Players making better players.


Rally is an app designed to support recreational adult athletes of all levels, drive skill development through peer recognition and bridge organic connections through shared competitive interests.

Inspired by the idea of a rewarding rally between you and another player.

Project Context - 7mos duration
I was the primary UX researcher and UI designer, responsible for:

  • Foundational Research (Participant recruitment, user interviews, competitive analysis)


  • Research Synthesis (User personas, user scenarios, empathy maps, affinity mapping)


  • Information Architecture & Flows (User Flows, Key Feature Prioritization)


  • Testing & Iterations (Lo-fi wireframes, prototyping, user testing)


  • Branding (Logo, icons, brand style tile)


  • Final handoff (UI component set, final iterations, hi-fidelity prototype)

The Motivating Issue:

As someone reengaging with sports as an adult and dedicating 3-4 nights a week to recreational (rec) sports, I noticed a gap between two key groups of players: Less Experienced and More Experienced players.

Specifically, the lack of accessibility for less experienced players seeking higher levels of competition but having limited opportunities to improve and enter more experienced circles.

I set out to understand what incentivizes more experienced players to help less experienced players improve their skills and whether variables such as affordability and social dynamics affect a player’s competitive trajectory.

The Warm up

01.

Concept Foundation & Preliminary Research

Introduction

According to a 2025 Civic Science survey, 1 in 4 North American adults are interested in joining a new recreational sports league in the summer.

Since 2023, there has been a full 2-3 percentage point increase in certain motivational reasons for joining recreational adult sports. What was once sought after for personal enjoyment, general health and fitness has *pivoted to furthering skill development, competitive desire, and stress relief.

(Above) 2023 Civic Science survey, trending rec sports in adult leagues

3 COMPOUNDING Factors

1. Culture Shift

As interest increases and motivations shift towards a more competitive mindset, the gap widens between less experienced athletes and those who developed the skills earlier.

2. Contrasting Needs

These circles don’t necessarily intersect within recreational leagues. Unfortunately, those who desire higher levels of competition, lack options for development.

3. Limited Options

Seeking professional help is typically expensive or unavailable. Weekly practices and games don’t prioritize intentional skill development.

Initial PROBLEM

How can recreational (rec) athletes access social circles that provide affordable, local opportunities to overcome skill plateaus and progress to higher competitive play?

ANALYZING THE GAME

02.

identify the key problem to solve & counter-evidence verification

Research Overview

Research objectives set out to verify whether financial and opportunity limitations affect less-experienced (less-exp.) players’ pursuit of higher competition, and whether or not these also influenced more-experienced (more-exp.) players’ incentives to coach/help.


Methods:

In-person User Interviews

SWOT Analysis

Affinity Map

spoilers:

Users want to improve but seeking a coach is less about affordability and relies more on their ability to impact the game. the higher the probability to affect the game, the more motivation.

social dynamics are present, but more experienced players are willing to help for free as long as they have a low-commitment way that still preserves their rec. time.

(Above) SWOT Analysis, MeetUp, CoachUp, Lessons.com

  • Insight: Progress is gauged through external feedback (ie. ranks, tournaments, leagues, etc.) and proximity to certain social groups can speed up access to this feedback.

    Redirection: Both types of players use external feedback and social groups to help gauge their level of progress.

Assumption #1

Assumption #2

  • Insight:‍ ‍Affordability is a factor, however a player’s self-perception on impacting the game or their team’s success is more influential when seeking coaching.

    Redirection: Less-exp. players need to know where they can be most effective in order to pursue specific skills and enhance their competitive experience.

Assumption #3

  • Insight: Time investment and (similar to the less-exp. player) one’s perceived impact are more influential when it comes to helping other players improve their skills.

    Redirection: More-exp. players need low-commitment opportunities to provide advice that doesn’t take away from their rec time.

    Articulating expectations and achievable goals can make it easier for more-exp. players to offer timely, targeted support.

Key Player VALUES

1. Feedback helps to establish clear expectations and set achievable goals.

I value having other people’s opinions and rankings help,
being able to have awareness where you fall.

Kelby

Beginner-Intermediate pickleball player

You don’t want to come across as mean or a know-it-all. Maybe they don’t want help, so it’s kind of a question mark whether you step over that boundary.

Justin

Advanced indoor/sand volleyball player

2. Players are more motivated to seek coaching when they believe there’s applicable impact.

If we just played on a women’s net I’d probably seek someone to teach me how to block, because then it’s beneficial…Once I knew I had potential, I tried harder.

Cali

Beginner-Intermediate indoor volleyball player

I’m more likely to coach kids because you see a lot of improvement.

Atira

advanced tennis player

3. Time is a limited resource for both user groups,
but connecting socially is time well spent.

day one you could just look around and see the people who knew their stuff… [Approaching Justin] was easy…because it felt like we were friends already.

James

Beginner-Intermediate indoor volleyball player

I’m trying to build the community I want to be a part of, the barrier is just time management.

Justin

Advanced indoor/sand volleyball player

REEVALUATE THE PROBLEM

Original Proposition:

How can rec athletes successfully discover affordable, local opportunities to overcome skill plateaus and progress to higher levels of play?

Research Adjusted:

How do we match less experienced players with more experienced players in ways that enhance rec competition through clear goals, peer feedback, and offer low-time commitments?

A STARTING ROSTER

03.

Synthesizing data into user personas, structure and features

Defining personas & scenarios

User scenarios contextualized key user values, needs, and goals using stages to help formulate user flows. Both user groups were analyzed based off empathy maps and interview data.



Methods:

Empathy Maps

User Scenarios

User Personas

Flows & sitemap

Key Areas of Definition

  • Less Experienced Players = The Ambitious Newcomer
    (Beginner-Intermediate levels, new/returning to sport(s), Jr. High-High school level reached)


    More Experienced Players = The Reluctant Mentor
    (Advanced-Semi Professional Levels, former collegiate level, coach qualified)

  • They hardly do. Accessibility vs. awareness dynamic.

    “I knew volleyball [open gyms] ended in August and league starts. I want to be asked to play on the league team or be good enough for people to be like, ‘Oh! Her!””

    - Atira F. (Beg-Int. volleyball player)



    “There’s always room in advanced leagues..., it’s just getting people to that level.

    A lot of advanced players don’t go to open gyms, [and] a lot of players at open gyms don’t know these people very well. It only allows for a very select few who get called to play [up].”

    - Justin H. (A League, adv. volleyball player)

  • Ambitious Newcomer: wants to gain entry into higher competitive levels and needs feedback from more experienced player(s) to accomplish this.

    Reluctant Mentor: wants to broaden their competitive pool and needs the ability to discover potential players without requiring demanding commitments.

adjust for user-specific SCENARIOS

Research Adjusted Solution:

How do we match less experienced players with more experienced players in ways that enhance rec competition through clear goals, peer feedback, and offer low-time commitments?

User-Targeted Solution:

How might we create intersecting pathways to help rec athletes discover players outside their peer communities through shared goals, peer feedback, and low-time commitments?

KEY FEATUREs
& competitors

MUST HAVES:

  • Player Profiles/Recommendations
    (See shared goals, low commitment discoverability)

  • Skill Endorsements/Leaderboards (Feedback, shared goals, low commitment discoverability)

  • Local Event Calendars
(Shared goals, low commitment discoverability)

NICE TO HAVES:

  • League-Building & Player Categories (Centralized space for player discoverability, “free agency/Need players”)

  • Activity Feeds/followers
(promote more engagement between players, track progress)

  • In-app Messaging (User ease for quicker matchups, organization, and introductions)

DELIGHTFUL:

  • Event-specific Coaching (Promoting mentorship, establishing clear goals and expectations.)

  • Player “Drive” (Player to player feedback, supports player evaluation for targeted discoverability and league recommendations)

Rally vs. competitors

MeetUp, facebook groups, and whatsapp are the primary competitors in central oregon’s rec leagues.

Unfortunately these platforms don’t actively promote user discovery and interaction aside from the generic social media engagements (likes, comments, posts).

NO user context - ways to evaluate user skill, goals, or interests

buy-in is high - random friend requests, private dms, isolated inquiries

minimal subgroup networking - whatsapp offers subgroups, but they live in long group chat formats

PUT INTO PLAY

04.

Branding, lo-fi to hi-fi wireframes, initial solutions

(Above) V1 Hi-Fidelity wireframes, iPhone 14 Plus screens 1.0-3.5 and branding elements

Brand Concept:

Rally is an app designed to support recreational adult athletes of all levels, drive skill development through peer recognition and bridge organic connections through shared competitive interests.

Inspired by the idea of a rewarding rally between you and another player.

  • To rally is to gather for a shared purpose.

  • A rally is a single point, fought in an exchange between two teams or players.

  • Rallying is also an inspiring term to keep the spirit of fun alive after a setback.

TIME OUT

05.

Prototype testing & design iterations

Usability Testing

The specific task tested focused on The Reluctant Mentor persona seeking a new and qualified player to join his competitive tennis team. This required participants to fall under “High Intermediate-Advanced” level rec. players.

A click-through prototype tested five users on whether they could:

  • Discover an appropriate teammate for their advanced (4.5-5.0 NTRP) coed tennis rec team.

  • Navigate easily with app UI in order to confidently collect information and communicate with a new player.

  • Evaluate whether or not users share goals and similar interests.

  • Initiate a conversation and confirm a future connection with a new player.

spoilers:

Real-life application, competitive market advantage, and visual graphics were met with high enthusiasm.

HOwever, tests showed major interruptions regarding categorization, navigation, and ui comprehension.

Areas of Improvement

01. Navigation & Categorization

5/6 users stated flow wasn’t easy prior to the player profile. 

(Above) Frame, "iPhone 14 plus 1.0," on Rally V1 showing terms like “Challengers,” and “Endorsements,"

"I would have liked to see a list of players then see their endorsements...

I was looking for a list and was surprised to not see a list of 'All Players.'” - Taylor L.

02. Insufficient UI Signifiers

2/5 users resorted to ‘button mashing’ to progress or discover.

(Above) Frame, "iPhone 14 plus 2.0," on Rally V1 showing player leaderboard icons

"…for me, there's no meaning behind those icons…if you were to do gold cups, silver cups, etc. to determine between a competitive or novice player, it would have made more sense to me.” - Chris S.

User-Influenced Revisions

01.

Issue: Navigation & Categorization
Solution: Familiarize Categories

  • Icons were expanded into clearer categories. “Endorsements” changed to “Players”


  • “Challengers” was removed from Challenges section, too ambiguous and unnecessary to user’s top needs

02.

Issue: Insufficient UI Signifiers
Solution: Tool tip glossary & clarify brand terminology

  • Icon Glossary was included for Ability icons and minor glossary was added to the bottom for rank variations.


  • Player’s page adjustments:

    • Added “Level” column for easy rank identifiers (Volleyball - “A League, BB League, etc.”)

    • “Skill” changed to “Ability” to differentiate between attributes and experience.

    • Your Court removed (Activity Feed is already on home dashboard) and replaced with Recommended/Trending players for personalized suggestions and quicker discovery.

03.

User-Specific Revisions:

Left to Right:


  • Immediate game set up, players can see who is available for a game day-of. Prompts game initiation and speeds up a real-life pattern seen in group chats/WhatsApp groups. 


  • Coaching available for specific events. Users can see if advance players are offering support in preparation for certain events. Users also have specific filters for easier discovery, “Open Play,” and “Player Needed.”


  • Level & Experience section in Player Profile to help distinguish from Goals and provides full context of a general rank with endorsed attributes below.

POST GAME REVIEW

06.

Preliminary Findings on User Impact & Personal Reflections

80% of users Found rally to be easier and faster over meetup, whatsapp, and facebook

for making player connections.

“UTR - it’s cool but it’s such a vague rating…but this gives you a clear idea of where their level is at and what they like and what they don’t like.

Boom. He’s there. It’s easy, it’s like plug and play.”

James, Int-Beg. volleyball player, advanced tennis player

”If you can guarantee a user base for this, then it’s awesome! I’d be playing a lot more and it’d be easier to organize beach volleyball.

It’s a pain on message boards. [I’d have] a lot greater variety of potential players, which would be cool!”

Taylor, Advanced volleyball and tennis player

“[you] to have to be manually added to a WhatsApp group and there’s no entry into the community.”

I felt like it was easy to figure out who those rally partners were and like what objective they served…

that really helped me narrow it down and understand that like okay Kevin was gonna be a good person to connect with.

Nicole, Int.-Adv. volleyball player

(Above) Bend Beach Volleyball Group: Summer Grass Volleyball League, August tournament

Final Thoughts

Rally challenged me to design for a community I thought I understood because I was part of it. Being an active rec player made me confident going in, and that confidence was exactly what I had to check. My initial assumptions about affordability being the primary barrier were wrong, and the research proved it quickly. That was the most valuable lesson: proximity to a problem doesn't replace talking to the people experiencing it.

If I were to approach this again, I'd recruit a more diverse participant pool earlier. My users skewed toward millennial volleyball and tennis players, which shaped the feature priorities in ways I didn't fully account for until usability testing. Testing.

What I'm most proud of is how the problem statement evolved. The shift from "how do we help less experienced players find coaching" to "how do we create intersecting pathways between two player types" was the turning point and it came entirely from listening to users, not from assumptions I walked in with.