Project Overview
GOREF is a world first for a dedicated football referee app for the Apple Watch with four timers.
The referees pre-match admin tasks are currently delivered by paper based team sheets, handed out to referees before the game.
GOREF simplifies this process by adding the player and match details into the iPhone prior to the game.
The referee then simply transfers the match data to the Watch. The app tracks all match data the referee inputs into the Watch during the game such as goals (time scored and goal scorer), subs and cards.
Organisation
Team
Fuse Mobile
Project Brief
The Fuse Mobile team are passionate fans of the world game and wanted to combine their love of the game with a product for the Apple Watch. The fact that there wasn’t a dedicated referee product for the Apple Watch (a rarity in the app world) gave the team an added incentive to create a world’s first with a product that combined the best of traditional referee digital watches with all the technological innovation of the Apple Watch.
Once we had consulted with referees on their current pain points, three areas for improvement emerged:
1. Match day admin tasks
2. Recording game time data, e.g. goals, subs and cards.
3. Exporting match data
This invaluable feedback from referees set the foundation for the project requirements and gave us the motivation to build a product to overcome these common problems and to make the best referee app we possibly could.
An overlooked element in our research of current referee products was the design branding and UI which always seemed to leave a lot to be desired. We were determined with GOREF to present a modern brand look with attention to the UI challenges of working with the Watch. The UI had to be intuitive and easy to use in game situations.
Project Need
GOREF is a new app concept working with new hardware (Apple Watch) and software (Watch OS).
There is nothing similar on the market that performs the same functions enabling the referee to manage the whole game from match set up to exporting the completed match data to their iPhone.
GOREF enhances the match day experience for referees and allows them to track all match incidents. After the game the match data is at their fingertips ready for them to complete their match reports.
The development process required a creative and agile approach to overcome the limitations and restrictions of the Watch OS (operating software).
The way the operating system OS (operating system) is designed, Watch OS 2.0 makes it difficult to perform or run processes in the background because when the device is in "locked" mode all internal processes are automatically stopped until the device is again in "unlocked" mode.
This situation required an innovative approach to coming up with solutions that enabled GOREF to work as intended and to deliver a unique product that has surpassed our users (referees) expectations.
User Experience
The user experience has been vital to the success of this project. The beta test group involved a number of international referees working at all levels of the game.
This group were committed in helping us deliver a product that overcame the three pain points identified at the start of the project. By offering their expertise and feedback during match situations, together we ensured the product was accurate and easy to use during the cut and thrust of a live match.
The first steps to using the app is a tutorial showing the user how to set up and configure a match and then the screens move onto showing the features on the Apple Watch.
There is a simple 3 step colour coded approach to setting up the match on the iPhone with the final step transferring the match to the Watch via Bluetooth.
The Watch user experience is based around simple touch gestures to start and stop the large timer or a continued touch to see the match menu e.g. goals, cards, subs & delete match.
The haptics are prominent alerts and alarms that cause the Watch to vibrate during key moments of the game. This feature adds to the user experience and assists the referee in being in total control of the game management and time keeping.
Project Marketing
The GOREF marketing strategy is based around building support and engaging referees at grassroots right through to the professional football associations and leagues.
The channels we will use to reach this audience is based around football related magazines and blogs and reaching out through all social media channels to engage this audience with content that sparks conversation and is shareable amongst their peers and friends.
Project Privacy
GOREF follows best practice when collecting any personal data through the app and with our marketing activities.
Tags
Best Connected Device and Wearable Tech
From not so long ago being a concept only/prototype scenario, the connected device/wearable tech revolution has taken the world by storm and today we have clothing, watches, glasses, jewellery and trackers all helping us to achieve goals such as staying fit, active, losing weight or being more organised.
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