The USC Sport Amsterdam is a sports organization in Amsterdam, focused on providing sports and fitness activities for students and staff from various educational institutions in the city.

USC Sport offers a wide range of sports facilities, group classes, events, and other sports-related activities to contribute to a healthy lifestyle, physical fitness, and social interaction within the academic community. The goal of USC Sport is to combine sports and socializing to enrich the overall student experience.

While USC Sport Amsterdam primarily focuses on sports activities and sports-related events, there may also be a channel for non-sports-related activities. This depends on the specific initiatives and programs offered by USC Sport. USC Sport aims to encourage social interactions by providing a combination of sporting activities, social spaces, online platforms, and events to give participants the opportunity to meet, socialize, and form a community.

The mission of USC Sport is: "To improve studying through sport and social interaction."

Interaction, where physically seeing each other along with sports, is central to USC in this design challenge. This also emerged from the initial exploratory conversation with USC. Issues related to motivation were particularly highlighted by users in interviews; there was a demand for ways to become and remain motivated.

This formulated into the design challenge.

The method used to address this challenge is gamification, which will be explained in more detail later.

In my user research, I have repeatedly engaged with subgroups and the main group within my target audience. I kept the scope broad to then specifically focus on one type within my target audience. Within this group, I then examined quantitative data. In this research phase, my focus is on understanding the needs and desires of users regarding motivation and social interaction within the sports sector.

The research tools I utilized included:

- Conducting various interviews and survey's with both users and USC Sport to gain a deeper understanding of how these groups perceive the situation and their expectations.

- Creating a stakeholder map to delineate my stakeholders and their respective roles.

- Performing data analysis. Through data analysis, I could comprehend the scope and demographics of my target group, identify behavioral patterns, and frame the situation accordingly.

- Engaging in desk research to explore motivation among students and understand what drives this demographic.

From this information I was able to create a persona for this situation.

In my user research, I've identified the target audience for whom the solution is intended. It pertains to first-year students with varying levels of motivation towards sports, who nonetheless value social interaction. My product research primarily involves comparing and utilizing what already works effectively. I'm concentrating on integrating elements into one cohesive concept.

Tools I have used during my product research.

- Benchmark compares the features of social media apps with those of the USC Sport app. The purpose is to ensure that the USC Sport app's solution does not overlap with functionalities present in apps like WhatsApp or Instagram.

- Comparison chart. USC Sport aims to ensure that sports continue to play a central role, even with the addition of features for social interactions. Through a comparison chart, I analyze the features and capabilities that some well-known sports apps offer compared to what the USC Sport app provides.

- Competitive analysis. I researched the competition regarding elements of gamification and progression that I could potentially integrate into the concept for USC Sport.

- Best, good & bad practices. Due to the limited functionalities of the platform I'm basing my design on, as a designer, I've decided to focus on a few specific features.​​​​​​​

The term "playful manner" is addressed here through gamification. It is essential to emphasize that gamification itself is not a game, but it does utilize elements of games to enhance non-game contexts, such as user achievements and motivations.

From my research into what gamification entails, I was able to identify several key elements:

- Goals and challenges - Tasks that motivate the user.

- Rewards - Recognition for achievements to promote behavior.

- Interaction - Actively engaging users.

- Storytelling - Using narrative to increase participant engagement.

- Social connection - Encouraging users' social interaction.

I compiled my list of functional requirements using the MoSCoW and Card sorting  method to determine which elements are essential. With this list I started connecting.

This led me to connect various layouts and designs. Since this project heavily relies on the good and bad practices observed in my research of existing apps, I could reuse the components already designed. To consolidate my ideas, I utilized mood boards.

This prototype was developed to test the gamification elements that needed to be implemented in my solution. It includes the crucial flows for my research. The test results have provided insights into what works and what doesn't. I will incorporate these insights into the next testing phase. However, this prototype was not successful in validating my research.

Hi-fi Prototype. I used this prototype in user testing to investigate if the user understood the elements of gamification and the navigation. From this I had test results and created another version of this prototype 

At the start of my project, I had a discussion with USC Sport, who were at that time in the process of repositioning their platform. Throughout this project, I had the freedom to determine how I would develop the new visual identity. I inquired if there were specific guidelines I needed to adhere to. USC Sport expressed a preference for the colors red and gray, and they desired to maintain a sleek appearance.

By connecting with a buddy, the user unlocks specific challenges to do together. The user must sign up for challenges at a location. At the location, the user scans the QR Code to unlock their specific QR code; this QR code is valid for 1 hour. Within this hour, users can connect with each other. If they fail to connect, they must sign up for a challenge again, participate, and connect.

The user receives their own avatar that grows along with their achievements.

The user can either connect with friends or create a pool to complete certain challenges faster.The challenges are valid for 10 weeks, after which new challenges are introduced. These challenges award points to the user.

This concept is developed using gamification techniques and applying them in the situation where the user is in charge of their motivation.

Based on the final user tests, USC is highly satisfied with the results and sees numerous opportunities to incorporate marketing into the app. The students' experience is enhanced by the gamification, providing them with control over creating connections.