user experience design
#user-research
#ux
#ui
role
Research design
Content design
UX/UI design
tools
Figma
Premier Pro
Procreate Dreams
timeline
Spring 2024,
5 weeks
overview
We designed a digital touchpoint that reflects our client’s brand values and supports their business goals. Our process included defining the problem space, framing key challenges, and identifying a high-impact area for intervention.
01 client.
nascar
NASCAR is a premier organization for professional stock car racing in the United States. They hold three racing series: the Cup Series, the Xfinitiy Series, and the Craftsman Truck Series throughout the racing season with Daytona 500 being one of NASCAR’s most prestigious and iconic races.
02 user research.
initial research
initial problem statement
Viewer frustrations arise from its broadcasting format as there is an immense amount of ads and lack of explanation of race rules, making it difficult for new viewers to understand and stay connected with the NASCAR brand and their drivers.
initial framing
initial area of intervention
To add touch points before, during, and after NASCAR races by redesigning the Driver page on the existing website and add features to the mobile app to provide a more understandable viewing experience for new NASCAR viewers.
03 process.
After completing a condensed version of the Google Design Sprint, our team realized that our design scope remains too vague and does not provide enough value for the NASCAR brand.
new insights
"The Netflix series is a good example of how we're kind of elevating some of these younger drivers. They're not the household names that some of their predecessors were. It's taking our drivers - who are often behind helmets and in fire suits in a car, so it's hard to see their personas and who they are as people, as athletes - and pulling their personas out."
refined problem statement
NASCAR's viewership has hit a twenty-year low as veteran drivers retire, and new viewers struggle to connect with the personalities and narratives of the latest generation of drivers. NASCAR’s current website heavily emphasizes driver statistics and news, which although is important information to current NASCAR viewers, it is difficult to understand and lacks significance to new viewers who are new to the sport.
NASCAR Cup Series Drivers page.
NASCAR's individual driver page of Christopher Bell.
refined framing
refined area of intervention
04 solution.
art direction
design system
animated icons
Loading icon on microsite launch inspired by a tachometer.
Loading on driver page in the form of the driver’s signatures.
bringing value to nascar's viewers
Increased Engagement
Viewers who understand the sport and feel a connection to drivers are more likely to watch races consistently and follow the series throughout the season.
Driver Identification
Identifying with a driver gives new viewers someone to root for, adding a personal connection to the races based on the driver's personality, backstory, and lifestyle.
Converting Viewers Into Fans
Making the sport more accessible and understandable to newcomers helps grow NASCAR's fan base.
proposed viewer journey map
05 content strategy & interactions.
landing page
Enhance Discoverability
Using a single captivating keyword to describe each of NASCAR’s drivers and entice viewer to hover keywords to discover the driver. This allows the user full control in where they navigate to through their curiosity.
Showcase Rising Stars
Feature the line-up from one of NASCAR’s top racing series, the Cup Series. This not only introduces NASCAR’s top drivers, but also create excitement towards their next big race.
driver persona
Defining the Driver
In addition to the driver’s keyword from the landing page, two additional keywords are compiled to further represent each driver’s personalities on the track, their personal life, and their hobbies.
Short-form Videos
A gallery of short-form clips makes it easy for viewers to learn about the unique narratives of the driver through their interviews and behind the scenes content.
career timeline
Speedometer Timeline as Navigation Tabs
Using the speedometer as an motif to guide the viewer through the history of NASCAR’s drivers. The benchmarks represent indication of milestones corresponding with the year.
Career Highlights
To highlight the unique backstories of how NASCAR drivers became professional racers and to show outstanding moments from their career aside from what is already shown on NASCAR’s official website and other platforms.
06 takeaways.
Working on this project taught me the important of learning how to effectively work as a team. A project with a short time span means that as a team, we must might quick design decisions by filtering out what possibilities work best for the type of project we want to create.
In this case, we initially thought that it would be a good idea to redesign NASCAR’s official website or official mobile app as our initial findings have led us to believe that the information presented on their website lacked clarification to new viewers and the general information presented on broadcast were also unclear to new viewers. Upon reflecting on NASCAR’s brand values, we realized that a website or mobile app redesign would only be beneficial to a small amount of NASCAR’s current viewership. Additionally, the information present on the current website and mobile app remains to be valuable to veteran viewers of stock car racing. Therefore, our team agreed that a microsite campaign would allow us more flexibility and creativity in the art direction, design systems and the type of content that we can include to attract both new and veteran viewers in the long-term.
