Abstract:
There are currently 3.6 billion social media users worldwide (Clement, 2020). This means that
almost half of the world’s population is using some form of social media to communicate. This
makes social media one of the most prominent forms of communication tools today. “Effective
communication makes it easier to manage teams, set goals, track progress, solve problems and
encourage innovation” (O’Neil, 2018, para. 1). However, when it comes to sports
communication, few applications exist that allow non-professional players to collaborate and
communicate in social media settings. One sport that has shown tremendous growth in the last
decade is disc golf (PDGA, 2018). Since its inception in 1976, there have been more than
115,000 active players in the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA, 2018), and likely
many unregistered players. Through design thinking, empathy research, and usability testing,
this project will create a mobile application as a mechanism for engaging users in an immersive
experience meant to improve communication among clubs and during tournaments, as well as to
encourage blooming friendships and allow individuals to track their on-field progress in areas
such as form, drives, and putting. The results from this work will be used to develop a mobile
application experience that will serve as a hub for the local disc golf community.
