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Driving better days on the course and bottom line


For FairwayIQ

Overview


FairwayIQ is a Massachusetts startup that specializes in unlocking more revenue opportunities for golf courses across the country and abroad. Their main tech uses GPS on carts and automation to determine pace-of-play across the groups actively playing to get more golfers golfing.

A tablet displaying a birds-eye view of a golf course and pace of play information.
The interface was built specially for tablets outfitted with weather-proof cases that are affixed to golf carts across the country.

Competitors in the space from On-Pin to Tag Marshall feature video game style renders of the hole and course, but also quite a bit of additional information. Everything seems to competes for your attention.

A collection of various interface elements for the cart app including pace of play and distance to the pin.
A variety of explorations into display of information that balance quick glances with more details.

My approach was to keep it elegant and reminiscent of leader brands like ESPN and PGA of America and allow your eyes to focus on one of three areas at a given moment.

The primary demographic for users trend older, so I explored ways to help them see the most pertinent information through thick variable fonts and deep contrast in color.

A phone stacked on top of a tablet, displaying the same interface, displaying a list of holes at a golf course with identical ui.
The app was able to be deployed on both tablet and phone with no loss of functionality between platforms.

The cart GPS can automatically shift you to the next hole on the course as you approach, but I also designed a view of the whole course at once. This opened the door to play on another hole if one was tied up.

This info was very useful for course marshals in carts or on foot so we also built a phone version with no loss of functionality. It became a core technology called 'Smart Play Through' and is a leading feature of the cart screen app.

Four different pace of play panels, each with a different message and color.
Pace of play panels allows dynamic messaging to help golfers understand if they're being held up or are the cause of hold-ups.

"Out of position" in golf is a pace-of-play term when a group is behind schedule and potentially holding up other players, requiring them to speed up to maintain the flow of the round.

I created a dynamic component that would always keep that information within reach, or fire if the group was starting to cause a delay in a more direct way.

Two tablets stacked on top of each other. The left tablet displays an interactive score card, the right tablet displays a point-of-sales interface for ordering food and drinks.
Future functionality for the cart app include tournament scoring and point-of-sales ordering for delivery at the next hole.

I conducted a deep-dive and designed a variety of other features for the future including a Peloton inspired slide-out panel for tournament scoring, time and location based messages and a full point-of-sales food ordering system.

Three tablets displaying full-screen take over messages for inclement weather, off-path warnings and course closing time.
In addition to pace warnings, we introduced full-screen takeovers for inclement weather, off-course warnings and closing time.

We really focussed on safety with this experience and clear messaging. Make it bold, make it easy.

Skills I acquired or improved

  • Building new business opportunities through design and discussion

  • This was the first Android tablet app I've ever designed

  • Research efforts through golf scoring terminology and symbology

  • Rapid prototyping of features like check-in and admin settings while actively testing/validating the app on a course

  • Getting first-hand experience with how the automated pace system worked by improving the UX of some of the admin features

Challenges