Fan10 is a soccer social network that allows fans across the world to talk amongst themselves while live streaming games.
Mobile AppContributing team members: Designer, Java Developer, iOS developer, 2 Android Developers, Data Analyst, Software Engineer
I conducted user research and testing. Analyzed user behavior and suggested actions accordingly. I mocked-up low-res wireframes then created high-fidelity prototypes.
I listened intently to the feedback of the stakeholders then communicated them in detail to my development team.
While making sure to deliver before deadlines, I managed the expectations of our client. I learned a lot about development cycles through this project.
Fan10’s founder amassed a large following on Facebook by creating engaging content, videos and soccer memes. He approached Nimbus to brainstorm app ideas that would bring value to these fans.
I tried to soak in as much knowledge on the subject before meeting our client. Soccer isn’t as popular in the US as it is around the rest of the world so I had some catching up to do!
I read about the soccer culture in Europe and Latin America. I spoke with my relatives of Caribbean descent and watched a few games with them.
I even binged a full season of Being Liverpool, a reality TV show that shadowed a British football club on their quest to reach the top of Premier League.
Fans want to socialize in groups while watching their teams play.
Our brainstorm session lasted for over 2 hours. Our client let us know about his demographic and gave a little insight on their culture. I shared my recent experiences and we came to a simple fact “Fans want to socialize in groups while watching their teams play.”
This was true for those at home and in the stadiums. I analyzed some of the apps in the market and most were statistic trackers or game schedule apps. Not many were intuitive and none were social. We ultimately decided to combine what we loved about social networks and what we needed to know about the games being played.
A few popular soccer apps in 2012-2013. From left to right: Soccer Scores – FotMob, Soccer Livescores, Sky Sports Live Football SC.
Ultimately the goal was to combine social with statistics. So, I studied group messengers like GroupMe (fairly new at the time) and what’s app to see how I could improve their experience and add the soccer ticker.
I started working on Fan10 version1.0. Myself and another designer toiled over screens that we thought we needed to include into the app.
Our mission was to make the app as intuitive as possible. Photos and icons were carefully chosen to indicate the right categories. Flat designs and a side dashboard were what separated us aesthetically from our piers.
Our design was simple and intuitive, but steps were skipped in the process of making them. If we took the time to test prototypes and create user scenarios we would’ve known what we missed. The app was beautiful, but it lacked shareability on all of its pages. This is where I would learn to never skip anything in the design process.
With the release of the Fan10 our client was able to onboard 40,000 users in the first few months. The reviews were stellar, there was nothing like it in the market or Latin America. But I noticed a few things after the first few weeks of statistics. There was a huge disparity between downloads and users. Almost 12,000 users downloaded the app but didn’t sign up for an account
I researched a few articles and learned about a freemium model, which was fairly new at the time. I was ready to allow our users to preview the app before signing up for it. A signup page would appear when features like “save team” were triggered. I also made sure to add share buttons on pages that required them as per the clients request.
Our client flew members of the team to Mexico to help pitch the app to investors. I presented the recent iterations and an update that accommodated the 2014 World Cup.
After months of negotiation the company was given the funding to support the app. Nimbus proposed new features and an app redesign to fulfill the new requirements of iOS 8 and the iPhone 6. Learning from our previous mistake we requested more time for deliverables and added more steps to the design process.
Balsamiq was used to create low definition wireframes.
Fan 10 was a success in Latin America. It was the number one sports app in Mexico for many weeks. Our designs changed the landscape of soccer apps in that region and the US. In 2015, Fan10 was acquired by a media conglomerate in Mexico. Nimbus continued to project manage and create feature updates during the year until the company was able to hire an in-house development team.
During the project I learned so much about the design process and iterating on feedback.
I also had my first experience with the mobile development process, project management and presenting to stakeholders.
