Long Island Ducks

A UX/UI blended-experience case study on a data-tracking baseball that connects families with live stadium games.

Project Overview

Project:LI Ducks Baseball Data-Tracking Experience

Timeline:September 2022 - November 2022

Team:Me (Interaction Design Student)

Tools:Figma, Keynotes, Adobe Photoshop

Significant Outcomes

Case study served as an illustrative example for upcoming students in the course and for my professor's future presentations on designing blended experiences.

Design Process

A UX/UI blended-experience case study on a data-tracking baseball that connects families with live stadium games.

Define & Research

Problem

Children's experiences can influence whether families return to games.

After analyzing the visitor survey responses, I found that children's experiences often played a major role in how families viewed their time at a Ducks game. When asked, “What would stop you from coming back to a Ducks game?”, many visitors said that if their children didn't enjoy the experience, they would be less likely to return. Others mentioned the importance of keeping children entertained with activities so they wouldn't become bored during the game.

Solution

Children's experiences can influence whether families return to games.

After analyzing the visitor survey responses, I found that children's experiences often played a major role in how families viewed their time at a Ducks game. When asked, “What would stop you from coming back to a Ducks game?”, many visitors said that if their children didn't enjoy the experience, they would be less likely to return. Others mentioned the importance of keeping children entertained with activities so they wouldn't become bored during the game.

Analyze Research

During the summer of 2022, visiting students from Edinburgh Napier University in the UK collaborated with students from Farmingdale State College's Interaction Design (IXD) program in the U.S. to conduct research at Fairfield Properties Ballpark, home of the Long Island Ducks. The goal was to better understand the behaviors, experiences, motivations, and frustrations of baseball fans attending games.

Personas & Empathy Maps

During the summer of 2022, visiting students from Edinburgh Napier University in the UK collaborated with students from Farmingdale State College's Interaction Design (IXD) program in the U.S. to conduct research at Fairfield Properties Ballpark, home of the Long Island Ducks. The goal was to better understand the behaviors, experiences, motivations, and frustrations of baseball fans attending games.

Select Data of Interest

A UX/UI blended-experience case study on a data-tracking baseball that connects families with live stadium games.

Storyboard with 3 Point Transitions

Defining Elements — Ontology, Topology, Agency, and Volatility

Before developing my storyboard, I defined the product's four key elements: Ontology (Things), Topology (Relationships), Agency (People), and Volatility (Change). This helped me understand how the product would function, connect with people, and create meaningful interactions.

Mapping Spaces & Touchpoints — Physical, Digital, and Blended Spaces

My storyboard consists of 12 cells, with four dedicated to each of the three spaces: physical, digital, and blended. I mapped out how the story transitions between these spaces and developed a script around three main touchpoints per space. Solid circles represent the main touchpoints, while dotted circles indicate optional fourth touchpoints.

Creating the Timeline — Time, Place, and Overlapping Spaces

I organized each touchpoint by its time, place, and corresponding space to establish the sequence of events. The timeline also illustrates how physical, digital, and blended spaces overlap and transition throughout the story.

Final Storyboard

Below is the final version of my storyboard. Each cell includes illustrations, captions, and a timeline identifying its corresponding touchpoint and setting. The story follows Elliot and his friends as they practice baseball at their town's sandlot, hoping to be selected by Quaker Jack as the next LI Ducks Kid Athlete. They use a data-tracking baseball, bracelets, and an app to track their performance.

Storyboard Evaluation

After developing my storyboard, I shared it with other Interaction Design students for evaluation using a survey created by my professor. Below are sample questions and the resulting standard deviations. My storyboard is highlighted as B, while my peers' are labeled A, C, D, E, and F. My storyboard received the lowest standard deviations, indicating the strongest agreement among reviewers.

I further compared my storyboard with my peers' using the evaluation data. The graphs below show how natural each story and product felt. My storyboard (B) received consistently positive ratings for the flow of events and how naturally the characters interacted with the product.

Interaction Models

Below shows interaction models for when the user starts a game and when they want to see data in an ongoing game and after a game.

UI Screens & Prototype

Using the interaction models, I created UI comps in Figma. I drew inspiration from existing sports apps to carry the LI Ducks theme throughout the design while keeping the interface simple and easy for kids to use.