Recreational Program Information Channel and Systems Analysis

Executive Summary

There is no specific application or listing for local recreation programming nationwide. Our focus for this research is to understand how parents search and find recreation programs locally and what problems they face trying to find the right programs.

On a broader scale, these programs help our children build trust and improve social skills, but at the current rate of decline, many kids are losing opportunities to increase self-esteem and improve problem-solving skills.

70% of kids quit recreational sports in the United States by age 13. Much of this has to do with the growing competitive nature of sports as kids get older. Many of these competitive programs are amazing but there need to be accessible options that assist in balancing between competition, and fun exercise. Many of our kids’ lives are surrounded by electronics which can promote sedentary lifestyles but having accessibility options gives them the opportunity to participate in high-calorie burning activities that are fun without demoralizing children who are as competitive.

70%

Non-participants by age 13

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 1:

To gain an understanding of how parents find recreation programs.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 2:

Develop an understanding of their problems when searching for local recreation activities.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 3:

To develop an understanding of what information parents think is missing, what would assist their search, and what they like and dislike about the process.

**Methodology**

For this study, we’re using “Qualitative Testing” where we will conduct various Zoom video call interviews to test product usability, semi-structural interviews, contextual inquiries, and user card sorting activities.
These methods will enable us to gain a deeper understanding of our customer's needs, empathize with their concerns, and better understand our objectives.
Usability Test - Competitive Analysis
Semi-Structural Interviews
Contextual Inquiries
Card Sorting
Thematic Diagrams

Participants

Psycho-Demographics

Parents who are between the age of 25-50
Kids 2-16
Various social-economic backgrounds.
Male/Female mix

Participants

Grocer

Mother
Age: 38
Female
Engineer

Father
Age: 44
Male
Accountant

Father
Age: 49
Male
Marketing

Father
Age: 34
Male

We’re using “Qualitative Testing” for this study, where we will conduct 30-45 -minute Zoom video call interviews, testing the user's responses and activities while searching a local municipal website for recreational programs.

Success Steps:

Community Tab
Digital Activity Guide
Registration Link
Scroll down to see listings
Select a sport or activity
Review options and select interest
Sign Up

Registration Steps

Graded Steps

User’s who pressed the “Community Link”

4 out of 4 success rate

User’s Who navigated to “Registration”

1 out of 4 success rate

User’s who successfully selected a activity

1 out of 4 success rate

User who completed signed up process

1 out of 4 success rate

User’s who found “Digital Activity Guide”

4 out of 4 success rate

User who scrolled down to see listing

1 out of 4 success rate

Users who reviewed specific activity descriptions.

0 out of 4 success rate

System Usability Scale

Grocer

SUS Score 70
Good
PASS
Engineer

SUS Score 72.5
Good
FAIL
Accountant

SUS Score 7.5
Awful
FAIL
Marketing

SUS Score 60
Poor
FAIL

Key Insights

1 out of 4 users finished the process end to end.

3 out of 4 users felt the listing wasn’t clear or organized.

0 out of 4 users actually used the search filter or even found it.

City municipal websites have a lot of information to cover. Typically how information is organized comes down to the local government's funding as well as the recreation department’s organization.
Implementing tools can often be based on what the software can and should do, and not how it integrates with all the other information on the local government's website.
We found that users will get distracted if the navigation isn’t extremely clear and geared towards carefully guiding the user from beginning to end.

This method enabled us to gain a deeper understanding of our customer's needs, empathize with their concerns, and gained a greater understanding of our objectives and goals.

Semi Structural Interviews

Interview Approach

Our “Semi Structural Interviews” were designed to ask users: what is their typical process for searching and identifying problems, and what are some of the pain points they might have along the journey of identifying the right fit for their family?

Each video was recorded and analyzed.

Quotes were extracted based on:

pain points
user needs
possible concerns
additional things for consideration

Sample Quotes

“I would probably start with a google search on the type of activity. Typically based on what my kids are into at their age like arts and crafts, or swimming programs.”

“Duration, location, cost, organizational structure. Are my key concerns before I begin my search”

“Having a variety of levels that are taught is beneficial, and will help me best understand if this is the right program for my kid.”

KEY FINDINGS

These semi-structural interviews turned out to be crucial qualitative data for the overall case study. There was a lot of key data that allowed us to quantify potential approaches for building an application. It also gave us a clear understanding of how to organize and solve some of the pain points for the user.

Contextual Inquiries | Card Sorts

Card Sorts Exercise

Semi-structural interview data was extracted into quotes, which were used in a card sorting exercise.
Participants were asked to match the quotes under the objective that best match their process.
Key Learnings
This card sorting method allowed us to align real user qualitative data with our objectives.
It gave us insights and leads we could quantify into an application.

Thematic Analysis

Analysis Method

Interview quotes are drilled down into 3 main processes and given category codes.
**SSD**
Specific Search Details
**SFF**
Search Filter and Functionality
**TTC**
Things to Consider

Key Learnings

This Thematic Analysis method helped us isolate clear concerns around functionality which will assist our product design.

Empathy Map

What they think and feel?

“Diversity and cultivating different experiences and interest is something I try to also keep in mind when searching”
What they say and do?

“I have taken the risk of not having clear details before, and I wouldn’t do it again.”
What do they hear?

“Details that highlight other people's experiences such as testimonials and reviews are things that stand out and help me access what other parents and kids have experienced.”
What do they see?

“Typical the competition level correlates with the time commitment”