Trajekt provided several requirements for their new interface:
1) Dashboard style pages
2) A dark mode colour scheme
3) The inclusion of their new 3D model strike zone
4) The interface is to be primarily used on computer internet browsers
The software is a tool for pitching coaches to seamlessly compile lists of pitches for the upcoming batting practices. The interface must be both simple and powerful enough for the coaches to find the pitches at varying levels of specificity and have them immediately ready to throw for their batters. User stories were a powerful tool in the inclusion of certain functionalities and the layout of the interfaces. The search functionality for finding previously thrown real pitches benefited massively from the stories. It allowed us to find the most important and powerful characteristics to search with.
Based on the constraints provided by Trajekt, my goal was to create pages which must contain all of the content above the fold. Much like other applications with similar structures and high levels of page switching (i.e. Apple Music, Spotify, Slack), there is a small and permanent sidebar on the left of the page that features all for the prominent pages. Users are always aware where they are and the number of clicks to reach their target action has been minimized.
All of the pages within the interface have been optimized in terms of the story mapping and consistency. Mapping was considered for how coaches find or create pitches, how they manipulate Pitch Lists, and how they conduct their practices. Design consistencies can be seen with the placements of titles, table results, pitch simulations, and buttons. For example in the two new design images below, the Pitch Lists are present in the bottom left of the pages' body and the pitch simulations are in the bottom right. Note: they are different sizes due to the important information required to display on the specific page.
Due to the dark mode constraint, contents of a page's body are best displayed in rectangular sections with an elevated background of a slightly transparent white colour.
The key to a great dashboard is the ability to discover the most critical information which must be displayed, and to do that in a visual which is inherently effective.
For Trajekt, different pages require a different set of critical content to be displayed. Efficient search functionally, pitch visual aids, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and quick button actions are present throughout. This can be seen in the image below of the 'Pitch List' page. I distilled the most important information to be displayed when in the middle of an active batting practice. The 'Session Stats' section provides an excellent example of colour enhanced KPIs so the coach can quickly adjust where the batter needs more practice.
The sections within different dashboards are consistently placed so the user will always know where to look (ex. the table results are always on the bottom left of the page's body).
The software needs to provide an easy way for a baseball knowledgable coach to use a very complex machine. My goal for the interface was to maximize the coach's ability to leverage the machine's capabilities. The focus is to allow them to utilize their existing knowledge of the sport. The inferface's visualizations, search functionality, and pitch creation are specifically designed to for a coach's optimal interaction.
Step 1) I reviewed Trajekt's previous design and had meetings with the founders to explore the goals and constraints. The main goal was an improved interface which would be shown professional baseball teams and could be quickly implemented by the upcoming demo date.
Step 2) Put together use cases, story mapping, and lo-fi design sketches to be shown to Trajekt. Feedback was taken on the approach and applied to a higher-fidelity prototype via Figma.
Step 3) Iterating the design, with the given feedback.
