Last Minute Changes

I'm about one week away from presenting! I met with Kathleen last week and she gave me quite a bit of feedback... which was great, except I have little time to implement. I've made huge leaps as far as my usability goes, in the last week. I think my design is looking much better and I'm not just finishing up the coding and functionality. So looking forward to being done!

25 More Days!

It's been awhile since I've made a post, just getting down to the wire. You can see my progress here: http://anni-hechtner.com/womsoc/index.html

I've been working on my thesis book this past week and making sure I have all components before printing it. Here are a few screenshots:

Updated Designs

Updated Homepage Design and Logo

I received more feedback in my User Experience class that I need to make the design feel a little more "soccer." I've added Mia Hamm in the background who pretty much is the symbol for women's soccer. I also updated my logo.

New Homepage Design

Here is an updated homepage design I've been working on this week. I'm trying to make it a little more "soccer."

New Logo

I've been work on my logo, here's an updated version:

User Experience - Week 1

I decided to take User Experience again this semester because I spent so much time focusing on my project's concept, and little on the actual deliverables last spring. I'd like to finish my thesis book this semester and do more usability testing, now that my project is more thought out.

 Final Project Work Assessment Worksheet

Beginning of My Last Semester

Today starts my last semester of grad school, finally!
I have a long way to go though. Here is where I am at on my homepage design and my logo.

Summer Summary

I've just completed my summer 2011 semester and can't believe how fast it blew by. I made quite a bit of progress on my project logo and branding. I've got my color scheme nailed down and my homepage layout almost complete. In my scripting class I was able to get the structure of my javascript complete and my data in my database is being called to create my infographics. I will post more about my progress in the next couple days...

Summer Update

I've been working on my logo and the branding of my website this summer. I'm realizing how difficult it is to create a logo. Attached is what I've come up with so far, it may be altered in the coming months, but for now, it's time to move on. I'm starting to sense how near December is, and I have a long way to go.

In my scripting class, I am learning new languages that I have very little experience with. I've decided to code my project in JavaScript, which is ambitious for me. I've learned how to create a database and use php to grab the data. PHP is also brand new to me. It's been frustrating, because I feel like I'm moving very slow. I'm hoping once I start to feel more comfortable with Javascript, things will start picking up.

Oh yeah, we decided on a name for my website. WOMSOC. (Women's Soccer). It sounded a little odd at first, but now it seems natural, and obvious. Below is the logo I'm currently working with.

Summer 2011

I started my summer classes a couple weeks ago and am working on my logo and branding for my website, along with a class to help develop my scripting skills. Right now I'm looking at various sports logos and soccer posters to get a better idea of what colors and typefaces I like.

In my scripting class I'm learning more about html5 and working on the infographics part of my website. Trying my best to avoid flash if I can...

Infographics - Part II

Here is a link to the 2nd half of our Infographics class on WikiSpaces:
http://wnm661interinfographicsrm-sp11.wikispaces.com/Hechtner%2C+Anni+2

User Testing Feedback

I received some very helpful feedback when going through my prototype testing. I’ve compiled a list of things I heard from users, and am beginning to incorporate. Here is the latest Prototype: http://anni-hechtner.com/thesisPrototype/index.html

IMPROVEMENTS

• Rules Page:
• Add more description on the # of players section. Label what positions do what.
• Also for # of player, emphasize the number 11 for each team so users don’t have to count.
• Add more description on the field section. Label what each line or area on the field does what.
• For the ball section, add an image of the ball, maybe showing dimensions. There is a different ball  size for each age group, so I should research that and show the differences.
• For the referees, it might be helpful to show more images then just text. For example, show the referees’ gear, like their flags. Or showing symbols of the different signs a referee makes and what each one means.

• News Page:
• Add more details about where and when you can watch upcoming games.
• What is the source of the newsfeed? (I am doing more research on this, but right now the source is ussoccer.com)
• Make filters for the newsfeed for pro, college, high school, and youth.

• Homepage
• Increase the usefulness

• Navigation
• Re-order tabs to put the News and Teams first (complete)

• Teams Page
• Re-order navigation to read pros, college, then youth.
• For youth, since I do not have specific data for each state, maybe the user can click on the state they are interested in learning more about, and that would take them to that’s state’s youth soccer website. (Still looking for numbers)
• On the pro section, users should be able to click on each team and see their logo, name, and make some sort of stats.

• History Page
• Text is difficult to read, either darken the background color or enlarge the type.
• Maybe relate the information to a major US event that happened that same year to give the reader some context.

• Growth Page
• X-axis is difficult to read, might need to incorporate a range.
• Make your comparisons of increasing interest/participation in soccer more comparative among the different groups so you can get a feel for the relative growth of pro woman's soccer in relation to what's happening with young girls taking an interest

Usability Prototype

My project has changed quite a bit over this semester and I'm really enjoying the direction it has taken. I'm now focusing more on women's soccer in the US and how the establishment of the women's World Cup has affected the growth. Here is a link to my online prototype:

http://anni-hechtner.com/thesisPrototype/index.html

Wireframes and Visual Design

These wireframes were my first attempt at my site's layout. Last week I was focusing more on the Statistics page, which you can see my first design of below. I met with Kathleen on Thursday this week and we had a great talk about my project. She made me think a lot more about my target audience and what they might want to see on this site. We agreed that focusing more on women's soccer here in the US and the growth and progression of the sport might be more interesting. So this week I'm doing more research on youth, high school, and college soccer to see what kind of data I can find. I think a great starting point is finding out if the World Cup in 1991 triggered a spike in the popularity of women's soccer here in the US.

Information Architecture

A couple weeks ago I submitted my information architecture for my thesis project and got a lot of great feedback from Kathleen. ("Great" meaning helpful, not meaning I did a good job.) :/

I've re-done this, and am waiting on Kathleen's feedback, but I think this next version is much clearer. There's a few things I forgot to include that I will need to add in the next version, like the search functionality, an about page, a help page, and a site map page.

Interactive Infographics - Project A

Below is a link of the progression of my project A in Interactive Infographics:
http://wnm661interinfographicsrm-sp11.wikispaces.com/Hechtner%2C+Anni+1

Moving Forward with the Women

Had some really encouraging feedback from Kathleen last week about me re-do assignments. In her words, "Your revised requirements rocks Annalyn!" Feels good to be moving forward after stressing so much about the focus of my topic. Last week we also submit mind maps which help visualize the content I'm planning to include in my project.
See Mind Map

User Experience Assignments - redo

Below are several updated assignments after altering my focus to the women's World Cup.

Assignment 1.2: Executive Summary of Your Thesis Project

The World Cup is the popular soccer tournament that takes place every four years in various locations around the world for both men and women. However, when referring to the event, it is usually with the men’s tournament in mind. The history and reputation of soccer surrounds the men who play it, but there is something to be said about the rising popularity of the women’s game. Especially here in the United States where the women’s team undoubtedly outperforms the men’s team in World Cup success. My thesis project will expose the existence of these female athletes, and will be meant to inspire women and girls. This website will visualize the inequalities of the women’s World Cup compared to the men’s, but will also show where woman outdo their opposite and should receive the respect they deserve.

Assignment 2.1: Requirements Analysis

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Those who enjoy soccer here in the United States find it difficult to follow throughout the year because of its lack of popularity, especially women’s soccer.  The women’s World Cup gets very little hype and coverage, if any, even though soccer is the fastest growing women’s sport in the world.  The first World Cup was only 20 years ago in 1991, as opposed to the men’s World Cup, which was in 1930. It took over 60 years to organize the same game for women to play.  This is one of several disproportionate facts between the two genders, and my plan is to create a website that visualizes these differences. As a woman, it may be disheartening to see how far behind the women’s World Cup is from the men’s, but it’s inspiring to see the rapid advancement from the women’s side.

TARGET AUDIENCE

My site will appeal to women of all ages, especially those who have either participated in or have some involvement in sports. Because I have played several different sports growing up, I know exactly what it feels like to be inferior to the men’s team. The research that I have done so far has been inspiring and motivating for me, and should reach other women in the same way.  Users who visit this site do not need to know the rules of soccer or who the best teams are. The information will educate them and guide them throughout the site.

PERSONAS

USER #1: Hartley

Age: 25

Profession: Public Relations

Location: San Francisco, CA

Computer Experience: Advanced

Profile:

Hartley grew up in Portland and moved to San Francisco about 2 years ago. She does PR for technology companies in the Bay Area, and in her free time she explores the city on her bike, tries out new restaurants and bars, and follows her favorite sports.

Behaviors:

·      Huge sports enthusiast, but only follows men’s sports

·      Uses Twitter for the most updated information

·      Involved in many women’s organizations, including her local sorority chapter

Needs:

·      Knows nothing about female sports, but respects them

·      If she knew more about them, she might follow female sports

·      More information that is easy to quickly ingest and accessible

User Goals (Hartley comes to this site to…):

·      Learn more about women’s professional soccer quickly

·      Find something she can easily share with her other female friends

·      Gain more respect for female athletes

USER #1: Robin

Age: 52

Profession: Teacher

Location: Lewiston, ID

Computer Experience: Intermediate

Profile:

Robin teaches P.E. to children of all ages with learning disabilities and other issues that prevent them from the public school system. Her three children are all grown, so she spends her time working out, gardening and sewing.

Behaviors:

·      Uses a computer daily to check email and prepare for class

·      Follows college sports only by watching them on television

·      Interested in soccer, but doesn’t really know how to find information about it

Needs:

·      Easy to navigate site, that can be easily shared by email

·      Needs to know how she would find a website about women’s soccer

·      When big tournaments are so she can know to try to follow them

User Goals (Robin comes to this site to…):

·      Spend the time to read about women’s professional soccer

·      Find something she can easily email to her friends or sisters

·      Find something interesting she can share with her classes

USER #1: Betsy

Age: 21

Profession: College Student

Location: Spokane, WA

Computer Experience: Advanced

Profile:

Betsy is finishing up her last year of undergraduate school, studying sports marketing. She plans on attending graduate school in San Francisco next year. Betsy currently is just focused on her studies, but enjoys watching her school’s basketball team and spending time with friends.

Behaviors:

·      Spends a lot of time on the computer watching television episodes and YouTube videos

·      Played soccer in high school but doesn’t really follow it anymore, unless it’s the men’s World Cup

·      Follows college basketball

Needs:

·      A site that would be engaging enough for her to stay and want to learn more

·      Something she can quickly ingest, but interesting enough that she would share it with friends via Facebook or Twitter

·      Something she can relate to

User Goals (Betsy comes to this site to…):

·      To check out the interesting design

·      Learn something new about women’s soccer

·      Give herself a reason why she would care to follow women’s soccer

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

After adjusting my focus to more on the women’s World Cup I had to find new competitors. Fortunately for my project, there really are not a lot of sources for women’s World Cup soccer, and there is nothing in the form of data visualization or interactive infographics. Below are the websites I could find that referenced the history of women’s World Cup soccer or provided information about the sport.

2011 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

www.ussoccer.com

This is part of the US soccer official website and can be found when navigating under tournaments. It focuses on the upcoming women’s World Cup, which will be held this summer in Germany.  The site features articles that have to do with the US women’s soccer team. In the right column you can see the US’ upcoming schedule and their group standings. There is not a lot of information about the other teams since this is a site focusing on the US.  A nice feature is the share icons in the top right, which are easily accessible.

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP GERMANY 2011

www.fifa.com

This is part of the FIFA official site and can also be found under tournaments.  What I like about this site is it is very visual. There are a lot of photos and videos about the tournament. Similar to the US soccer site, this one also focuses on news about the tournament. The information that I think is valuable is below the fold where you can see what team to watch for, where the stadiums are located in Germany, and which teams are in what group. These areas on the site are more about visualizing data, which is what I’m aiming to do with my project.

WOMEN’S SOCCER WORLD ONLINE

www.womensoccer.com

This website is all about women’s soccer – every league, every country, and every tournament. There is a lot of information buried on this site. The homepage is set up like a blog where the latest story is featured first, so you can see that it hasn’t been updated in a couple years. There is a lot that could also be said about the design, but for the most part it is very outdated. It’s unfortunate to see that this is the women’s soccer website, and it isn’t a very impression website.

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

www.cnnsi.com

 This is part of the Sports Illustrated CNN website, but it is from the 1999 tournament. This tournament was a historic moment is women’s sports history – the spectators were record breaking and the US beat China in a close game of penalty kicks. The site’s design looks like it is from 1999, and the information isn’t relevant anymore. The reason I chose this as a competitor is because there is information about the tournaments history and statistics.

Assignment 3.1: Derive a Set of Use Cases or Scenarios

User #1: Hartley

1.     Hartley discovers this site after her friend shares it with her on Facebook.

2.     She clicks the link and is taken to the homepage of On the Pitch.

3.     She navigates through the different infographics.

4.     The one she is most interested in is the comparison between how much money the men’s World Cup champions make vs the women’s.

5.     She wants to share this specific infographic with a friend on Facebook so she clicks the share button, and chooses Facebook.

User #1: Robin

1.     Robin discovers this site after her daughter emailed her the link.

2.     When she gets to the homepage she is most interested in reading about the history of the women’s World Cup because she didn’t even know there was one.

3.     She sees how well the US women’s team has performed over the years, and she wants to know more about the team.

4.     This is where she is taken to an infographic about the US women’s soccer team, showing how much better they perform than the men’s team.

5.     She wants to email this graphic to her sister, so she clicks on the email icon, which opens her email.

User #1: Betsy

1.     Betsy also discovers the site when one of her friends posts it on Facebook.

2.     Her friend had shared the data about how the US women have 2 players on the top 100 all-time soccer players list, and the US men have none.

3.     Betsy found this statistic amusing and had to see for herself. She checks out the data, which leads her to more information about the US women vs the men.

4.     She doesn’t have time to look at the rest of the site so she bookmarks it for later use.

Assignment 3.2: Derive a List of User Requirements

1.     Data that visually tells an interesting story about the women’s World Cup

2.     Navigation should be clear or explained if needed

3.     Design/data should be easy to comprehend

4.     Design should reflect the sport of soccer

5.     Basic and interesting rules about soccer

6.     Possibly a twitter feed that has live updates about women’s soccer and/or the World Cup

7.     Reason for looking at this site when the World Cup is not currently happening (i.e. Qualification information for teams prior to the World Cup)

8.     Information should be easy to share via social media outlets

Women's World Cup vs Men's

I'll be updating these stats as the semester progresses, but I've found some really interesting comparisons between the women's World Cup and the men's.

	Women's World Cup	Men's World Cup
First Tournament	1991	1930
Highest Attendance	90,185	199,854
Final Team Award $	$1 million	$30 million
Youngest player	16	17
Oldest player	39	42
Most championships	Germany/US (2)	Brazil (5)
Most goals	France (53)	Brazil (210)
FIFA top 100 players	2	98
	US women	US Men
FIFA ranking	1	18
World Cup wins	2	0
FIFA top 100 players	2	0

Getting Started

Keeping a blog of my progress seemed to be the best way to document the process of my thesis. There have been many changes to my project since I proposed the idea in the fall semester of 2010. I took my midpoint class last summer and came up with the idea to create a site about the history of the World Cup. It seemed pretty straight forward - I'd just create an interactive timeline about all the great things that have happened over the years of the world's most popular sporting event. Americans are a bit behind in the enthusiasm that surrounds soccer, but the rest of the world lives and breathes the sport. The World Cup is comparable to America's Super Bowl, World Series Championship, March Madness, and BCS Bowl combined. I wanted to create a project that could provide Americans with some context of why the World Cup is such a big deal in every country except the United States - it's because of the history. The first World Cup tournament was in 1930 and has been taking place every four years since. There's not many other sports that can claim they bring countries together with different cultures, languages, or politics to all play the exact same game. If you can't tell, I LOVE soccer, and I wish this country could figure out how to get us Americans excited about it. download midpoint proposal

After passing my midpoint, I enrolled in the User Experience Directed Study, with Kathleen Watson. So far, she has pushed me to really think about the purpose of my project and how it might appeal to my audience. We've gone back and forth about how I could create this visualization of the history of the tournaments, while telling an interesting story. Something I really didn't even think about was the women's World Cup (yes there is one). Because I played sports in high school, including soccer, I definitely know how under-appreciated women sports are. After doing a little research I could believe that the first World Cup was in 1991, 61 years after the men's first tournament. Not sure why it has taken this long for a tournament to be organized for women to play in. Also, only 16 teams get to play in the women's World Cup, as opposed to the men's 32 teams. I wonder why this is. Another fact: 90,185 people attended the 1999 women's final game, a world record for women's sporting events. What does this number look like compared to the most who attended the men's final game in 2010, or really, any other men's sport? Still searching for the numbers. More to come.