FFHG
Rethinking the most united family — Version Française
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I am a hockey player. I am really passionate about it since I saw The Mighty Ducks in 1992. When I was 5 or maybe 6, my parents asked me which sport I wanted to practice. Obviously Ice Hockey was my first pick, but back in time, buy a complete gear and pay club membership was a real investment. Especially for a family like mine with modest income with three children. It was a frustration for me not being able to practice this sport as well as it was for my father, who also always wanted to try it but did not choose it for health issues. One evening, during a simple family diner, I learned that my parents had met on the ice. A true love story. The next day, I went to my hometown rink to try the pleasure of skating. I got taste very fast. Then my 20 years, two years without being able to actually practice sports, and my first salary in in my pocket. My decision was taken. I invested almost all in full equipment, without even knowing if I was into hockey. But I was ready to live my childhood dream. Since my gear evolves and my bag is never far away when I have to move from one place to another. What gives me the opportunity to practice ice hockey in different cities. I met a second big family.
Problems
One problem with the Ice Hockey in France is that it is not as popular as football, basketball or handball more recently. It is often flunk the rank of “Zone sport”. Ice hockey in France has also its hierarchy of divisions/leagues (U11, U18, D4, D3, D2, D1, Ligue Magnus, ..). It is not unusual for clubs have severals teams involved in different championships. The other particularity of this sport is that every club has its own communication to manage without real supports and guides the French Federation. This communication involves costs such as creating a website (Hosting, development, content creation), community management, etc. Most of them turn out to be a real investment for most of the clubs.
It’s some money that will not be released for the benefit of young players. This is a direct breach of the club’s development, which could have impact on the membership number. While this officer could bring down the membership price, which would make the sport much more accessible.
On the other hand, the French Federation is doing a great work and great awareness. Indeed it seeks to attract new supporters to support the France squad for the 2017 World Championship which takes place in France and Germany.
Challenge
As far as I am considered, one of my biggest ambitions is to realize the design of a platform for the French Federation providing the opportunity for each club to create a decent website. This means that all clubs would be on the same basis. Regardless of their sponsors, their licensees numbers, their levels in leagues. I want people to feel that ice hockey is above all a true family through this platform.
Several widgets will be mandatory/fixed and always at the same positions as you can already see from Nation Hockey League and Kontinental Hockey League. Releasing this platform would help to centralize game schedules, players’ statistics, etc.
Research
I did some research on the visual direction to take. Having a somewhat sleek design with slight touches of color seems to be relevant. The aim is to highlight information. To sites’ clubs management, I though about the administration based on drag and drop. Indeed, clubs and managers would not need to have a special experience in development. They just have to add and move items and save page modification, in the same spirit as Semplice created by Tobias van Schneider.
Website content
To optimize the ergonomics and the hierarchy of the platform. I used the event tables that I usually use for applications to list the different content display on each page.
Wireframe
As my creative process remains more or less the same. But I would never say that it is enough. The Wireframe is 60% of your design. When you have good models established. The time you spend to design the final version will be widely divided by 2.
As you can see, the design of the home page is divided into six parts:
- The header with the logo and general browsing navigation
- A long search bar juxtaposed to social networks and connection button
- The game schedules, I opted for making it more important
- The top of the news. A very visual part with the 4 most popular articles. But also a space where FFHG will be able to highlight special announcements
- News/Feeds. Users will have access to all news ice hockey: Videos of games, photos taken by the community, games summary, etc ..
- Footer, a specific navigation for the Federation, partners and sponsors.
I realized other wireframes. To flesh out the idea. Firstly, opening article, which in my opinion may foreshadow the next article to read. Secondly, upcoming game program overlay could make such options as pre-games statistics and a direct link to the ticket sale appear. Thirdly and finally, the opening of the Teams tab.
Colorimetry
I thought about it too! Blue, White and Red. But after rethinking it , I preferred to use blue as overall color on a white page. I booked the red for overlay or in case that FFHG want to bring forward some information.
The result
