Connacht Rugby
Immersive Fan Experiences and Complex Ticketing
Role
Lead UX/UI & Frontend Designer
Scope
Brand Evolution, UX Research, Wireframing, Frontend
Platform
Web Platform & Ticketing System
The Vision & Brand Evolution
A professional sports team website is the digital home for a deeply passionate community. While the iconic Connacht Rugby logo was already established, the surrounding visual identity required an evolution to thrive in a modern digital space. I spearheaded this update, establishing new typography and color systems that honored the team's heritage while providing the flexibility needed for a massive web platform. From the initial research phase through wireframing and frontend design, the focus was entirely on delivering a human-centered result tailored to the fans.
The Core Challenge: Interactive Ticketing
The heaviest UX lift of the project was conceptualizing and designing a brand-new ticketing ecosystem. Fans needed a frictionless way to purchase tickets for both home and away fixtures. This required designing intricate, interactive maps of multiple different stadiums to clearly display available seating.
Creating these maps wasn't just a visual exercise;
- It required establishing highly structured logic.
- Translating seating availability seamlessly to the development team.
- Bridging the gap between an intuitive UI and complex backend code.
Standout Feature: 360-Degree Player Profiles
To elevate the connection between the fans and the roster, we integrated a highly engaging visual feature on the individual player profile pages.
By recording the athletes on a rotating platform, I implemented auto-playing, 360-degree video views of each player. This dynamic element transformed standard, static sports profiles into an immersive, premium experience.
The Outcome
The final live site is a comprehensive digital ecosystem that successfully balances heavy functional requirements—like interactive stadium mapping—with engaging, fan-first touchpoints. Delivering a platform that looks visually striking while seamlessly handling massive ticketing integrations stands as a massive operational and design success.