A service and mobile app concept designed to help people find sports partners, organize games, and book nearby venues — with less social and logistical effort.
Design SystemInteraction DesignFigmaService DesignUX Research
RoleUI/UX Designer
TimelineOct – Dec 2025
ToolsFigma
TypeAcademic Project
App Screens
Two core flows — the Home screen with upcoming events, find players, and find venue; and the Create Game flow with sport selection, skill level, venue booking, and player management.
Home · Play · Book — Three Tab Views
Create Game Flow
The Problem
Finding someone to play sports with is harder than it should be.
"People give up on physical activity not because they lack motivation — but because they lack a partner."
Casual sports players in cities rely on WhatsApp groups, social media posts, or pure luck to find partners. There's no dedicated, low-friction way to find people at the right skill level, at the right time, near the right venue.
Booking venues is a separate, often frustrating process — handled through phone calls or third-party platforms with no connection to the game or the players involved.
Research & Key Insights
Research focused on understanding how casual sports players currently organise games — the friction points, the workarounds, and what they actually need.
Players spend more time coordinating than playing — messaging across multiple platforms to confirm attendance.
Skill level mismatch is a major frustration — playing with people who are too advanced or too casual kills enjoyment.
Venue discovery is disconnected — users book courts on separate apps with no link to who they're playing with.
Social barrier — asking strangers to play feels awkward without a structured, purpose-built platform.
Design Goals
Reduce coordination friction
Let users create or join a game in under a minute — sport, time, location, skill level, done.
Match by skill level
Noobie, Proficient, Master — clear tiers so games feel balanced and enjoyable for everyone.
Unify venue booking
Browse, compare, and book venues directly inside the game creation flow — no separate app needed.
Design Process
01 — Mapping the Core Flows
Three main flows were identified: finding players and joining an existing game, creating a new game with full settings, and discovering and booking venues. Each flow was mapped before any visual design began.
02 — Design System First
A component library was built before screens — button variants, input states, card types, tab navigation, and icon sets. This ensured consistency across all screens from the first high-fidelity frame.
03 — Interaction Design
Key micro-interactions were designed: sport filter chips, date carousel, skill level selection, game access toggle (Public vs Invite Only), and the player management screen with add/remove controls.
04 — Iteration
The create game flow went through multiple iterations — early versions had too many steps. The final version combines sport, area, date, time, access, and skill level on a single scrollable screen with a clear CTA.
Key Features
Find Players
Browse open games by sport, date, and skill level — join with one tap.
Create Game
Set sport, time, area, access type, skill level, and instructions in one flow.
Book Venue
Discover, compare, and book courts directly — price, rating, and amenities shown.
Manage Players
Add players, set invite-only access, share game link, manage attendance.
Design System
Color Palette
Primary
Secondary
Text
Restrained palette maintains clarity and reduces visual noise — supporting a low-pressure, approachable experience.
Typography
Zalando Sans
Bold, SemiBold, Medium, Regular — prioritizing readability and hierarchy. Supports quick scanning and reduces cognitive load.
Navigation Design
Core actions — Home, Play, Create, Book, Profile — accessible through predictable patterns and clear labels. Repeated layouts across flows help users feel oriented when switching between tasks.
Reflection
PlayPal pushed me to think about social friction in product design — not just usability, but the psychological barrier of reaching out to strangers. The design had to make that feel natural and low-stakes.
Building the design system before the screens was a deliberate choice and the right one — it meant every screen felt consistent from the first draft, and iteration was faster because components just snapped together.