Empowering female athletes during the recruitment process

Project Overview:

RecruitHER addresses the visibility gap for high school female athletes by offering a centralized platform that empowers them to showcase their talents and connect with college recruiters. We embarked on a journey through many iterative design, testing, and development phases, refining RecruitHER from its initial concept to its final version.

Through competitive and user research, we identified a fragmented system where no single platform provides all the features and services needed by female athletes for successful recruitment. To bring RecruitHER to life, we used tools like Figma for prototyping, Canva and Adobe Illustrator for design, and WordPress for development.

As Project Manager, I coordinated meetings, tracked deadlines, and ensured milestones were met. As Marketing Lead, I designed presentation templates, drafted initial documents, and helped shape the project’s vision.

I also contributed directly to the website’s design and development by creating core pages, including:

• Coach Dashboard
• Featured Athlete page
• Sport-specific pages

Additionally, I took on technical challenges by implementing:

• A search by name feature
• A recruitment calendar
• User login functionality
• Content restriction by user type

These were the most difficult parts of development, but also the most rewarding — critical for building a professional, fully functional platform.

The Problem:

Our competitive and user research revealed an unpleasant process where athletes must rely on multiple tools to create profiles, find recruitment opportunities, and connect with recruiters.

Key challenges included:

• Limited visibility for female athletes.
• No single platform offering all the essential tools
• Difficulty connecting with coaches, recruiters, and scouts.

User interviews validated these findings. Athletes expressed frustration with scattered tools and fewer opportunities to stand out compared to their male counterparts. Their feedback shaped our goal: create an all-in-one platform tailored to high school female athletes seeking college recruitment opportunities.

The Solution:

We ensured that each stage of RecruitHER’s development was guided by user feedback and a focus on improving the overall experience. Below is a breakdown of our evolution from concept to final product:

Concept and Competitive Research

Our mission was clear: unify the recruitment process for female athletes. Competitive research highlighted gaps in platforms like Next College Student Athlete (NCSA), PrepDig, and HUDL. While these platforms provided some helpful features, none provided a comprehensive, user-friendly solution for female athletes.

User interviews helped us validate key needs and define RecruitHER’s unique value proposition: a one-stop solution addressing the fragmented recruitment process.

Prototyping and Testing

Our initial prototype focused on core features like profile setup and a featured athlete section. We conducted early user testing and used the feedback to prioritize updates.

We incorporated:

• Direct messaging for coach-athlete communication
• Notification alerts
• Social media feed integration
• Academic data fields (such as GPA)
• A recruitment event calendar

These features were based directly on feedback from our target users — female athletes and recruiters — who wanted more ways to showcase their skills and stay organized.

Design System Development

Our first version of the design system brought consistency to the brand, but feedback revealed issues such as low button contrast and an outdated visual style.

We addressed these issues by:

• Enhancing button visibility with higher contrast and hover states
• Redesigning the logo to better reflect our mission
• Updating the background and accent colors for a more modern and accessible interface

Refining and Expanding Functionality

We built a robust athlete profile form where users could add:

• Personal information and academic achievements
• Sport-specific stats
• Highlight videos and profile photos

To support coaches and recruiters, we:

• Integrated a stat-tracking chart plugin
• Developed a search page to find athletes by name
• Improved navigation across the site
• Updated homepage visuals with more relevant, dynamic imagery

We also added:

• Recruitment and event calendars
• Mobile-friendly design enhancements
• A dedicated Coach Dashboard with tools specific to their needs

Final Development and Launch

The final stage focused on implementing a polished product, and usability improvements based on broader user testing. We:

• Replaced stock media with real photos and videos from athletes
• Refined the logo, homepage, and key pages
• Added member login systems with content access based on user role
• Finalized the UI to ensure a smooth experience for all visitors

Creative Deliverables

Along with the website, we also created several visual and marketing assets:

• Capstone Trailer: A short video showcasing RecruitHER’s mission and key features (created using Adobe Premiere Pro)
• UX Research Report (UXRR): A visual document of research findings and insights (designed in Canva)
• Capstone Poster: A visual representation of our product (designed in Canva)
• Final Logo Redesign: Updated with Opun Bold font to reflect our refreshed brand
• Updated Design Guide: Documenting final fonts, colors, and style decisions

Results:

RecruitHER is now a fully functional platform that simplifies the recruitment process for female athletes. Designed with inclusivity, accessibility, and real-world usability in mind, the platform is mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and visually engaging.

Key outcomes include:

• Custom user experiences for athletes and coaches
• Efficient navigation for recruiters to find relevant information
• Integration of real-life imagery to create a more personal, authentic experience for users and their families

We also finalized the marketing materials, ensuring RecruitHER is launch-ready with a strong, consistent brand presence.

Conclusion:

Throughout development, we gained meaningful insights into the distinct needs of both athletes and recruiters. We found that simplicity and clarity are just as critical as functionality — especially for recruiters who need to identify and evaluate talent quickly. We also discovered the power of storytelling and authentic visuals in building trust and emotional connection with users. These lessons directly informed our design decisions and strengthened the overall user experience.

RecruitHER website: www.gorecruither.com