Hobby insights turned into a passion project
Two arrows at a time
ROLE
Product Designer
Visual Designer
SKILLS
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
TIMELINE
Q2 - Q3 2024
A QUICK SUMMARY
Beyond the words
Waypoints is a concept app for tracking scores at archery events — built by an archer, tested by the community.
Designed for archers aged 16+, it replaces paper forms with a focused, distraction-free interface.
Through this project, I learned to challenge my own assumptions and design not just for usability, but for real focus, comfort, and clarity in moments that matter.
If you’d prefer to see the case study in a different format, a slide deck version is available.
THE STORY
It Wasn’t Just About Paper
Here´s Peter,
a fellow archer, often finds himself keeping score during competitions.
It’s a task he takes seriously — but it adds pressure and breaks his focus.
As an archer myself, I assumed the problem was physical:
paper sheets, layout consistecy , and possibly rainy weather
But testing with community revealed something deeper.
It wasn’t just about the paper — it was about staying present.
People weren’t just scoring. They were managing stress, performance, and each other.
THE PROBLEM
At archery competitions, scorekeeping is handled on paper — and almost always by a volunteer. But the tables often change from event to event, making them hard to navigate.
That inconsistency adds stress and distracts from what matters most: staying focused on the shot.
Thats why I was solving:
When Keeping Score Means Losing Focus
Join, Select, Compete — All in One Place
Distraction-free
layout
Fast, Frictionless
Input
MY SOLUTION
Designing with Simplicity in Mind
Each feature in Waypoints was driven by a clear goal: reduce friction.
Based on testing and community feedback, I focused on three aspects archers cared about the most — clarity, simplicity, and focus.
Easy score entry
Scores can be entered by swiping a value pill or tapping to select from a minimal drop-up menu — optimized for one-handed use in outdoor conditions.
Layout that guides, not distracts
I stripped the interface down to essentials. The layout avoids visual noise, supports natural gestures, and respects the user's mental flow between shots.
Waypoints wasn’t just about modernizing a form. It was about respecting attention — and designing around it.
This was achieved by a principle you might have heard about: MAYA*.
*”Most advanced, yet acceptable”. Principle popularized by Raymond Loewy (1893-1986).
Smarter competition setup
Archers choose their group with a single tap. They can assign a scorekeeper — or skip that step and record only their own scores. The system adapts, not dictates.
TESTING PHASE
Listening Past the Scorecard
I conducted two rounds of moderated usability testing (5 users each) - first with wireframes, then with a styled prototype.
Results after final study feel encouraging:
<60s Score entry
Per Target, estimated including reading
the target with 5-6 participants
and 2 shots average
80% success rate
4 out of 5 participants completed the second test without aid.
Dropdown preference
Chosen over dragging score pill by most testers
Key changes
What needed to change based on feedback
Even with strong usability results, testers revealed unexpected friction — especially around map navigation, finger reach, and lack of clarity in scorecards.
These insights led to several design changes.
Map screen updates
Four out of five users wanted to be able to choose the way to enter the data.
Another surprising finding: While the map needed to stay simple, testers asked for a way to glance at progress.
Ergonomy first
Score pills were designed to sit above score collumns. However This approach didn´t work.
Diving deeper into the ergonomics and how people usually hold their devices had a great impact on how the layout changed.
Enhancing the details
3 out of 5 participants struggled to identify who is the user in keeper voting screen. This is why a stuble animation was added.
Too simplistic score cards proved to be a frustration, since 4 participants in the second study pointed that without a title it´s a little confusing.
💡 What Surprised Me
While testing focused on the interface, many of the most important insights came from what archers shared between tasks.
Several testers spoke about the emotional weight of scoring. It wasn’t just about clicking the right number — it was about pressure, performance anxiety, and not letting teammates down.
“I always feel a bit guilty when I write the wrong score. Even if I fix it, it throws me off.” — Mike
Others highlighted social tension during disputed shots. It wasn't about the UI — it was about confidence, group dynamic, and emotional energy.
“Dispute shots are pain in the ***. It’s never just about the arrow — it’s about pride, nerves, and who’s watching.” — Kate
These conversations reminded me that I wasn’t just designing for ease-of-use.
I was designing for mental clarity, trust, and focus under pressure — all hidden behind a simple screen.
*Testers nicknames for anonynity
PROTOTYPING LESSONS
This Time, I Slowed Down
Instead of building a massive prototype with a giant interaction architecture with variables like I did in my previous project, I focused my energy mostly on a critical component:
The Scoring card — the UI element where scores are entered.
Sure, the whole app flow was built to evoke how the competition can be transformed using the app. However, getting this crucial element right was no easy task.
“Final appearance of the element changed dramatically from my initial sketches.”
Framing the problem
How do you let users choose between two very different input styles — without overwhelming the interface or breaking functionality?
Dragging a score pill feels fast and physical
Dropdown is safer, especially under pressure
Creating a prototype that handled both proved harder than expected.
Some interactions failed silently. Others caused delays.
How I Built the Score Entry
To show both input methods — drag and dropdown — I created a score entry card that wasn't a single frame, but a modular system of components.
Each shooter row was composed of multiple nested parts:
name label
score fields
interaction layer
state indicators
This helped me simulate real flexibility — but also pushed the prototype to its limits.
As the number of components stacked up, the file became slower to load and interactions occasionally lagged. It was a trade-off: clarity over performance.
“This looked like a small component. But it taught me more about interaction design than the rest of the prototype combined.”
How it works
Designing the Quiet Between the Shots
Join the group
I´ve kept the known approach to enter the competition by signing into a Group number and at same time representing starting target.
Pick score keeper (or not)
User is prompted to participate in score keeper voting. 2 Archers with most points will be score keepers for the group.
Enter the target
Each target allows the user to pick how to start writing the scores. Choosing AR or manual is an accessibility choice.
Write the scores (your way)
Score writing is performed by dragging “score pills“ onto archers card or by tapping the score possition and choosing from standardized scores.
THE RESULT
Clarity in Moments That Count
This project wasn’t designed to impress with animations or fancy transitions. It was built to give archers clarity — when every shot matters, and every distraction costs focus.
REFLECTIONS
From Archer to UX Designer
This is where my personal world and design practice fully overlapped.
I knew it from the start, my experience as an archer could become a bias — so I tested early, listened carefully, and challenged my assumptions. What I found wasn’t just usability feedback. It was insight into pressure, responsibility, and how archers experience flow.
Technically, I tried different way to build prototypes and work with design systems. But more importantly, I learned how to listen — especially to things that aren't said directly.
This was also the first project where I actively asked for feedback from the Slovak 3D Archery Association — not just for validation, but to see how this concept might fit into the official structure of the sport.
Update May 2025: Even when reply didn’t come, the effort reminded me: good design isn’t about controlling outcomes. It’s about being ready to understand more than just the interface.