The Problem:
The FC Barcelona app’s navigation was cluttered and unintuitive, making it hard for users to find essential features like ticket booking and match updates. The lack of personalized content and interactive UI elements led to low engagement and failed to foster a sense of fan community.
Fall 2025
My Goal
Redesign the app interface to prioritize intuitive navigation, visual clarity, and a seamless user experience that aligns with how fans naturally interact with the club.
My Notes!
Saying this project was fun would be an understatement. I dove into prototyping and accidentally became a soccer expert along the way—okay, maybe not the players themselves, but I can tell you what font their merch uses and which girlfriend had the best Instagram strategy!
Click Me!
Step 1.
Research
Audit of the App
After auditing the FC Barcelona mobile app, I found several features to be unintuitive. The navigation felt overly complex, making it hard for users to quickly access high-priority content like ticket booking or live match updates. Personalized content was buried, and the lack of clear hierarchy in the interface made the experience feel cluttered rather than fan-focused.
Landscape Research
I analyzed five top-performing sports and entertainment apps to understand how they drive engagement through personalized content and interactive features, evaluating each based on interface design and overall user experience. The most successful apps prioritized intuitive navigation and dynamic & user-specific content, curating experiences based on fan behavior and offering in-app interactions that foster community.
Survey Responses
Primary Research
To ground our strategy in real fan insights, we conducted a survey with 285 U.S.-based sports fans and performed qualitative interviews. Our research focused on five key dimensions: fan longevity, team-based motivation, purchasing willingness, media engagement, and social need. These metrics helped us identify core behavioral patterns and segment fans into five actionable personas: Dynamic Dylan, Patriotic Pat, Social Shreya, New-Fan Fred, and Trendy Taylor.
Step 2.
Personas
Hardcore Harold
An overall sports fan amongst many different categories
Patriotic
Pat
Particularly enthusiastic of American sports
Social
Shreya
Attends hometown games or events for social purposes
Non-Fan
Fred
Not particularly interested in sports esp. updates
Trendy
Taylor
Is influenced by what is popular or currently mainstream
Who I was designing for
To ground our strategy in real fan insights, we conducted a survey with 285 U.S.-based sports fans and performed qualitative interviews. Our research focused on five key dimensions: fan longevity, team-based motivation, purchasing willingness, media engagement, and social need. These metrics helped us identify core behavioral patterns and segment fans into five actionable personas: Hardcore Harold, Patriotic Pat, Social Shreya, New-Fan Fred, and Trendy Taylor.
Each persona reflects a distinct fan mindset—from die-hard loyalists to socially motivated newcomers—and directly informed our engagement recommendations. By aligning these personas with FCB’s touchpoints, we ensured our solutions were tailored, relevant, and capable of driving meaningful connection across a diverse U.S. fanbase.
So.. How Might We…
Bridge the gap between digital discovery and meaningful fan interaction to convert casual visitors into loyal Barça community members through personalized, engaging online experiences?
Step 3.
Brainstorm and Ideate
My Hypothesis
If FC Barcelona’s mobile app introduces interactive, personalized experiences based on fan type, it will deepen emotional connection and boost sustained engagement, especially among U.S. fans who are newer to the club.
My Design Goals
Deliver lightweight, frictionless ways for fans to interact with Barça (polls, streaks, social media integration) without requiring full registration or purchases. Build trust and brand affinity through social interaction and customization.
My Long-Term Vision
Create a fan journey within the app that dynamically adapts to each user’s persona, surfacing content, challenges, and community features aligned with their motivations—turning casual browsers into lifelong supporters.
FC Barcelona
User Interface Improvements
Improved Content Heirachy
Engaging Game Schedules
Dynamic Calendar
Personalized Fan Preferences
Interactive Feature Ideation
As Inspired by Competitors
Match Memories:
A feature allowing fans to save and share digital match tickets, photos, and videos, creating a personal timeline of their Barça experiences.
La Masia Maestros:
A gamification feature where users predict match outcomes, leveraging leaderboards and personalized rewards to encourage active participation.
Interactive Walkthrough
My Prototype in Action!
Here’s a walkthrough of my FC Barcelona prototype, built from the ground up to reimagine how fans interact with the club’s digital experience. From onboarding to personalized content, this redesign focuses on creating a seamless, intuitive flow that captures the energy of Barça and makes every user feel like part of the team.
Reflection
This project with FC Barcelona pushed me to grow in so many ways. I came into it knowing very little about soccer, and definitely nothing about prototyping at this scale, but left feeling like I had unlocked a whole new side of myself. Learning how to take an idea, sketch it out, and then actually see it come to life on screen was such a rewarding experience. And honestly, diving into the world of soccer was way more fun than I expected. I started by trying to understand the app’s user flow, and somewhere along the way I ended up watching matches, learning player names, and following the storylines (okay, mostly who was dating who). Now I feel like I’ve earned the right to wear a Barça jersey, not just because I redesigned part of their app, but because I can actually name more than one player.
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