SPORTCITY
From Awkward & Delays to Easy, Fast Action
Discover, Book & Join with Confidence
PROBLEM
In today’s fast-paced, digital world — managing your hobbies and activities has to be as convenient, easy and fast as ordering food on an app.
A crucial aspect behind the need for this app is the growing tendency—especially among Gen Z, but increasingly across all age groups—toward digital lifestyle, social isolation, anxiety & shyness. In addition to lack of time in a stressful world, they're used to handling most things through apps and digital platforms, which they naturally gravitate toward. For many, the biggest barrier to trying something new is the element of the unknown—something that can feel awkward or intimidating in person. This app removes that pressure by making the experience feel casual, approachable.
Additionally, the app acts as a central hub for activities, experiences & renting of facilities, giving users a quick glimpse into what a new city has to offer. Whether you're traveling, relocating, or just exploring, you can easily find and book experiences like surfing, hiking, or paragliding—all in one place. It makes discovering and joining local activities effortless, wherever you are.
ROLE
Solo UX/UI University project
SCOPE
8 weeks
PROCESS
Research, interviews, survey, competitive analysis, ideation, prototyping, testing, evaluation
TOOLS
Figma, Miro, Milanote, UsabilityHub
"How might we design an app that makes discovering and trying new activities feel as casual, noncommital & seamless — especially for a digitally native generation facing social anxiety and fear of the unknown? "
SOLUTION
Removing the tedious googling & research + gathering all facilities into one place is key
Map Explore page with intuitive filters & live tracking
All-in-one, sport- and activity-focused hub provides a source of spontanous inspiration & curiousity because variety is the spice of life
Avoid crowds if not in the mood/health concerns by Live Tracking feature
Facilities and personal trainers increase their customers by discoverability/exposure
JOIN & BOOK from the comfort of
your home
Have more autonomy and freedom by managing your memberships on your terms
More flexibility by being able to pick and choose short term/one time packages to experience
Facilities boost revenue by catering to short-term users seeking flexible, experience-driven activities.
Vibrant & inviting Community
Browse following feed or join community forums to meet like minded people—whether you're into yoga, climbing, or weekend runs.
Access exclusive deals & discounts, event invites curated by local venues and community leaders.
Get real-time updates on local sports events & what's buzzing in your city's scene. Read real people's experience with the service you're interested in!
RESEARCH
A way to significantly increase physical activity
Amongst other sources, conclusions from a UPV/EHU study & findings from a study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, showing that randomized variation boosts intrinsic motivation more than repetitive routines.
“The results of the study revealed significant differences in intrinsic motivation in favour of the group who varied their exercises randomly from one session to the next.”
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Existing Solutions Do Not Integrate Lifestyle Appeal
Competitive Landscape: Functional, Fragmented, and Forgettable
A number of apps currently occupy the sports-tech space: Sportin, Playo, Hudle, Sports Arena, SportyApp etc. While each provides a piece of the puzzle, none offer a cohesive, lifestyle-driven solution that resonates with today’s broader user base—especially those who aren’t already deeply embedded in traditional sports ecosystems.
NO COMMUNITY
NO LONG-TERM ECOSYSTEM TO STAY ENGAGED
NO SOCIAL ASPECT
LIMITED OFFERS [NO PERSONAL TRAINERS, SPECTRUM OF PACKAGES OFFERS ]
UNAPPEALING TO CASUAL USERS & THOSE SEEKING VARIETY AND SPONTANEITY
ULTIMATELY FORGETTABLE UNLESS YOU'RE ALREADY COMMITTED
Example: Sportin app
App currently available in the Balkans
VISUALLY RIGID & TRANSACTIONAL
HIGHLY UTILITARIAN
NO SCALABLE VALUE BEYOND THE CORE MECHANIC
Main takeaway: Feels like software, not an experience
CONCLUSION
Food delivery mechanism is the baseline but it's
not enough.
They’ve built the infrastructure to support facility booking and membership management—but they’ve stopped there. Their app reflects a function-first mindset, echoing the Glovo model:
“I’m hungry → I want food → I open Glovo → Done.”
That works for food delivery because hunger is urgent and universal. Sport, however, isn’t a basic need—it’s an aspiration. You don’t just need to play football, do yoga, or try climbing—you have to want to. That’s where Sportin—and every other competitor—falls short.
There’s no psychological persuasion, no hook, no emotional payoff, no atmosphere. Just point A → point B. It doesn’t create brand attachment & doesn’t make you want to come back.
Given that these apps are rigid, aren’t persuasive nor alluring & due to the lack of community and flexible subscription or booking models, they as a result lack the stickiness for the average user to come back to it (lifestyle component). One startup that had a similar lifestyle vision to Sportcity, in terms of the experience-concept (but still no community aspect) was Sportsetter. Although after launching in 2012 in New York and not taking off at the time, their “fighting gym apathy by variety and freedom” vision was closer to what I thought of conceptually with my app and interestingly enough their ‘Spotify for fitness’ analogy-in terms of flaxibility-lands home: ".. we would be like Spotify is you could only listen to a particular track once. "
Strategic advantage
EXPERIENCE BASED
BUNDLE OF POSSIBILITIES
JUST UTILITY
EMOTIONALLY RESONANT
SYSTEM THAT INVITES USERS TO TRY SOMETHING ONCE
FORUM BASED COMMUNITY MODEL + SOCIAL MEDIA ASPECT
PERSONAL TRAINERS GET A PLATFORM AS WELL
DIRECT &
FULL CONTROL
OF YOUR
MEMBERSHIPS
PLAYFUL DISCOVERY LAYER LIKE
EXPLORING SPOTIFY
USER INTERVIEWS
Removing the 'first day at a new school' barrier encouraged interviewees to explore clubs and activities more freely.
Even though research confirms that variety of activities acts as an antidote to apathy & contributes to the maintainence of personal fitness, I conducted an interview with 9 students who aren't managing to stay consistent in order to get additional data for the affinity mapping.
A selection of the interview questions included:
1. Tell me about the last time you tried implementing physical activities into your lifestyle?
2. What was the most difficult part about it?
3. What was your method?
4. Do you find the sports booking apps useful?
5. Is your fitness life 100% separate from your social life?
6. Do you view physical activity as a chore or as fun?
7. How do you feel about variety in your activities?
8. Do you feel a bit awkward about trying out something unusual and new, if so why?
9. Would you find a Live tracking of number of visitors in the object a useful feature?
Major themes
Theme 1:
Fear of the Unknown
“In theory trying new activities all the time sounds fun, but I feel awkward going alone or not knowing what to expect or having to constantly handle memberships with the venues.”
Users want something that removes that friction and feels more casual, familiar, and low-pressure.
“First day at a new school” feeling
Theme 2:
Desire for Variety
Without Commitment
“I don’t want to sign up for a long-term membership just to try something once.”
Turned off by rigid membership models, long-term contracts, or apps that don’t offer flexibility.
Need of freedom to try something spontaneously, based on mood, location, or social context.
Theme 3:
Lack of Motivation With current booking app models
“The current booking apps are okay if I have to use it but no I wouldn't be revisiting it unless I have to”
If these booking apps became the norm, the interviewees would use it to complete transactions because they have to
Other than necessity, the current booking apps do not spark interest
PERSONA
College student persona
DESIGN
DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS
This app was actually my first ever UX project as a beginner & I made it for university. However after a few months I revisited this this app because it never felt completed in my mind and in the meantime I improved my skills so I thought it would be benefitial to come back to tweak it. I realized I was dissatisfied with the design direction because it didn't visually convey the intended aura of the app & it was functionally lacking as well. So these were the major changes.
1
MAPS DESIGN CHANGE + SUGGESTIONS LAYER ADDED
More refined experience through design improvement
Suggestions layer helps fullfill the main objective of the app (playful exploration of available offers)
HOME PAGE DIVERSIFIED
Instead of the ads, discounts and suggestions being clustered before the feed posts, I separated them into their own sections
More sophisticated approach and less clutter
2
3
PROFILE IMPROVEMENT
Design was changed according to the new direction & Booking packages are now presented in a more elegant & highlighted manner
Information display isn't rigid anymore & more menu items are available
THE FINAL SCREENS
FINAL DESIGN + LIGHT MODE TASTER
THE STYLE GUIDE
CONCLUSION
REFLECTIONS & WHAT I LEARNED
Not seeing the bigger picture at the beginning
At the start of this project, I was very focused, maybe too focused, on certain features I thought were cool or innovative like the Live tracking of of visitors or wanting the feed to contain discounts & deals which made it cluttered. I felt strongly that they needed to stand out, and I dedicated a lot of energy to making them work. But as the project progressed, I realized that prioritizing isolated features without constantly referencing the app’s core purpose led to imbalance.
I learned how important it is to zoom out and consider the bigger picture: how every decision, feature, and screen contributes to the app's overall value and clarity for users. The main goal of the product should always be the anchor and every element should serve that goal, not distract from it. Once I shifted to that mindset, the design became more cohesive, user-focused and more in line with the intended concept.
What I’d Do Differently Next Time
If I were to redesign the app, I would invest more time in defining the business model and monetization strategy early on, especially around the payment structure. While the core user flows are in place, I would now approach it with more specificity around how users access premium features. For example, I would develop a clearly structured SPORTCITY Premium subscription plan, outlining different tiers, pricing, benefits, and user access levels as well as the 1 try free concept. Getting into the “nitty gritty” of the payment model would allow for a more realistic, scalable, and strategically aligned product, especially if the app were to go to market.