Design team members: Harpreet Aujla, Akhil Chugh, David Horne
Supervisor: Stacey Scott
Background
Playing sports is one of the most popular pastimes in the world. Whether it's golfing in Florida or playing field hockey in Australia, there is a great desire for individuals to participate in sport, both competitively and recreationally. Not to mention the health benefits of regular exercise. However, many people struggle to find others to play sports with, both individually and as a team. Imagine moving to a new city and not knowing where or with whom you can play your favorite sport. Or imagine being so much better or worse than your existing friends that your matches just aren't fun for anybody involved, and you want to find somebody closer to your skill level to compete with.
Project description
The Sports-based Social Networking site's goal is to create a product that would be available to people all over the world, giving individuals the ability to connect with one another to play sports. The users will be able to find opponents based on the sport they enjoy playing, their skill level at that sport, their availability, and the facility of their choice. Tournaments and events can also be posted, as individuals can also get involved in team events if they choose. While the group's research shows that this site would be especially useful for people who have recently relocated to a new city and need to find people to play sports with, it is also useful for those who are not aware of all of their fitness options.
Design methodology
The design methodology being used is very user-centered. The first step is to determine user requirements by conducting interviews with a variety of different users. Once these interviews have taken place, there will be two parallel processes in order to design the system: the user interface design, and the development environment. To create the user interface, various techniques such as Affinity Diagramming will be applied, and multiple levels of prototypes will be created, beginning with a low-fidelity paper prototype and working towards a functional final prototype. Each of these prototypes will be evaluated and tested by users, and the feedback will drive future prototypes. In order to actually implement the system, once the requirements are gathered, the group will do architecture design, followed by development/coding and continuous testing.