IntroductionHelping fans stay updated, engage in meaningful football conversations, and strengthen connections.
OVERVIEWMissing a match makes it harder for fans to join conversations.
Golazo bridges this gap with contextual match insights and creates more avenues for discussion through chat rooms.
JUMP TO SOLUTION ↓
ROLEUX & Visual designer
DURATION8 weeks, 2025
What sparked Golazo?
One day, while scrolling through LinkedIn, I stumbled upon this chart. It showed a sharp rise in people searching for ways to meet new friends, how to connect with others, and combat loneliness.
Rising search trends for ‘how to meet new people’ and ‘where to make friends’
Upon closer examination, I discovered research indicating a steady decline in social connections, particularly among men.
Comparison of close friendships and emotional support in 1990 vs. 2021 across genders
The psychology behind male friendships
Men tend to build friendships through shared activities, and sports often act as the social glue.
Sneak peek: What the Solution Looks Like
Sneak peek: Design system documentation
Sneak peek: Findings from user testing
Problem statement
Men are finding it harder to maintain friendships, with fewer feeling emotionally supported. Research shows they often bond through shared activities like sports, but changing social habits are making these connections more difficult to sustain.
USER INTERVIEWSConducted remote user interviews
I assembled a group of individuals who actively engage in watching sports to gain insight into their experience and obstacles.
What I uncovered
Comparison of close friendships and emotional support in 1990 vs. 2021 across genders
The psychology behind male friendships
Men tend to build friendships through shared activities, and sports often act as the social glue.
😫 FRUSTRATIONS
Desire for meaningful discussions
It’s not just about the match. These conversations are about expressing emotions and feeling part of a group.
Hard to catch up with matches
Many miss games due to work, school, or time zones, making it tough to contribute to discussions.
😁 HAPPY ENGAGEMENT
Missing key stats
Users forget crucial stats during calls, making debates frustrating when they can’t back up their points.
Challenges in catching up with matches
Users share content when it’s controversial, humorous, or relevant to a friend’s team.
DEFINE
PHASE>Explored fan behavior to understand what fuels soccer conversations and what holds them back.
Responses from interviews
Empathy map documentation
😫 FRUSTRATIONS
Sharing beyond the game
Fans talk soccer not just for the game but to share emotions, perspectives, and strengthen friendships.
Hard to catch up with matches
Many miss games due to work, school, or time zones, making it tough to contribute to discussions.
😁 HAPPY ENGAGEMENT
Missing key stats
Users forget crucial stats during calls, making debates frustrating when they can’t back up their points.
Trigger sharing
Users share content when it’s controversial, humorous, or relevant to a friend’s team.
>Identified two fan types and how they engage in discussions.
TWO ARCHETYPES:
Jordan 🧑🏽🎓
Jordan struggles to stay informed when he misses a match.
He needs a quick way to catch up on key highlights, or else he feels left out of discussions.
Chris 🚴🏽
Chris, on the other hand, wants deeper insights into player ratings and performance metrics.
He also gets frustrated when he forgets key stats, making it harder for him to contribute meaningfully during debates.
>Mapped opportunities and translated them into user stories to guide ideation.
From journey mapping, I identified key opportunity areas and translated them into user stories. These stories shaped “How Might We” statements.
BUILDING BLOCK /
Setting the stage with onboarding
Before diving into conversations, users need a way to personalize their experience by selecting their favorite teams and leagues.
Enhancing conversations with Smart Suggestions
“Smart Suggestions” analyzes shared posts to recommend key clips and match insights, helping users catch up and join conversations effortlessly.
Send posts to the right friends instantly
Users share posts based on friends’ team allegiances. This feature suggests relevant friends, making sharing instant and engaging.
Locker Room: seamless group calls for fans
Football fans love group calls for banter, but scheduling is a hassle. The Locker Room makes joining seamless.
Structured feed: key highlights in
one place
A centralized feed delivers essential match updates, helping fans catch up instantly and stay in the loop.
Bookmark Sharing: Never Forget Key Match Insights
Post-Usertesting improvements
Screenshots from a few testing sessions on Zoom
Key areas for improvement
❌
Smart Suggestions
Users were unclear about the button’s purpose and expected a text summary with video suggestions. Some mistook “Send” for “Play.”
⚠️
Bookmarks in Calls
Participants expected shared bookmarks in chat and preferred the bookmark button in the bottom nav for easier access.
Enhancing Discoverability with
Coach Marks
To boost adoption, I added coach marks with a modal introduction and a tooltip to guide interaction for quick understanding.
Better Affordance and Mental
Model alignment
Aligns with familiar patterns: send icon follows conventions, text summaries clarify AI use, and interactive states improve collapsible visibility.
Improving Bookmark
Sharing
Users expected bookmarks in chat, not in the call. I added a chat-sharing button and changed “Share” to “Present” for clarity.
Making Bookmarks Easier
to Access
Users expected the bookmark button in the bottom bar, like in WhatsApp. Moving it from the top improved visibility and ease of use.
Utilized design systems and variables for consistency
Semantic color roles [Tested for WCAG Standards]
Primitive color tokens
Semantic typography variables [Sizing convention: T-shirt sizing]
Variables are assigned to their matching text style
Primitive numerical scale variables
Button components with interactive states
Input field component
Navigation buttons
Multi-purpose cards
Precise component measurements
Input field specs
Validating my solution (Hypothetical)
🤝
Feature Engagement Rate
Track how often users interact with Smart Suggestions. A high engagement rate would indicate users find these features useful.
📈
Post Sharing Rate
Tracking the number of posts shared by users. A higher rate would indicate that suggested content is relevant and engaging enough to spark conversations.
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