About Student playbook
Student Playbook is a tailored app for competitive student athletes, designed to address their unique needs and preferences. Offering users with a comprehensive all-in-one solution for managing their education, athletic commitments, performance tracking and personal responsibilities all in one convenient location. Users can select their specific sport and education level to tailor the app’s language and features to their needs, ensuring a more personalised and intuitive experience.
Users can meticulously plan their days by effortlessly adding and organising tasks, with the ability to view their them on a verticle timeline to prevent overlaps and provides a comprehensive overview of their schedule. Tasks are colour coded as to not only provide visual harmony but create an intuitive hierarchy, helping users associate specific colours with different activities. Additionally, users can receive timely notifications before tasks are due.
A key feature that sets this application apart for competitive athletes is the ability to record their results, accomplishments, personal bests and set specific goals and write performance reflections directly linked to competitions. This unique functionality allows users to track their progress and evaluate their performance, providing valuable insights and facilitating continuous improvement.
understanding the important aspects of why it was created
At ‘MindBalanceSport’ sports physiologist explain how, despite many elite athletes being proficient at time management, they frequently encounter issues such as physical fatigue, insufficient sleep, limited social time, and forgotten assignments. Their discussion emphasises that these challenges with task management are not due to laziness or lack of motivation but rather stem from underdeveloped executive functioning skills and lack the right platform to effectively manage their lives.
After researching existing time management apps, I discovered that none specifically cater to student athletes or athletes in general. Most are generic tools designed for a broad audience, leaving a significant gap in the market for tailored solutions. Given that student athletes represent a substantial demographic, and time management is crucial for their success, it was surprising to see nothing for athletes. This realisation reinforced my confidence in pursuing my app idea, tailored specifically for athletes’ needs in time management, goal setting, and tracking achievements.
Why a vertical timeline Format?
By mapping out tasks and activities on a timeline, users can gain a better understanding of how their day flows, making it easier to identify potential overlaps and allocate their time more effectively. This visual representation not only enhances their organisation but also reduces stress, allowing them to focus on what truly matters each day.
By organising their commitments in a linear format, users can easily prioritise tasks, set realistic deadlines, and allocate time for both work and relaxation. The visual nature of a timeline can reduce the cognitive load associated with traditional calendar views, transforming a potentially overwhelming experience into a more manageable one. Ultimately, this innovative feature could empower users to take control of their schedules, enhance their productivity, and foster a greater sense of balance in their daily lives. By providing a clear and engaging way to plan their activities, a visual timeline can significantly improve user satisfaction and effectiveness in time management.
Why include Goal setting and performance evaluation?
In the fast-paced world of student-athletes, effective goal setting and journaling emerge as invaluable tools. They offer clear objectives, motivate consistent effort, track progress, and enable focused training—all essential elements for achieving peak performance and personal growth.
In 2024, journaling has become a popular solution that supports athletes in these endeavours. It provides numerous benefits, including stress reduction, enhanced focus, clarity, and the ability to visualize objectives. Dr. Rich Kent, a Professor at the University of Maine, has conducted extensive research on the positive impact of journaling for athletes at all levels. His findings reveal that journaling and note-taking help athletes align their thoughts and maintain mindfulness about their mastery goals.
Moreover, journaling significantly improves time management by clarifying priorities, tracking progress, identifying patterns, enhancing planning, reducing stress, and boosting accountability. This structured approach enables athletes to reflect on and organize their time effectively, contributing to both athletic and academic success.
However, the hectic schedules of student-athletes—filled with training sessions, competitions, medical appointments, recovery routines, travel, and academic responsibilities—can easily lead to chaos. Important tasks may be overlooked, and specifics can slip through the cracks. While many time management and journaling apps exist, none cater specifically to the unique needs of competitive athletes.
This is where my idea comes in: a dedicated app tailored to the lifestyle of student-athletes. By providing a comprehensive platform to organise and manage their time, this app will empower them to balance their demanding schedules with greater ease, ultimately enhancing their performance both on and off the field. Let’s revolutionise the way student-athletes approach their goals and time management with the Student Playbook!
design process
Creating a name…
I wanted to create a unique and memorable name that would truly reflect the innovative concept of the app. It was essential for the name to capture its essence and convey a clear sense of what the app offers. Recognising that the target audience consists of competitive student athletes, I began brainstorming names that combined elements of both sports and education. That’s when the name ‘Student Playbook’ came to mind.
A playbook is a comprehensive guide or manual that outlines strategies, plans, and procedures for achieving specific goals. The word most used in the world of sports, it often contains plays, formations, and tactics that teams follow during competitions. By adding ‘Student’ to the term ‘Playbook’, I effectively combined the idea that this app is designed specifically for student athletes. This name not only highlights the app’s focus but also emphasizes its role as a valuable resource for managing schedules, tracking progress, and excelling both in academics and athletics. In essence, “Student Playbook” embodies the spirit of striving for success in both fields, making it the perfect fit for the app’s mission.
CREATING THE LOGO…
Just as it was crucial to create a name that truly captured the essence of the app, it was equally important to design a logo that would convey the same message and resonate with users. A well-crafted logo serves as the visual identity of the app, encapsulating its purpose and core values in a single, striking image. I wanted the logo to reflect the dynamic nature of competitive student athletes while also emphasising the app’s focus on organisation and performance.
The design needed to be bold and memorable, instantly recognisable and representative of the unique blend of sports and education that the app embodies. I envisioned a logo that not only stood out but also evoked a sense of motivation and achievement, inspiring users to take charge of their schedules and goals. By aligning the logo with the app’s mission,
I aim to create a cohesive brand identity that will enhance user engagement and leave a lasting impression. Ultimately, I sought a logo that would not only be visually appealing but also encapsulate the spirit of what the app is all about, reinforcing its role as a vital tool for student athletes striving for excellence.
Low Fidelity Prototype
The project’s initial phase focused on creating and thoroughly annotating wireframes—a foundational step in the design process. This stage was critical for organising the overall layout and structure to ensure a user-friendly, intuitive interface. Through wireframing, the user journey could be carefully planned, with each element purposefully positioned to enhance usability and accessibility.
Annotations added valuable clarity to interactions, helping identify high-impact features that would contribute to an optimal user experience. This methodical approach also enabled the exploration of alternative designs, reinforcing an intuitive layout to minimise user friction. Additionally, the wireframes provided a reference for mapping key user flows and integrating all functional elements smoothly into the design. By visualising the interface in full, the development team could assess the required code type and complexity, setting the groundwork for efficient, effective implementation.
Medium Fidelity prototype
The next phase centered on interface design, incorporating color schemes, visual elements, and imagery to bring the wireframes to life. This stage was essential in transforming the foundational layout into a visually appealing and cohesive design that supported the brand’s identity and user experience objectives.
Color, images, various UI elements—including buttons, icons, and navigation menus—were thoughtfully crafted and positioned to create a seamless, intuitive experience. These elements were strategically chosen to promote clarity, guiding users naturally through the interface with minimal effort. Each design choice balanced visual appeal with functionality, ensuring an engaging, user-friendly interface that remained easy to navigate.
Final High-Fidelity Prototype
After extensive user testing and feedback, adjustments were made to enhance various aspects, resulting in a cohesive and well-functioning high-fidelity prototype. Each change was implemented thoughtfully, creating a seamless and refined prototype that aligned with both user expectations and project goals.
Images from a few different aspects
