Sparring Player – Match. Play. Level Up.
My first real-world client project—designing a seamless platform for badminton and tennis players to connect, compete, and improve their game together.
Project Overview:
Sparring Player is a responsive web platform designed to connect badminton and tennis players based on skill level, availability, and location—encouraging competitive and consistent practice.
Background:
This project was commissioned by a private client who envisioned a streamlined experience for athletes to train together without relying on clubs or pre-established networks.
Team & Role:
I worked independently with the client—from requirement gathering, UX research, and UI/UX design to final high-fidelity prototyping.
Brief / Challenge:
Design a mobile-first web platform that allows users to match with like-skilled players, book a session, and communicate easily.
User & Business Goals:
Users: Find sparring partners with compatible skill levels and available time slots.
Business: Offer a differentiated sports networking experience that could scale into premium offerings (like coaching, tournaments, etc.).
Initial Research: I conducted informal interviews with amateur tennis and badminton players to understand their needs:
“It’s hard to find someone with a similar level near me.”
“I don’t want to join a club just to practice occasionally.”
“Scheduling and no-shows are annoying.”
Key Insight:
Users want frictionless booking with flexible options, but also trust and skill-matching transparency.
Personas: Created two primary personas:
Competitive Enthusiast Ravi (Age 34) – looking for weekly sparring partners at a similar skill level.
Casual Player Anna (Age 27) – wants a no-pressure hit around on weekends, often last minute.
Impact & Outcome
Client Feedback:
The client was thrilled with the polished interface and user-friendly flows. The design system enabled smooth developer integration for MVP rollout.
User Reactions:
Prototype testing showed high interest in the “Match Suggestion” interface and chat-before-confirming feature.
Design Outcome Highlights:
End-to-end booking workflow
Real-time chat integration
Skill-based and availability matching
Clean, intuitive mobile interface
Learnings & Reflections
Real client collaboration taught me the art of balancing user needs and business expectations.
Designing for sports communities is less about tech and more about trust, speed, and convenience.
This project gave me hands-on experience in defining scopes, managing feedback loops, and building client confidence in design decisions.