and my family evolved in community programs.

John Smithers

I want to provide Community Outreach Programs

Ben Shaw

I want to find and share highlights

Sarah Hill

I want to post content that is informed by data

David Miller

I want to share my interest with my family and get us excited about community programs.

Josh Dixon

I want to manage participants when I'm coaching in the community

Olivia Granger

I want to learn more about the BBL and buy tickets to a game.

Daren Skipp

I want to know how to improve our overall sale both online and during the games

Visuallizing the End-to-end

Through collaborative meetings and Figma Jam sessions, we meticulously developed customer scenarios, user flows, and user journeys. Our focus extended beyond just the ideal paths, as we actively identified obstacles and potential roadblocks, known as red routes. This comprehensive approach allowed us to address and account for a wide range of user interactions and experiences, ensuring a well-rounded and robust design solution.

Fan Journey

Scenarios

Storytelling serves as an invaluable initial step in outlining the desired outcome for end users. It acts as an effective exercise that fosters a shared understanding among the team regarding the problem we aim to solve. By creating a storyboard, we were able to vividly depict the user's journey and communicate the envisioned solution in a compelling and relatable manner.

User Flow

Design

Setting the design direction

Product design extends beyond the realm of the design team. Collaborating closely with stakeholders, developers, and the product lead, I facilitated a series of productive whiteboarding sessions. Together, we collectively designed the comprehensive user experience, meticulously crafted individual components, and defined overarching design elements. This collaborative effort ensured that multiple perspectives were incorporated into the final design.

Sketching Sessions

Over several 1hr drawing sessions the product, development and design teams worked together to design what the overall experience could be. We were free to

We found Fans and Customers are eager to learn more about the clubs and their team members. They want to be part of the community events, and be able to share their involvement with their friends. But of course ultimately they wanted to know when the next game is, who's playing and how can they buy tickets.

Component Design

Based on our initial sketches, we proceeded to deconstruct the pages/screens into components, and further dissected them into individual elements. This process allowed us to analyze and organize the various design elements systematically.

Exploratory design

Through the utilization of Figma Jam, we facilitated a collaborative process to exchange ideas and establish web and component design styles. Our goal was to achieve a unified look and feel that could be conveniently adapted and themed to align with each club's distinct brand guidelines.

We found Fans and Customers are eager to learn more about the clubs and their team members. They want to be part of the community events, and be able to share their involvement with their friends. But of course ultimately they wanted to know when the next game is, who's playing and how can they buy tickets.

Responsive / Dynamic Website.

In addition to developing the mobile app, we also created a responsive web platform to complement the mobile application. Whenever possible, we leveraged the dynamic mobile components to ensure consistency across both platforms.

Working with the London Lions and adhering to their brand guidelines, we utilized their website as a testing ground for our new framework.

Final Thoughts

Conclusion

The all-in-one process of working with the team to discover, design, and develop everything from scratch was a thrilling experience and has become one of my favorite projects. Throughout this case study, we successfully created a fan-facing web and mobile app that is currently undergoing testing with end user audiences and project stakeholders.

Next Steps

In the first phase, our focus was on the fan-facing web and mobile app, and we have made significant progress in testing and refining these platforms. Moving forward, the management of posts and content publishing will be handled by the BBL. Our next priority is to enhance the supporting Content Management System (CMS) to empower Clubs to manage their own platforms, both on the web and mobile. This development will further improve the overall user experience and provide Clubs with greater control over their digital presence.