AGF Women's

Introduction

Picture this: AGF, one of Denmark’s most iconic football clubs, has a women’s team that’s absolutely killing it on the pitch. But here’s the catch—hardly anyone was talking about them. While the men’s team was soaking up all the attention, the women’s team was left waiting in the wings. So AGF came to us with a challenge—to help give the women's team get the recognition they deserve.

Cue the dramatic music—our team of five UX enthusiasts jumped into action for a two-week design sprint. Our mission? To give the women’s team the digital glow-up they deserved and create a more inclusive fan experience. Let’s dive into how we made it happen!

The Challenge

The challenge was clear:

"How can a digital concept contribute to creating more interest in AGF's women's team?"

But it wasn’t just about adding a few posts here and there. We had to dig deeper. Fans didn’t know much about the women’s team—when they played, who the players were, or even how skilled they were. Some fans even believed the women’s team wasn’t as good as the men’s. Ouch.

We wanted to change that narrative. To create a digital experience that would not only increase visibility for the women’s team but also challenge those pesky misconceptions and get fans genuinely excited about women’s football. Here let me write the focus in some bullet points:

• Creating Awareness — Fans barely knew the women’s team existed. Match schedules? Player profiles? Nope, not on their radar.
• Reducing stigma around skills — Some fans thought the women’s team wasn’t as skilled as the men’s team. Spoiler alert: they were wrong, but we had to prove it.
• Increasing engagement — The digital platform was basically a ghost town when it came to women’s team content. No posts, no stats, no love.

Research & Discovery

First things first—we needed to understand the fans. We conducted ethnographic research, observing fans before, during, and after matches. We used user interviews and mobile ethnography (think: fans sending us photos, videos, and voice notes of their match-day experiences).

We also did desk reasearch to analyse AGF's digital presence, and let me tell you there were some alarming findings. Besides looking at their website, we also checked out their social media accounts, and their recently developed mobile app. Looking through all these platforms left us with some interesting results on how AGF is currently promoting their women's team (or rather how they are trying to.)

What we found in all our research

• Football = Social Vibes — Fans loved the sense of belonging and connection during matches. It wasn’t just about the game; it was about the community.
• Women’s Team Who? — Fans had no clue about the women’s team’s schedule or players. Out of sight, out of mind.
• Skill Misconceptions — Some fans thought the women’s team wasn’t as skilled. Some even said they would 'never watch women play football because they are bad.' Personally, I don't agree.
• Lacking media presence — While the girls have separate pages on the website and social media, the information about their matches is severly hidden.

This research gave us a solid foundation to build on. Now, it was time to get creative.

UX Strategy & Mappings

With our research insights in hand, we mapped out a UX strategy to give the women’s team the attention they deserved. Our goal was to create a digital platform that felt inclusive, engaging, and, most importantly, fun.

We used storyboarding to visualize the fan journey and identify key touchpoints where we could introduce content about the women’s team. Then, we turned to SCAMPER to brainstorm ways to improve the existing app. We asked questions like:

• Substitute — What if we replaced men’s team content with women’s team content in certain areas?
• Combine — Could we merge men’s and women’s team stats into one unified section?
• Adapt — How could we adapt popular features (like quizzes) to focus on the women’s team?

Conclusion

This process helped us generate a ton of ideas, which we then refined using Crazy 8s and solution sketches. These methods allowed us to quickly explore different concepts and narrow down the best ones.

Ideation & Concept Development

Now came the fun part—turning those ideas into reality. We started with Lightning Demos, where we looked at other apps and platforms for inspiration. Then, we got to work sketching out our concepts.

For our concept, we decided that we will improve the current AGF App to make it more inclusive (and maybe even prettier.)
Here’s what we came up with:

• Homepage Makeover — We redesigned the homepage to feature upcoming matches for both teams, giving the women’s team equal billing.
• Quiz Banner — A fun quiz to test fans’ knowledge about the women’s team. Who doesn’t love a little trivia?
• Fanzine Section — This included games like “Guess the Player,” where fans could learn fun facts about female players. (Spoiler: they’re just as skilled as the men.)
• Player Hunt Game — A collectible card game where fans could snag digital player cards during match breaks. Think Pokémon, but with football players.
• Team Pages Redesign — We added detailed stats for female players and league tables for both teams. Stats don’t lie, folks.

We also gave the app a sleek, modern design, sticking to AGF’s iconic blue and red colors. Brand consistency? Check.

Testing & Valdiation

Before we presented our concept to AGF, we put it to the test. We conducted usability testing and gathered expert feedback to make sure our ideas were as awesome as we thought they were.

The results? Testers loved it. The interactive features were a hit, and the redesigned homepage successfully increased visibility for the women’s team. As a plus, our design also managed to achieve brand consistency, and testers really liked how modern and intiuitve it is. The “Guess the Player” game even helped shift some fans’ perceptions about the women’s team’s skills.

Obviously, I could say our concept was perfect but upon the first round of testing, we did minimal adjustments to how some components look and feel, make the UI even more intuitive and usable.

Client Feedback

We presented our concept to AGF, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. They loved our ideas and said they’d love to slowly implement them into their app. They acknowledged that it wouldn’t be an overnight change, but they saw the potential for a positive impact.

Takeaways & Reflection

Upon finishing this 2-week project we had our final learnings. Here are some key takeaways:

• Unified Branding = Happy Fans — Treating both teams equally on the digital platform is a win-win. Fans feel included, and the women’s team gets the attention they deserve.
• Gamification Works — Interactive features like games and quizzes are a fun way to engage fans and educate them about the women’s team.
• Facts Beat Myths — Highlighting the women’s team’s skills and achievements can help shift fans’ perceptions. Facts don’t lie!

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Future Improvements

While our concept was a great start, there’s always room for growth. Here’s what we’d love to see in the future:

• Interactive Stadium Games — Imagine games in the stadium that highlight the women’s team’s skills. Think skill challenges or trivia during match breaks.
• Website Updates — Let’s bring the same energy to AGF’s website, with more content and interactive features for the women’s team.
• AR Player Hunt — Take the Player Hunt game to the next level with augmented reality. Fans could scan QR codes around the stadium to “meet” players and learn about their skills.

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Reflection

This project was a blast, and it showed us the power of digital platforms in shaping fan experiences. By giving the women’s team equal billing, we created a more inclusive and engaging app. But let’s be real—changing perceptions about women’s football is a marathon, not a sprint. This was just the first step, but it’s a step in the right direction.

So, what’s next? AGF’s women’s team is ready to shine, and we’re here for it. Let’s keep the momentum going and make women’s football the talk of the town (and the app)!