Sometimes the best digital projects start with a problem that is annoying enough to make you say, “There has to be a better way.”
For us, it started with a late-night phone call.
Christine volunteers with Cowichan Soccer Club and helps with website updates. One night around 10 p.m., a member of the Board of Directors called asking for a field status update. It was rainy, some of the grass fields would be closed and unavailable for games the next day. Christine was essentially the backup to the backup to the backup for website updates, but that night nobody else was available.
The request itself was simple. The process wasn't.
Christine was already in bed and thought, I wish I could just do this from my phone.
So we started talking about it.
Could we build something simple enough that a non-technical person could update field status from their phone, with the website updating automatically?
That became FieldStatus Pro.
For us, it started with a late-night phone call.
Christine volunteers with Cowichan Soccer Club and helps with website updates. One night around 10 p.m., a member of the Board of Directors called asking for a field status update. It was rainy, some of the grass fields would be closed and unavailable for games the next day. Christine was essentially the backup to the backup to the backup for website updates, but that night nobody else was available.
The request itself was simple. The process wasn't.
Christine was already in bed and thought, I wish I could just do this from my phone.
So we started talking about it.
Could we build something simple enough that a non-technical person could update field status from their phone, with the website updating automatically?
That became FieldStatus Pro.
The problem
Field closures and field-status changes often need to be communicated quickly. Weather, field conditions and other circumstances can mean that information needs to change outside normal business hours.
We didn't want someone to have to log into a website, find the right page, edit content and publish an update just to tell families that a field was closed.
The goal was much simpler: open the app, find the field, tap the status, and be done.
We didn't want someone to have to log into a website, find the right page, edit content and publish an update just to tell families that a field was closed.
The goal was much simpler: open the app, find the field, tap the status, and be done.
The solution
Field status can be updated from a phone in just a few taps.
FieldStatus Pro is a mobile-friendly Progressive Web App that lets organizations manage field status from their phone.
An administrator can configure the fields they use and update a field's status with a single tap. They can also add a custom message when additional information is needed.
The important part is what happens next.
The field-status information can automatically appear on the organization's existing website through two integration options:
A notification banner
A simple script can add an alert bar to the website showing the current field status or a custom notification.
A field-status table
An embedded table can display the status of multiple fields in one place.
The organization doesn't need to rebuild its website to use it. The goal is to add a useful tool to the website they already have.
An administrator can configure the fields they use and update a field's status with a single tap. They can also add a custom message when additional information is needed.
The important part is what happens next.
The field-status information can automatically appear on the organization's existing website through two integration options:
A notification banner
A simple script can add an alert bar to the website showing the current field status or a custom notification.
A field-status table
An embedded table can display the status of multiple fields in one place.
The organization doesn't need to rebuild its website to use it. The goal is to add a useful tool to the website they already have.
FieldStatus Pro can automatically display field-status alerts on an existing website.
Building around the person using it
One of the things we care about with digital projects is making the technology fit the people who actually have to use it.
In this case, the person updating field status might be a volunteer, board member or administrator who doesn't consider themselves particularly technical.
That changes how you approach the product.
The interface needs to be quick to understand. Common actions should be obvious. And once the initial setup is done, updating a field should take seconds, not a trip through a content management system.
We have also built Facebook integration and are continuing to test and refine the product.
In this case, the person updating field status might be a volunteer, board member or administrator who doesn't consider themselves particularly technical.
That changes how you approach the product.
The interface needs to be quick to understand. Common actions should be obvious. And once the initial setup is done, updating a field should take seconds, not a trip through a content management system.
We have also built Facebook integration and are continuing to test and refine the product.
What's next
FieldStatus Pro is currently working and installed on the Cowichan Soccer Club website, but we're still at the early stage of testing it in the real world. We haven't rolled it out to a larger group of users yet.
Our next step is to get it into the hands of the people who actually manage field status, watch how they use it, and improve the experience based on what we learn.
That's often the most useful part of building something new: the first version solves the problem we think we understand. Real users help us understand the problem better.
FieldStatus Pro started with one late-night phone call. Now we're exploring whether the same simple approach could help other sports organizations spend less time managing field-status updates and more time running their programs.
Our next step is to get it into the hands of the people who actually manage field status, watch how they use it, and improve the experience based on what we learn.
That's often the most useful part of building something new: the first version solves the problem we think we understand. Real users help us understand the problem better.
FieldStatus Pro started with one late-night phone call. Now we're exploring whether the same simple approach could help other sports organizations spend less time managing field-status updates and more time running their programs.
Have a digital problem?
FieldStatus Pro started with a simple problem and a question: Could we make this easier?
If your business or organization has a process that feels too complicated, too manual, or harder than it should be, let's talk.
If your business or organization has a process that feels too complicated, too manual, or harder than it should be, let's talk.