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 existing ticketing experience barely worked, and a new ground layout required updated areas and seats. This was my first ticketing project. Accuracy mattered: tickets were expensive, and errors could have financial consequences. The challenge was to represent the new seating layout clearly and work through the purchase experience with the team.
The design work focused on:
- Representing the updated areas and seats clearly.
- Working through the seating logic with the development team.
- Checking the purchase experience before launch.
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
We tested internally and gave a small group of fans early access. Their feedback informed small design refinements before launch. I left the company around the launch, so my account ends with the design and pre-launch testing: I do not have evidence of post-launch reliability, sales, or performance.