TIMTHIANTHAI
SAP Tennis Analytics for Media
Following the success of SAP Tennis Analytics for Coaches, the customer returned to me in 2017 with another project called SAP Tennis Analytics for Media—an online portal that provides data and insights to tennis journalists in real time during Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments. My job was to design different types of data visualization that could enable tennis journalists to write articles efficiently and effectively. I started the project by conducting exploratory research with tennis journalists at the WTA Finals in Singapore and then designed screens based on my learnings.
With the help of the tennis journalists, I created a journey map that consists of their day-to-day tasks, emotions, issues, and touchpoints.
My Role
Lead Research & Design
Due to the project scope and budget constraint, our customer requested I be the sole researcher and designer. I conceived the project plan, conducted the research in Singapore, and designed different types of data visualization for the product. After the product launched in October 2017, I also made design improvements based on user feedback.
The journalists I interviewed enjoyed the multi-tasking aspect of their job. While working, they often used multiple devices simultaneously, each displaying a different type of data. This learning caused the expansion of design scope to include mobile devices.
Challenges & Takeaways
Change of Research Plan
The customer and I initially planned to do a half-day Design Thinking workshop with tennis journalists in Singapore at an SAP facility. But because of time and availability conflicts, I had to rethink the research plan and decided to break down the workshop activities into live sessions that happened in the media lab where they worked. This allowed for more flexibility and convenience for the tennis journalists, and I could complete what was needed for the design.
Between Simplicity and Complexity
The technologies behind this project include SAP Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics, meaning tennis journalists will be fed data that has already been filtered and analyzed. However, the journalists expressed that filtering and analyzing complex data were actually the fun part of their job and made them feel valued. While my intention was to design data visualizations that were simple enough for them to understand without the instruction, the screens still had to contain dense layers of information that opened to different interpretations for the journalists to enjoy applying their creativity and skills.
Lack of Designers’ Feedback
I usually worked in a team for a high-visibility project of this scale, which allowed for a collaboration and feedback exchange with other designers. In order to fill in the gap, I started periodic review sessions and invited other designers to critique my designs. This way, I could ensure the project reached its full potential, and I could continue to grow as a designer.
Traditionally, a head-to-head visualization only allows the user to compare how two players perform in a match. The new version (shown) also allows the journalist to see how players are performing in comparison to themselves during the season (an adjustable benchmark). While the screen is filled with layers of complex data, they are aided by simple visual cues (e.g. horizontal charts, traffic-light alerts) that the journalists love.
Before we arrived at the final design for each screen, we went through a number of iterations. Tennis is a sport rooted deeply in tradition, and so are tennis’ data visualizations. While some of the designs I initially came up with may ideally or scientifically be the best way to view the type of data, they might seem too foreign for the journalists and require design adjustments to strike a balance between tradition and innovation.
Results
SAP Tennis Analytics for Media launched in October 2017. It has been widely used as an all-in-one resource for WTA credentialed media, which includes tennis journalists, bloggers, and broadcasters around the world.
“As a broadcaster, having access to SAP Tennis Analytics for media is really valuable. I am more informed, concise, and my commentary is more insightful. The data is great because it reinforces what I see during the course of a match and that allows me to deliver a better experience to the viewer.”
- Chris Evert, Grand Slam Champion and Tennis Broadcaster