Paintball Gurus
Connecting paintball enthusiasts with gear, community, and more.
I joined the Paintball App project as a contributor when it was still just an idea. After gathering initial requirements through a pre discovery document, I worked closely with the client to refine their vision. My focus was on supporting the design of a community driven platform for paintball enthusiasts, ensuring a user-centered approach, and implementing features to prevent fraud.
Role:
Contributor
Industry:
Sports & Recreation
CONTEXT
Lack of Dedicated Platforms: There are no mobile applications specifically designed for paintball enthusiasts, leading to reliance on inadequate platforms like Facebook Marketplace.
Fraud Detection Issues: Existing platforms lack effective measures to detect and manage fraudulent activities, posing security risks for users.
Outdated Listings: Users struggle with navigating through outdated posts, making it difficult to find relevant items.
Community Disconnection: The paintball community lacks a unified platform for enthusiasts to connect and participate in discussions, resulting in feelings of isolation.
Confusion and Frustration: The absence of a structured and user-friendly experience leads to confusion among users, impacting their ability to buy and sell gear effectively.
How Might We?
Create a Dedicated Marketplace: How might we develop a mobile app specifically for paintball enthusiasts that provides a secure and user-friendly platform for buying and selling gear?
Implement Fraud Prevention Measures: How might we incorporate features that effectively detect and manage fraudulent activities within the app?
Enhance Navigation: How might we design the app to allow users to easily navigate and find relevant listings without encountering outdated posts?
Foster Community Engagement: How might we build a vibrant community within the app where paintball enthusiasts can connect, share experiences, and engage in discussions?
Improve User Experience: How might we ensure that the app delivers a seamless and intuitive user experience that minimizes confusion and maximizes satisfaction when buying and selling gear?
Research
To understand the needs of paintball enthusiasts and tailor the app accordingly, I conducted interviews with over 20 tailors and potential users. I gathered insights on their experiences using existing platforms, challenges faced, and desired features for a dedicated paintball app.
Findings from Research
Fraud and Security Concerns: Users expressed the need for better fraud detection and management mechanisms.
Navigation Issues: Many users found it difficult to sift through outdated posts on Facebook Marketplace.
Community Disconnection: There was a clear demand for a unified platform where paintball enthusiasts could connect, share experiences, and discuss topics related to the sport.
personas & User Flow
We developed user personas representing paintball enthusiasts and sellers. The primary persona is a Paintball Enthusiast, who values a seamless buying and selling experience while being part of a community. The user flow was designed to guide users through key functionalities, including purchasing gear, participating in discussions, and managing their profiles.
Our Solution
We created the Paintball App to serve as a centralized marketplace for paintball enthusiasts, incorporating:
Onboarding Flow: Highlighting key features such as buying and selling products, participating in communities, and ensuring secure transactions, with an option to skip account creation for ease of access.
Home Page Design: Inspired by platforms like OfferUp and Nextdoor, it showcases user information only for signed-in users while using placeholders for those who skip sign-in.
Informational Hierarchy: Item listings feature "flairs" indicating sale logistics, item condition, and price flexibility, with optimized SEO to enhance user experience.
Commission System: A transparent commission model applies only to shipped products, with clear profit thresholds displayed to users.
Impact
The Paintball App addresses the critical needs of the paintball community by providing a dedicated, secure platform for buying and selling gear while fostering connection and engagement among enthusiasts. As the project nears completion, I am excited to see the engineering team transform the high-fidelity prototypes into a functional peer-to-peer marketplace app, anticipating its positive impact in the market and on the paintball community.
