Making Ultimate Frisbee More Accessible
Passion Project | UI/UX Design, User Experience Research, Ultimate Frisbee
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Project Overview:
After joining the Ultimate Frisbee Club in high school, I made many new friends and lived a much healthier routine. However, due to the high number of participants required for each game (14 people), many experienced players and newbies with zero experience found it difficult to find casual tournaments or training.
I aim to design a mobile app that connects the Frisbee community by providing a user-friendly tournament registration system and a platform for learning and communication.
Role
UX Designer, UX Researcher, Product Designer
Timeline
May 2022 - Nov 2022
(6 Months)
Task
UX Design, UX research
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Adobe Indesign, Procreate, Tencent Survey
The Challenge
Players can't find games; captains can't find players.
Most Ultimate Frisbee training sessions rely on small, insular local networks for players. This made local teams impossible to expand and be discovered by people who want to experience the sport.
The Solution
A Sneak Peek
Struggling to join an Ultimate Frisbee match?
Find a game
The 'Play' tab bridges game organizers and disconnected players by increasing the visibility of upcoming games, helping organizers attract more players and enabling individuals to easily find nearby games to join.
Don’t know where to start?
Learn About Frisbee
Beginners are often discouraged from playing Ultimate Frisbee due to a lack of readily accessible learning resources. The app will provide a curated selection of reliable external materials to help new players get started.
More design showcase at the end...
The Design Process
Research
Identifying Design Opportunity
Research Summary
Those who know experienced frisbee players are more likely to break into the sport.
After interviewing my high school frisbee teammates and friends of varying levels of experience (from total beginners to team coaches), I learned that all of them were introduced to the sport through encounters with frisbee-playing friends.
In the Ultimate Frisbee "chicken and egg" problem, where experienced players are the chickens and beginners are the eggs, the chicken must come first.
Semi-Structured Interview Highlight
Survey Insights
Survey of 56 people across China shows that knowing experienced players helps with breaking into the sport
A survey was conducted to learn about the Ultimate Frisbee experiences of people aged 18-50, representing both experienced players and non-players. The survey was distributed across China using Tencent's survey platform, covering people from 18 out of 23 provinces.
Of all the surveyed people who have never played frisbee before, 77% reported that they want to try the sport, and rated a median of 4/5 for difficulty to become engaged with frisbee.
User Segmentation
Breaking down all existing and potential frisbee players based on experience levels and connections with experienced players
Based on interview and survey results, I organized all the existing and potential frisbee players into four groups based on their experience level (Beginner or Experienced) and Connectedness to existing frisbee players (Disconnected/Connected)
User Journey Map Based on User Segments
Being disconnected is a major obstacle to enjoying frisbee;
Beginner players lack sufficient resources to improve.
Based on interviews and survey results, here’s how people’s experiences with playing ultimate frisbee vary depending on their user segments.
Interview & Affinity Diagram
Using the 'Rose, Thorn, Bud' method and grouping ideas with an affinity diagram, I identified that key design opportunities lies in building supportive community and creating learning resources.
After collecting valuable interview insights, I color-coded the notes by theme: frisbee's advantages (Rose - Red), disadvantages (Thorn - Green), and potentials (Bud - Yellow). I then used an affinity diagram to group similar notes and identify patterns. Focusing on the groupings with the most yellow notes (opportunities), it became clear that the greatest design potential lies in improving learning resources and community support.
For high-definition images of individual post-it notes, click here.
User Persona
Keeping "Who I'm designing for" in mind
The following three user personas are based on interviewees who represent the platform's three main user groups: 1) Game and Tournament Organizers, 2) Frisbee Enthusiasts, and 3) Beginners and Non-Players.
Ideate
Visualizing Solutions
Design Brief
I aim to design a mobile app that connects the Frisbee community by providing a user-friendly tournament registration system and a platform for learning and communication.
Based on research findings, a key opportunity lies in creating a platform for both experienced and beginner frisbee players to connect. This would address the gap where many people want to try frisbee but don’t know how or where to start, while also benefiting experienced players by attracting newcomers, simplifying tournament and game organization, and increasing opportunities to make friends.
Information Architecture
Keeping things quick and simple
Here’s a breakdown of the app’s information architecture. It consists of five tabs, each featuring 2-3 key action items, ensuring easy navigation and quick access to important functions.
From Sketches to Low-Fi Mockups
I made continuous efforts throughout the idea-development process to stay user-centered.
Case 1 - Designing The "Play" Tab
Balancing information displayed per frame
I explored three layout options for presenting users with the 'Play' tab. The second design stood out for balancing a moderate number of games per frame with ample space to display each game's details.
Case 2 - Designing The "Community" Tab
Organizing messages
A key feature of this app is the community section, enabling users to stay connected with their frisbee networks and use the "World" subtab to discover teams locally and globally. The second design was favored for its fewer navigation steps and a lower learning curve, being more similar with the layouts of other social media platforms.
Picking Colors
With user feedback, I refined the color palette to create a more focused user experience.
I derived my initial color palette by selecting the best moodboard from three that conveys the sport's energetic mood.
Initial Color Applications
I then applied these colors to the low-fidelity mockup based on my preferences.
User Feedbacks
I presented my initial color designs to two potential users from different user segments, and here are their responses:
"Some of the game information are hard to see"
Zi, Captain of UCLA Men's Ultimate B-team
Large font size caused formatting errors, splitting words across lines and reducing readable information on the card. Low color contrast on sub-texts also impacted readability.
"I don't know where to look"
Ariel, Beginner at UMich Ann Arbor
The excessive use of highly saturated colors, such as dark green and gold colors, distracts users from reading the app's content.
Revising based on Feedbacks
Based on user feedback, I simplified the palette by removing the gold color to reduce visual clutter. I also adjusted the color proportions by increasing the use of white and grey for the background, while reducing the prominence of the primary and secondary colors to make them stand out more.
Final Color Applications
The final version balances visual priority by applying the signature orange only to key action items, making important information stand out and significantly reducing visual strain for users.
User Flow 1
Join or create a game
Here’s a breakdown of the user flow for registering and creating a game within the app's main tab, 'Play'.
User Flow 2
Learning the sport
Here’s a breakdown of all the learning resources available under the 'Learn' tab, with four main sections: 1) Throwing Techniques, 2) Frisbee Knowledge Quiz (to be designed), 3) First-Aid Information, and 4) Ultimate Game Rules.
Prototype
Realizing Concepts
Benefiting all users, especially for the disconnected ones
Join or create a game in just a few taps
This feature drastically improves how frisbee players engage with the sport, making it easier than ever to join or create games, significantly improving Ultimate's accessibility for everyone.
For beginners to kickstart, and pros to level up
Learn all about frisbee and don't forget about safety
Beginners often feel discouraged from playing Ultimate Frisbee due to a lack of accessible resources. This app provides curated materials to help new players get started, including first aid guides and a quick-dial button for emergency services (110, the 911 equivalent).
Direct Message, Group Message, and Explore the World (of Ultimate, of course)
Stay Connected, Grow Together.
Experienced players, including coaches and captains, shared difficulties managing frisbee connections across platforms like Instagram and iMessage due to their large networks. The "Community" tab streamlines this by keeping all frisbee connections in one place.
A new way to discover Teams and Grow the Game
World - Connecting teams around the World
Interviews with ultimate coaches and captains revealed challenges in connecting with local teams for matches and networking. The "World" feature addresses this by enabling organizers and players to discover and connect with nearby frisbee enthusiasts, fostering a larger, more connected community.
Test
Rooms for Improvements
User Feedbacks
Users valued accessibility and community features but raised concerns about language inclusivity, platform safety, and the sustainability of learning resources.
The final design was presented to the original interviewees, receiving overall positive feedback. However, three key points stood out as priorities for a potential second iteration.
"Could there be a Chinese version? Many players I know don’t speak English."
Zi, Captain of UCLA Men's Ultimate B-team
Due to my focus on bilingual interviewees, I overlooked designing a Chinese version, despite aiming for a global audience, showing a gap in multilingual accessibility.
"I love that anyone can join a game, but what if spam or bad actors join?"
Peter, Player of Brown University Men's Ultimate B-team
The “Connect with Anyone” feature could be vulnerable to misuse, prompting the need for safeguards such as reporting tools and account restrictions.
"Finding high‑quality frisbee resources sounds great, but is it realistic?"
Ariel, Beginner at UMich Ann Arbor
The learning resources feature depends heavily on sourcing existing frisbee materials, which may be costly and resource‑intensive to maintain.
SWOT Analysis
A community-focused frisbee app with strong accessibility but facing adoption and market competition challenges.
Strength
Lowered Barrier to Entry – Enables both new and experienced players to easily join nearby games, increasing accessibility and mentorship opportunities.
Community Building – Connects previously isolated frisbee groups, enabling larger tournaments and fostering new social connections.
Safety Features – Includes one-tap emergency service dialing for user security.
Event Discovery Efficiency – Smart filtering and location-based recommendations reduce time spent finding suitable games, improving user satisfaction and repeat engagement.
Opportunities
Multilingual Support – Adapt interface for other languages (e.g., Chinese), optimizing text density and layout.
Gamification – Add achievements, leaderboards, and social sharing to increase engagement.
Seasonal/Tournament Features – Offer specialized tools for large events to attract organizers.
Integration with Wearables – Sync with fitness trackers to appeal to health-focused users.
Weakness
Design Limitations – Inconsistent font sizing can affect readability, and most titles are too big.
User Research Mismatch – Interviews were conducted with Chinese frisbee players, but the app targets English-speaking markets; additional localized research is needed.
Development Constraints – Due to feature scope, a phased MVP rollout is more realistic than a full launch.
High Operating Costs – Resource curation requires ongoing manual effort, increasing maintenance expenses.
Threats
Low User Adoption – Without strong initial marketing, the app risks low event creation and participation.
Competitive Apps – Larger sports or community platforms could replicate features and dominate market share.
Changing User Trends – Shifts in sports popularity could reduce the target market size.
Reflection
This project strengthened my design skills, research methods, and business awareness, while highlighting the importance of scope and feasibility in product development.
First Experience with Figma
This was my first hands‑on project using Figma, and it was a tremendous learning opportunity. I became more confident in navigating the tool and exploring its features, though I recognize there’s still much to learn, especially in areas like components.
Applying Diverse Research Methods
I applied a variety of research methods including interviews, surveys, affinity diagrams, wireframes, and low‑fidelity prototypes, which highly strengthened my overall design thinking process.
Balancing Vision and Feasibility
While the concept addresses a real problem, its ambitious scope makes execution challenging. From a business perspective, further refinement is needed to make the idea more feasible and appealing to potential investors.
Thank you for visiting this project :)
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