Swiss Volley has chosen foryouandyourcustomers as its trusted partner to lead the transformation of its website into a user-centric platform tailored to meet the diverse needs of various user segments, including fans, players, trainers, and referees. "I immediately sensed the clarity in the approach of Marco Torrente and his team, and that instilled confidence in me," expressed Ursula Gugger Suter, Head of Communication at the association and the driving force behind the website project.

The diverse requirements for the redesign

Swiss Volley is Switzerland's national governing body for volleyball and beach volleyball. It represents nearly 50,000 licensed players and is responsible for developing the sport in the country. As an umbrella organisation, Swiss Volley acts as an organiser, service provider, and lobbyist for volleyball. As such, it has to deal with various stakeholders and target groups and aims to reach them as effectively as possible – also online.

Consequently, understanding and responding to diverse requirements and perspectives was key to the redesign, according to Gugger Suter. As Project Lead and Service Designer, Marco Torrente suggested a series of expert interviews and workshops to involve representatives from regional associations, aligning the Swiss Volley team's objectives and expectations with those of its various user segments, including fans, players, trainers, and referees.   

From the very outset, it became evident that engaging with authentic users was paramount for crafting a website that resonated with their needs and preferences, and for rigorously testing new concepts. What initially presented itself as a formidable hurdle evolved into a success, all owing to meticulous planning and a well-orchestrated strategy for recruiting genuine users.

"While the previous website was created from the inside, i.e. from Swiss Volley, our focus was on the view from the outside, the people that experience the website as users."

— Marco Torrente, Service Designer 

David and Ursula co-creating user profiles.

A Design Sprint to foster collaboration between national and regional association

To kickstart the journey toward a new website, Torrente leveraged the Design Sprint approach, allowing Swiss Volley to explore and validate ideas with a user-centred mindset quickly.

In the case of Swiss Volley, the sprint felt like a sporting competition in which I was the coach. The participants brought the appropriate sports mindset, which resulted in effective decision-making.

— Marco Torrente, Service Designer

One integral component of the Design Sprint was a two-day workshop with the Swiss Volley team, utilising their comprehensive knowledge and empathy for end users to generate the initial artefacts of a potential new website. These artefacts were then consolidated in a digital prototype, which was tested in the same week with real users representing the diverse user groups. This approach enabled the design team, consisting of Marco, David and Gavi, to validate key assumptions and prioritise the most desirable features quickly. 

Evaluation of benchmark examples

A new information architecture to make information easily accessible

One major headache we uncovered during the Design Sprint was the daunting complexity of the old website's navigation, leaving users frustrated as they hunted for information. However, the bright side that became clear to the team during the Sprint was that the website's wealth of content opened the door for a thorough rethink of organising it to cater to different user groups effectively.

"Our goal for the redesign was to simplify access to information for everyone who needs something from the association. No one should get lost in the amount of information or have to click through several steps to get to certain results."

— Ursula Gugger Suter, Head of Communication Swiss Volley

To address this, the team developed a new information architecture aimed at improving website navigation and ensuring users could quickly and easily access the information they required:

• Content should be organised in a way that makes sense for users.

• The website should be easy to search.

• Users should be able to find the information they need quickly and easily.

Information Architecture

The team also made sure to include the following features in the new website:

• A redesigned game centre for easy access to information about upcoming matches and results.

• A dedicated knowledge area for important volleyball information, thoughtfully structured to cater to users based on their specific roles within the sport, such as trainers, players, or fans.

• A news area to keep users updated on the latest news and information about different teams.

Game Center before (left) and after (right)

Bringing the new design language to life

After redefining the information architecture, the design team embarked on creating a brand-new visual language that seamlessly blended aesthetics with functionality. They actively collaborated with end users and stakeholders to ensure the website not only pleases the eye but also prioritises user-friendliness.

Inspired by Switzerland's typographic heritage, the team selected a typeface that combined tradition with a fresh, contemporary look. The association's signature red colour and thoughtfully chosen imagery were employed to convey the dynamism and emotions associated with the sport.

Switzerland's typographic heritage

A design system was introduced to structure the designs and ultimately create a consistent user experience that reduces the cognitive burden of established design patterns and guidelines. The result is a website that is easy for visitors to navigate, making the experience more enjoyable and intuitive.

Performance with React; Transparency with Storybook

Once the design system was perfected, foryouandyourcustomers’ developers Lisandra and Felipe set out to craft the frontend components using React, ensuring a dynamic and responsive user experience. The Storybook platform was chosen to streamline this process and enhance transparency with the backend partner, visol. Thanks to this solution, visol was able to see innovations and adjustments live and Swiss Volley was able to witness step by step how the design vision was brought to life.

Storybook: Example Tab Menu

What's next? 

While some work remains before the new website's official launch, the collaboration has already proven invaluable for Swiss Volley. The shared vision forged through cooperation with various topic managers and regional teams promises to enhance the online accessibility of volleyball and beach volleyball in Switzerland for all interested parties.

"The revamped content structure will empower those in charge to align and present information and services more effectively according to user needs."

— Ursula Gugger Suter, Head of Communication Swiss Volley

Moreover, as Gugger Suter pointed out, the revamped content structure will empower those in charge to align and present information and services more effectively according to user needs. Even employees responding to inquiries via phone and email will experience a positive change, as quicker user information retrieval will reduce their workload.

Ultimately, this project not only promises a more user-friendly experience for future website visitors but has also strengthened collaboration between Swiss Volley and the regional associations, a testament to the project's success.

Our services 

Are you seeking help on similar topics? We're delighted to offer our expertise in designing and developing new websites. From strategic planning to crafting immersive user experiences and finally launching your solution, we're here to breathe life into your fresh ideas, products, or services.

• Guiding you on the path to a new website

• Design sprints to explore and validate creative visions

• Discovery Research for in-depth user insights

• Rapid ideation, prototype development, and detailed design

• Creating thought-through design systems

• Crafting front- and backend solutions