Blingdd
CoachLab
This is a story about an athlete, let's call him Johnny b.
Johnny is a promising high school athlete from a small town in Ohio, USA.
His dream is to win a college scholarship to go on and develop a professional career.
While he was always told he has the potential to achieve it, he was also told that he had to improve this one critical aspect of his game if he ever wanted to become a pro.
The problem for Johnny was that no matter how much he searched, there were no relevant coaches in his area who could help him improve that specific trait.
His dream was getting further and further away from him.
.
..
…
Enter, Coachlab.
CoachLab was founded by two brothers from New Zealand, who had their own adventures traveling the world as top-level professional athletes and later coaches. Both boast impressive careers at both domestic and international levels - each in a different sport - providing them with a unique perspective of the sporting ecosystem.
As they watched other athletes develop in different areas of the globe, they became aware of the challenges involved in accessing the proper performance experts.
Specifically, geographic limitations meant aspiring professional athletes from remote areas might find it hard to locate the specific coach for their needs.
As the world of sports continues to evolve, so too must the ways in which coaches and athletes connect with one another and work together.
The perfect sports training platform
Coachlab's vision is ambitious: to create a platform that eliminates geographical barriers between athletes and coaches.
They wanted to develop a comprehensive solution that combines multiple functionalities into one seamless experience, enabling real-time, personalized training and mentorship no matter where users are located.
The challenge was multifaceted. The platform needed to integrate several complex components:
- A Dynamic Marketplace: Connecting coaches (sellers) with athletes (buyers), facilitating easy discovery and booking of coaching services, including both individual sessions and comprehensive courses.
- Specialized Video Communication Tools: Incorporating features tailored for sports training, such as live video sessions with interactive capabilities.
- An Educational Resource Center: Providing access to a repository of training materials, tutorials, and pedagogic content.
- Direct Communication Platform: Allowing continuous interaction between coaches and athletes through messaging and notifications.
We faced a dual challenge: in the long term, we needed to plan and design the ultimate platform that seamlessly integrates all these components; in the short term, we focused on extracting the minimal must-have features to develop an effective MVP (Minimum Viable Product) for the initial launch.
Our approach
Extensive UX Research
We began by immersing ourselves in the world of sports coaching, online education and virtual training.
Conducting extensive UX research was paramount to understanding the unique challenges and needs of both coaches and athletes.
Planning User Journeys
Recognizing that the platform serves different user types—coaches, athletes, and administrators—we meticulously planned the user journeys for each group. We mapped out how each user would interact with the platform's features, ensuring that their experiences were intuitive, efficient, and engaging. This planning was crucial to accommodate the varying goals and workflows of each user type.
Connecting Flows Between All Features
With multiple complex components to integrate, one of our critical tasks was connecting the flows between all features and screens seamlessly. We focused on:
- Navigation Design: Creating a coherent navigation system that allows users to move effortlessly between the marketplace, video communication tools, educational resources, and messaging platform.
- Consistency Across Interfaces: Ensuring that visual elements and interaction patterns were consistent throughout the complex platform to reduce cognitive load and enhance usability.
- Interaction Design: Designing interactive elements that guide users through tasks smoothly, such as actual training sessions, booking a session, accessing course materials, or initiating a conversation, etc..
By prioritizing these aspects, we aimed to create a harmonious user experience where the transition between different functionalities feels natural and intuitive.
Wireframes
Designs
Coachlab designs by Uri Peleg, Ilan Grif, Shay Beni
Outcome & Reflection
This sports marketplace is the ultimate hub for athletes and coaches.
Our UX design and product management expertise played a pivotal role in creating a platform that transcends borders, connecting athletes with coaches in basketball, football, athletics, volleyball, and more. Whether it’s finding the perfect coach, engaging in 1:1 training via video calls, enrolling in comprehensive courses, or accessing a repository of training sessions and materials, this platform has it all.
With integrated payment solutions and seamless communication channels, it’s more than just a marketplace; it’s a community where athletes can unlock their full potential under the guidance of seasoned coaches
A complex endeavor with massive potential, great talents all around, a client who has become a dear friend, and all this in a field so close to our hearts like sports - this was a project to remember, and we can't wait to see it go live.
CEO • Rodd Penney
Yuval's expertise in Product and UX was a key factor in shaping our product strategy and MVP, demonstrating a keen eye for both the big picture and the intricate details.
His reliability, attentiveness, and investment in product success form a priceless partnership that I highly recommend
