Play team sports wherever, whenever
About the Project
JOGA is a location based webapp prototype for team sport meet-ups.
Challenge:
As you may have experienced yourself, coordinating schedules, inviting and ensuring that everyone is on the same page can be a daunting task, and no one suffers from this as much as team sport players. JOGA aims to simplify this process by providing a centralized platform where organizers can easily plan, schedule, promote and communicate about upcoming events.
I built a prototype and a promotion system in order to build launch and test in weeks not months
My Role:
- Product strategy
- MVP development
- Branding and collateral design
- Social media and landing page
- Piloting
- Results, Analysis
The Process
Research and planning
I decided to start by exploring Facebook groups in Lima, Peru where people promote matches and post that they are looking for matches and teams.
I sent out a survey to these groups, asking people to leave their emails and answer a few questions about how they would like to use an app.
Then I interviewed a few organizers who manage several WhatsApp groups.
These interviews provided me with valuable insights into the challenges that organizers face when planning events and the features they would like to see in a sports event booking app.
- People really want a service that makes it easy to find and book sports events based on their preferences.
- Organizers need help managing payments and attendance, and the integration with WhatsApp is a highly desirable feature for them to communicate with attendees.
- Users want that is user-friendly and easy to navigate, with clear and concise instructions.
- There are few opportunities for users that would like to play with people from similar skills, age groups, and all of the groups surveyed might be excluding women and minorties.
- There is a willingness to pay a reasonable fee for the convenience and benefits of someone or something organizing matches.
Building the MVP
I decided to use Django and Python to create my first MVP. However, after spending a lot of time and effort building and testing it, I found it difficult to make modifications quickly.
Feeling frustrated, I decided to try a no-code platform called Glide. Using Glide, I could build a functional MVP in just a few weeks and make changes more quickly and easily.
Overall, building your MVP using NoCode was a game-changer for me, allowing me to create a functional app quickly and making it easy to make changes and improvements based on user feedback.
The MVP had several key features that allowed users to:
- Login to their account and create matches based on their preferences, such as location, time, and skill level.
- Browse matches and join ones that fit their schedule and interests.
- Reserve their spot and pay for the event using the app.
- Communicate with the host and other players before and after the event to ask questions or provide feedback.
- Rate hosts and players after the event to encourage friendly and safe environments.
- For hosts to manage payments and attendance, making it easier for them to organize events.
With these features, JOGA provided a seamless and convenient experience for both organizers and participants, making it easier for them to find and join sports events that they enjoy.
the Pilot
To test the viability of my sports event booking app, I decided to run a pilot project. To start, I created social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook to promote the app and the events that would be hosted through it.
Next, I rented a field for two separate dates to host the events. I wanted to make sure that the events were well-planned and provided a good experience for the participants, so I made sure to take care of all the logistical details.
To drive awareness and participation, I developed ads for the pilot project and set a budget to promote them on social media. I also reached out to existing groups and communities that were interested in sports and invited them to participate in the pilot project.
Results
As a result of these efforts, the pilot project was a success. We had a great turnout at the events and participants were excited to use the app to book and manage their sports activities. Additionally, the feedback we received was extremely valuable and helped us improve the app and make it more user-friendly.
There is demand and the platform performed well
Users who did use the platform had positive experiences and found it easy to use. This suggests that with more time and effort, we could build a successful platform that meets the needs of sports enthusiasts.
Adoption takes time
Users were hesitant to trust the platform and pay upfront. To address this, we had to relax the rules around payment and allow people to pay on-site.
Organizing sports events is still time-consuming
Organizing sports events requires a lot of time and effort and I will require help to grow adoption. We had to rent fields, communicate with users who had questions or concerns, and provide support to those who were using the platform for the first time.
Andres Clavier
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