HerGame: An App Connecting Women to Sports & Community
Project Details
Role
Solo Product Designer
UX Strategy, UI Design, Research, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Tools
Figma, Miro,
Project Type
Personal Passion
Pre-MVP mobile product
Timeline
6 months (Aug 2024 – Jan 2025)
Mission
HerGame is a mobile app designed to help women find, join, and host pickup sports games in a way that feels safe, welcoming, and easy to navigate. As both a designer and someone who’s personally faced these barriers, I led this pre-MVP product through research, strategy, and high-fidelity prototyping. The goal was to create a simple, inclusive tool that lowers emotional and logistical friction—so more women can find each other and feel confident showing up to play.
Impact
Every tester completed core tasks and expressed interest in using the app. Several described it as “long overdue,” and said it would make them more likely to play again. The prototype was praised for its approachable tone, clear flows, and sense of emotional safety. While the product is still pre-MVP, the work has laid the foundation for a validated, development-ready experience with clear next steps.
Why HerGame?
For many women, co-ed pickup sports environments feel intimidating, exclusionary, or unsafe. Even those with a deep love for the game often struggle to find inclusive options, understand skill levels, or feel confident joining new teams.
I’ve experienced this myself. After repeatedly struggling to find welcoming pickup games, I began imagining a solution. But I didn’t want to rely solely on my own story. I committed to thorough research to ensure the product reflected a broad set of needs, not just my own perspective.
How Real Women Feel (Quotes from secondary research)
“It is always an adjustment coming into a new group of guy players, and it can be really intimidating… Until I can prove that I deserve to be there, getting the ball is infrequent.”
— Eve Goldman, Student Athlete
“It’s definitely frustrating… we have to constantly prove ourselves. We both played at the collegiate level and yet have to always prove ourselves.”
— KC Cook, Student Athlete
Research Process
To better understand the problem, I surveyed and interviewed women athletes across five U.S. cities. I also reviewed secondary research on gender dynamics in sports and common reasons women stop playing after school. I found that while many wanted to stay active, they often lacked access to casual games that felt inclusive. Privacy, scheduling, and skill-level mismatch were key concerns. Feedback confirmed the need for an app designed specifically with women in mind—not just adapted from a co-ed experience.
Key Insights (Gathered from user survey and interview data)
86% of respondents found it difficult to find and join games consistently
86% of respondents found it difficult to find and join games consistently
“It’s definitely frustrating… we have to constantly prove ourselves. We both played at the collegiate level and yet have to always prove ourselves.”
— KC Cook, Student Athlete