Huddle

In this course project, I was tasked with creating an app that supports social connection within local communities. Drawing from my personal interest in playing sports, I created Huddle, a platform designed to connect people who enjoy recreational sports and want to play with others without barriers.

Role

UI Designer UX Designer

Timeline

May 2025

Skills

UI Design UX Design Prototyping

Tools

Figma FigJam

Huddle

In this course project, I was tasked with creating an app that supports social connection within local communities. Drawing from my personal interest in playing sports, I created Huddle, a platform designed to connect people who enjoy recreational sports and want to play with others without barriers.

Role

UI Designer UX Designer

Timeline

May 2025

Skills

UI Design UX Design Prototyping

Tools

Figma FigJam

Huddle

In this course project, I was tasked with creating an app that supports social connection within local communities. Drawing from my personal interest in playing sports, I created Huddle, a platform designed to connect people who enjoy recreational sports and want to play with others without barriers.

Role

UI Designer UX Designer

Timeline

May 2025

Skills

UI Design UX Design Prototyping

Tools

Figma FigJam

Huddle:

A local, recreational sports platform, connecting people who want to play sports without barriers or additional costs

Research Question

Do people struggle to find other people to play sports with?

I began this project with a simple research question. At the time, I was getting back into volleyball and realized that the reason I had stopped playing was not a lack of interest, but a lack of people to play with. This led me to wonder: do others also struggle to find people to play sports with?

Research Question

Do people struggle to find other people to play sports with?

I began this project with a simple research question. At the time, I was getting back into volleyball and realized that the reason I had stopped playing was not a lack of interest, but a lack of people to play with. This led me to wonder: do others also struggle to find people to play sports with?

Research Question

Do people struggle to find other people to play sports with?

I began this project with a simple research question. At the time, I was getting back into volleyball and realized that the reason I had stopped playing was not a lack of interest, but a lack of people to play with. This led me to wonder: do others also struggle to find people to play sports with?

Desk Research

To answer my question in a limited time frame for research, I used desk research, a survey, and casual walk-n-talk sessions to gather info

Desk Research

To answer my question in a limited time frame for research, I used desk research, a survey, and casual walk-n-talk sessions to gather info

Desk Research

To answer my question in a limited time frame for research, I used desk research, a survey, and casual walk-n-talk sessions to gather info

Key Findings

People don't know who to play with or where to ask

People typically don't where to even ask people to play sports with them.

People can't find other players of the same sport or skill level

It's a challenge to look for people that play at a similar skill level.

People don't want commitment or fees

Having to league or club fees and fully commit time scared people from playing.

But interest in playing sports is high

Many expressed wanting to get back into playing sports recreationally, whether getting back into it or starting.

Problem Statement

People want to play sports recreationally but ... They do not know where to contact others, have anxiety asking random people, and cannot find others who play the same sport at a similar skill level


Problem Statement

People want to play sports recreationally but ... They do not know where to contact others, have anxiety asking random people, and cannot find others who play the same sport at a similar skill level


Problem Statement

People want to play sports recreationally but ... They do not know where to contact others, have anxiety asking random people, and cannot find others who play the same sport at a similar skill level


Design Brief

Creating a design brief based on the limited research helped align me throughout my ideation process

Design Brief

Creating a design brief based on the limited research helped align me throughout my ideation process

Design Brief

Creating a design brief based on the limited research helped align me throughout my ideation process

Design Idea

A local, recreational sports platform, connecting people who want to play sports without barriers or additional costs

Design Idea

A local, recreational sports platform, connecting people who want to play sports without barriers or additional costs

Design Idea

A local, recreational sports platform, connecting people who want to play sports without barriers or additional costs

Users can browse local sports meetups or create their own for others to join

Players can simply browse the platform to see if there are any sports meetups happening. Instead of posting to random online communities, players can see what is happening right in their own local community.

Sports meetups for all kinds of sports, connecting players of various sports and skill levels

Users can find sports meetups for all kinds of different sports and different kinds of meetups catered to various skill levels. Designed for recreation and the love of sport, there's opportunities for advanced players to newbies.

Takes away social anxiety of going up to random people; everyone is gathered to play recreationally

Instead of having to go up to random people and ask them to play, this platform takes away that social anxiety as everyone on the platform has the same goal: to play sports recreationally.

Huddle

A local, recreational sports platform, connecting people who want to play sports without barriers or additional costs. Huddle sets out to connect people in local communities through their love for recreational sport.

Easily join local sport meetups for free and without social anxiety

Find people that play your sport and at the same skill level

Find people that play your sport and at the same skill level

Connect with people in your local community

Connect with people in your local community

Stay active with others and try out new sports

Stay active with others and try out new sports

Impact

With the goal of creating a community-based app that fosters social connection, Huddle aims to bring people together through sport.

While the scope of this project was limited to pitching and designing a concept, Huddle resonated strongly with my peers. Toward the end of the academic year, many of us realized that although we regularly played recreational sports through our school’s gym, we had little idea where to start when it came to playing back in our hometowns. During design critiques, I received consistent feedback about how useful an app like Huddle would be in lowering the barriers to finding and joining recreational sports.

Impact

With the goal of creating a community-based app that fosters social connection, Huddle aims to bring people together through sport.

While the scope of this project was limited to pitching and designing a concept, Huddle resonated strongly with my peers. Toward the end of the academic year, many of us realized that although we regularly played recreational sports through our school’s gym, we had little idea where to start when it came to playing back in our hometowns. During design critiques, I received consistent feedback about how useful an app like Huddle would be in lowering the barriers to finding and joining recreational sports.

Impact

With the goal of creating a community-based app that fosters social connection, Huddle aims to bring people together through sport.

While the scope of this project was limited to pitching and designing a concept, Huddle resonated strongly with my peers. Toward the end of the academic year, many of us realized that although we regularly played recreational sports through our school’s gym, we had little idea where to start when it came to playing back in our hometowns. During design critiques, I received consistent feedback about how useful an app like Huddle would be in lowering the barriers to finding and joining recreational sports.

Learnings

Desk research is a useful tool, but does not replace user research

Given the limited timeframe for research, I needed to find ways to quickly generate insights and test my assumptions. I turned to desk research, particularly Reddit discussions within the subject area, to better understand user motivations and recurring issues. Although this does not replace conducting research with real users, it highlighted a practical approach for situations where time or access to participants is limited.

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Let's connect and create cool stuff.

Let's connect and create cool stuff.

Let's connect and create cool stuff.