GAME FINDER
Case Study
Prototyping
User Research
App Design
UX/UI
An app designed for hoopers.
Find and join pick-up basketball games with ease.
My Role:
UX/UI Designer and Researcher
Project Duration:
12 Weeks
Solution:
We created a centralized application prototype for students to find and join pick-up basketball games in and around campus. The app provides a schedule of games, lets players create or join sessions with one tap, and connects the campus basketball community in a single, accessible platform.
Introduction
Game Finder was a semester-long project completed as part of DAC 309: Introduction to UX Design during the Winter 2025 term at the University of Waterloo. Working in a team of three students, we collaborated on every stage of the design process, including research, ideation, and prototyping.
The idea for this application sparked from my passion for basketball and knowing how hard it is to find pick-up basketball games. There always seems to be a problem, whether it's skill level, scheduling, or finding a court. We wanted to take my experience with this problem and figure out what a viable solution could be.
Problem
STUDENTS AT WATERLOO STRUGGLE TO FIND PICK-UP BASKETBALL GAMES AROUND CAMPUS, DESPITE IT BEING ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR SPORTS.
Research & Planning
The simplest starting point for our research was to create a survey to send out to students who currently attend open gym at the university. We asked a series of questions to get an idea of our users’ needs and their pain points. These were a few of our major findings:
Scroll to see findings
To further empathize with our potential users, we conducted a small focus group meeting with three survey participants. We started to ask the questions: what if there were an app to organize pick-up basketball games? What would it look like and how would it work? What emerged from this was that they wanted an easy, all-in-one tool for them to find and join scheduled games. From there, we were able to craft our user persona and recognize our potential key user flows.
Research & Planning
The simplest starting point for our research was to create a survey to send out to students who currently attend open gym at the university. We asked a series of questions to get an idea of our users’ needs and their pain points. These were a few of our major findings:
70% of participants rely on group chats/DM’s, excluding those not in these chats
To further empathize with our potential users, we conducted a small focus group meeting with three survey participants. We started to ask the questions: what if there were an app to organize pick-up basketball games? What would it look like and how would it work? What emerged from this was that they wanted an easy, all-in-one tool for them to find and join scheduled games. From there, we were able to craft our user persona and recognize our potential key user flows.
Research & Planning
The simplest starting point for our research was to create a survey to send out to students who currently attend open gym at the university. We asked a series of questions to get an idea of our users’ needs and their pain points. These were a few of our major findings:
2
27% reported communication problems and cancellations
To further empathize with our potential users, we conducted a small focus group meeting with three survey participants. We started to ask the questions: what if there were an app to organize pick-up basketball games? What would it look like and how would it work? What emerged from this was that they wanted an easy, all-in-one tool for them to find and join scheduled games. From there, we were able to craft our user persona and recognize our potential key user flows.
Research & Planning
The simplest starting point for our research was to create a survey to send out to students who currently attend open gym at the university. We asked a series of questions to get an idea of our users’ needs and their pain points. These were a few of our major findings:
3
37% struggle with unbalanced skill levels
Research & Planning
The simplest starting point for our research was to create a survey to send out to students who currently attend open gym at the university. We asked a series of questions to get an idea of our users’ needs and their pain points. These were a few of our major findings:
4
70.6% play weekly, with 47.1% citing scheduling conflicts as a major pain point
To further empathize with our potential users, we conducted a small focus group meeting with three survey participants. We started to ask the questions: what if there were an app to organize pick-up basketball games? What would it look like and how would it work? What emerged from this was that they wanted an easy, all-in-one tool for them to find and join scheduled games. From there, we were able to craft our user persona and recognize our potential key user flows.
4
70.6% play weekly, with 47.1% citing scheduling conflicts as a major pain point
User Persona
Key User Flows
Designing the Solution
Designing the Solution
Designing the Solution
Designing the Solution
Designing the Solution
Home Page
Designing the Solution
Conclusion
Reflection
Designing Game Finder was a rewarding process that highlighted the importance of empathizing with users, making research-backed decisions, and continuously iterating on designs.
Our main goal was to identify a real problem in the UW student community and create something that could genuinely improve it. By creating Game Finder, we believe that we were successful in reaching our goal.
Hypothetical Next Steps
In its current state, the application is purely made for Waterloo students, with all key features requiring a Waterloo email. Our goal for the future is to expand this app beyond the university. To do so, we have come up with two main scenarios.
Partnering with other universities, focusing on reaching as many schools as possible by showcasing data that supports the success of our rollout at UW.
Creating a fully public version of the app that allows people to host games in their local community. This approach would require us to create a built-in friending system, similar to social media, rather than using school emails.
