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CHEESEHEAD CHEATSHEET
INTRO TO INTERACTION DESIGN CLASS | FALL 2018
To help new sports fans connect with their new team, I created a website prototype intended to grow team/sports knowledge in a friendly and unassuming way.
The Context
Ah, football. A game of honor, of tradition, of beauty. And yes, its a game of large men smashing into each other very quickly. But to many, football means a lot more than that -- especially in a place like Green Bay, Wisconsin -- home of the Green Bay Packers football team. Green Bay is where football feels the way football is supposed to be. It’s a special place, with great characters and great fans that hold a place in their heart for ‘the Pack.’
Even though they’ll likely never admit it, none of these fans were born Packers fans. Someone or something inspired or taught them how to be fans. Maybe they caught a glimpse of quarterback Aaron Rodgers throwing a Hail Mary to win a big game. Or maybe their grandma’s deep affection for Packer great Reggie White rubbed off on them.
Whatever it was that led them to be Cheeseheads, their fandom gives them a built-in community, something they have in common with strangers, and something to look forward to on game day Sundays.
"Cheesehead" is a nickname for a fan of the Green Bay Packers football team.
A young Packer fan in his natural habitat.
A young Cheesehead in his natural habitat; "Cheesehead" is a nickname for a fan of the Green Bay Packers.
As a new fan, what would make sense to you?
For simplicity’s sake, let’s just say you're not a Packer fan. Maybe you’ve always hated football, sports, and nothing anyone could ever do or say could change your mind. Well, then this problem and opportunity space might not be for you.
But, maybe you haven’t been a sports fan in the past and something you’ve seen or heard about football or the Packers recently has sparked your interest. Or maybe a loved one wants to share their love for the team with you. Or maybe you’re a fan of things like community, of rivalry, or of grace, and you've started to realize that the human drama that is football can bring those things in spades.
As a potential fan wanting to learn about a new team, or even about the sport the team plays, where would you go? What would speak to you? What would make sense to you?
The Challenge
CONTEXT
After brief preliminary chats with people who wouldn't consider themselves sports fans, but who wouldn't rule out being a fan in the future, I wrote up this problem statement:
Potential new sports fans (as in, those who previously would not have considered themselves fans in general) can have trouble learning about their newly adopted team or sport.
With this problem statement in mind, I wanted create a website to entertain new fans in a way that didn't require them to have a deep knowledge of the team or game to understand. I also wanted to help build up their sports knowledge gradually, but in a way that met new fans at their level.
These are ideas I looked to address with my prototype, using the Green Bay Packers and their potential fans as a test case. I’m not a Packer fan myself (Go Niners!), but I thought it would be helpful to think about another team, its fans, and its culture when thinking about potential solutions to this problem.
The Approach
The Approach
Japanese Cheeseheads on pilgrimage to a Packers home game.
The Context
In my Introduction to Interaction Design class in Fall 2018, I was assigned to develop a semester-long project based on any subject of my choice. As a huge sports fan and huger fan of community building, I wanted to create a digital resource that strengthened a sports fan community.
Note: I ultimately decided to use the Green Bay Packers and their fans as a case study for this project. The site is named after the Cheesehead, a nickname for a Packer fan; and the cheat sheet, a set of notes used for quick reference. However, the dream is for all teams to have "cheat sheet" sites for new fans.
After some research, I saw that while there are lots of community-building resources for casual and hard core sports fans, there are not many resources for new fans -- especially fans new to sports fandom in general. With this new thought in mind, I wanted to create a sports website that could entertain new sports fans, but also gradually build up their sports knowledge in a friendly way.
In my Introduction to Interaction Design class in Fall 2018, I had to develop a semester-long project based on any subject of my choice. As a huge sports fan and huger fan of community building, I knew I wanted to create a tool to help strengthen a sports fan community.
After some research, I saw that while there are lots of community-building resources for casual and hard core sports fans, there are not many resources for new fans -- especially fans new to sports fandom in general. With this new thought in mind, I wanted to create a sports website that could entertain new sports fans, but also gradually build up their sports knowledge in a friendly way.
The Context
The Challenge
The Approach
The Process
The Team
The Process
My Role
The Problem
In my Introduction to Interaction Design class in Fall 2018, I was assigned to develop a semester-long project based on any subject of my choice. As a huge sports fan and huger fan of community building, I wanted to create a digital resource that strengthened a sports fan community.
After thinking about it, it seemed that though there are already lots of community-building resources for casual to hard core sports fans, there were not many resources for new fans -- especially fans who are new to sports fandom.
After thinking about it, it seemed there are a ton of resources for casual to hard core fans -- from ESPN to fan forums.
To help new fans connect with their newly adopted team, I created a website prototype intended to model a welcoming and non-judgemental fan onboarding experience.
To help new Green Bay Packers fans connect with their newly adopted team, I created a website prototype intended to model a welcoming and
non-judgemental fan onboarding experience.
To help new Green Bay Packers fans connect with their newly adopted team, I created a website prototype intended to model a welcoming and non-judgemental fan onboarding experience.
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