Streamlining Tournament Reporting with UX Research & AI 

Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation relied on a manual, error-prone workflow to publish tournament results, often delaying updates for days or weeks. I helped design and build a lightweight web application that automated formatting and publishing, reducing turnaround time by 92% and giving stakeholders confidence to publish results immediately after events.

Jump to Solution

Role

UX Researcher, Front-End Developer

Duration

4 weeks

Team

Team of 3, working directly with the Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation Youth Director (primary stakeholder, tournament organizer)

Tools

Figma, React, Netlify, ChatGPT, Zoom

The Problem

Tournament results were exported from Tournament Keeper in inconsistent formats and manually cleaned before publishing. This process:

  • Took 25–30 minutes per file
  • Relied on a single stakeholder, creating a bottleneck
  • Increased the risk of formatting errors
  • Delayed public-facing updates by up to two weeks

Research & Discovery

We conducted stakeholder interviews to understand the existing workflow, constraints, and expectations. The Youth Director’s feedback revealed that speed, consistency, and confidence were more important than advanced customization.

Key Insight:

Stakeholders didn’t want “more features”, they wanted fewer steps and fewer chances to make mistakes.

Design & Validation

Low-fidelity designs focused on:

  • Clear upload guidance
  • Immediate preview of formatted results
  • Simple export options (PDF and embeddable summaries)

I led usability testing to evaluate clarity and task success. Participants completed two core tasks:

  1. Uploading tournament results
  2. Exporting formatted outputs

Feedback from the first test directly informed interface changes, most notably, replacing a dropdown export menu with visually distinct tabs to reduce cognitive load.

Figma Prototype

Upload a New Tournament Result

You’ve just finished a tournament and want to publish the results quickly. Use the web app to complete the following:

  1. Enter the tournament name.
  2. Upload a header image for the event.
  3. Upload a .csv or file from Tournament Keeper.

Success Criteria: 

  • Users correctly identify where to input tournament details.
  • Users successfully complete drag-and-drop or uploads .txt file.
  • Users understand how files will be formatted and previewed.

Share Tournament Results

Now that you’ve uploaded the tournament data, you want to share it. Try downloading the results as a PDF.

Success Criteria: 

  • User notices and clicks the correct buttons.
  • User locates the "Download PDF" icon. 
Test Plan

Observation

During usability testing, I observed a momentary hesitant the when participant reached the upload screen. The original microcopy ("Drag and drop your .txt here, or click to upload") created a wall of text that blurred the two distinct actions.

The Strategy

I applied Jakob's Law and Law of Proximityby decoupling the selection options and matching our platform the mental models of high-traffic platforms like Gmail and Dropbox. Users expect a clear, secondary "Browse" button if they aren't ready to drag a file.

The Fix

  • Simplified Microcopy: Changed the prompt to a clear, action-oriented "Drag and drop your image to upload."
  • Visual Separation: Added a standalone "Browse" button to provide a familiar "safety net" for users who prefer traditional file navigation.

The Result

100% of subsequent participants identified the upload path instantly, reducing task friction to near zero.

The Solution

A React-based web app that:

  • Automates file uploads and formatting
  • Generates downloadable PDFs and embeddable summaries
  • Clearly communicates supported file types
  • Displays dynamic summary statistics (e.g., total weight, averages)
  • Prioritizes the most recent tournament uploads
  • Enables quick customization without manual edits
MBN Web App

AI

I used AI-assisted development to accelerate implementation, allowing more time for usability validation and iteration.

Testing

Usability testing directly informed interface refinements, resulting in faster task completion and 100% success across core workflows.

Download your sample file and see how easy it is to create and upload your own tournament results!

Sample File​ 

Impact

Qualitative

Stakeholders described the tool as “plug and play”

Increased confidence in publishing results immediately after tournaments

Improved consistency and trust in public-facing data

Quantitative

92% reduction in formatting time

100% task completion rate in usability tests

Average task time reduced from 25–30 minutes to ~4 minutes

“I won’t have to fix columns or change anything. I’ll be able to upload results right after a tournament.”

What This Project Demonstrates

  • Translating stakeholder pain points into measurable efficiency gains
  • Using UX research to simplify workflows—not add complexity
  • Validating design decisions through iterative testing
  • Leveraging automation and AI tools responsibly to accelerate delivery

Next Steps

  • Expand testing across additional divisions
  • Improve mobile and tablet usability for field use
  • Explore real-time leaderboard updates
  • Add accessibility enhancements

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