Thank you
for explorinG
INDYCAR UX Redesign
Capturing the Next Generation of Racing Fans
Timeline:
9 months
Team:
3 UX Researchers
1 UX Designer
My Role:
Product strategy
Secondary research
Feature ideation
Visual design
Tools:
Figma
Miro
Maze
Google Analytics
PRODUCT RE-DESIGN | USER RESEARCH | INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE | UI DESIGN
NOTE: This is a limited-access project for sharing purposes only. Detailed steps and additional information are hidden due to NDA.
The Problem
Why Was INDYCAR Losing Younger Fans?
INDYCAR is fast, thrilling, and high-stakes. But its digital experience? It wasn’t keeping up. We assumed the issue was outdated visuals. We were wrong.
Our research uncovered something deeper:
🛑 New fans didn’t know where to start.
🎯 Existing fans struggled to find key race information.
⚡ The app lacked the adrenaline rush of a live race.
Strategic Goals & Impact
🎯 Grow a younger fan base while retaining existing fans
→ Create experiences that captivate new audiences while fostering long-term loyalty .
🎯 Improve retention & engagement
→ Reduce bounce rates, increase session duration, boost user satisfaction.
🎯 Engage and excite users
→ Provide visually engaging, interactive content that lowers cognitive load and simplifies navigation.
Research & Key Insights
CURRENT VERSION OF APP:
❌ Ambiguous navigation → INDYCAR 101 blends into the main menu, increasing cognitive load and reducing discoverability.
❌ Content overload → Car specs rely on dense text, lacking visuals, leading to lower engagement and user fatigue.
❌ Disorganized layout → Rules and regulations lack structure, making them harder to navigate and increasing cognitive effort.
Challenges FACED:
Preference for highly visual, interactive content
→ Gen Z users found text-heavy layouts overwhelming, reducing engagement.
Limited marketing reach
→ INDYCAR’s marketing was not as global as other sports like F1 etc., making it harder to go viral on social media.
Younger audiences were already drawn to F1
→ INDYCAR lacked digital presence and social proof.
Lack of access to hardcore INDYCAR fans (35+ age group)
→ We had limited direct data on what kept them engaged.
Competitive ANALYSIS:
✅ F1 and WWE excel in storytelling → Making athletes & cars the centerpiece boosts emotional connection.
✅ NBA, Cricket and WWE leverage short-form video & interactive stats → Drives high engagement.
✅ Gen Z prefers immersive experiences over passive content → Static text doesn’t retain attention.
We analyzed other sports to identify best practices in digital fan engagement.
F1
NBA
Cricket
WWE
💡 Key Research Insight:
Fans weren’t disengaged. Instead, they were overwhelmed.
🚗 Too many clicks. Too much information. Instead of feeling the thrill of racing, users were lost in navigation.
David Craske, Head of Digital Experiences & Strategies from INDYCAR put it best:
"We want fans to feel the speed, the intensity… but online, they just feel stuck."
Design Approach
Redefining the Information Architecture:
I led a complete sitemap redesign, ensuring intuitive navigation and prioritizing key sections.
Key improvements:
✅ Clear content hierarchy → Prioritized engaging & interactive content.
✅ Streamlined navigation → Reduced cognitive load by restructuring sections.
OUR MISSION
Design Opportunity: Transform the app into an interactive, visually engaging hub that makes INDYCAR exciting for new fans while retaining existing ones.
UX Problem: Some of the app’s features are information-heavy, text-based approach was overwhelming, leading to high bounce rates and low session duration.
Key Business Problem: Declining engagement from younger demographics threatened the long-term growth of the sport.
DESIGN ITERATIONS:
Created rough sketches and Lo-Fi wireframes for initial design concepts.
Employed creative exercises like Crazy 8 to brainstorm ideas.
Validated designs with stakeholder, social media and fan engagement teams.
INTERFACE DESIGN:
SKETCHES:
LO-FI WIREFRAMES:
We went through two major design iterations, refining based on usability tests:
ITERATION 1:
🔹 Maximized Information Density: Redesigned layout to display more content at a glance.
🔹 Rich Visual Integration: Replaced text-heavy sections with images and videos for better engagement.
🔹 Interactive Personalization: Introduced interactive elements to tailor the user experience.
ITERATION 2:
🔹 Optimized Information Density: Redesigned layout for quicker interactions, maximizing content visibility.
🔹 Rich Visual Integration: Embedded videos and infographics, reducing text-heavy sections.
🔹 Enhanced Interactivity: Added swipeable car breakdowns, interactive race strategy guides, and
BTS (Behind-the-Scenes) content.
FINAL DESIGN ENHANCEMENTS:
✅ Anatomy of a Race Car → Interactive exploration of car mechanics.
✅ Race Rules & Track Guides → Visual breakdowns of flags, track types, and strategy insights.
✅ Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) Content → Exclusive footage of pit crews, engineers, and race-day prep.
✅ Team & Driver Profiles → Personalized stories and career stats to build fan loyalty.
Redesigned layout for
better visibilty and interactivity
SPORT INTRODUCTION:
Highlight INDYCAR’s uniqueness
to spark interest.
Interactive model of the race car
Exclusive BTS footage
of the teams
Driver Career
Timeline
Exclusive Driver
footage & Stats
Visual breakdown of track types, rules and flags
Prototype
We validated our designs through Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthroughs, and Stakeholder Feedback.
Measuring Success: UX & Business Impact
📈 30% increase in session duration
→ Users spent more time exploring the app
📉 25% drop in bounce rates
→ Users found what they needed, faster.
📝 System Usability Score (SUS): 4.8/5
→ Marked improvement in user satisfaction.
👍 85% of users preferred the new interactive features
→ Fans stayed longer, engaged more.
⭐ Stakeholders rated the approach 4.8/5
→ Confidence in attracting younger audiences.
💡 Strategic Planning: Balanced business goals with UX objectives to ensure a scalable design approach.
💡 Stakeholder Influence: Worked closely with INDYCAR executives, aligning UX solutions with business needs.
💡 Data-Driven Design: Leveraged user testing insights to drive every iteration decision.
💡 Cross-Functional Leadership: Collaborated with marketing, and design teams for seamless execution.
This project pushed me to thrive in a fast-paced environment, navigate complex data, and drive strategic UX decisions. It strengthened my ability to:
Advocate for UX in business discussions.
Influence cross-functional teams & stakeholders.
Design for long-term engagement and retention.
Key Takeaways & Leadership Impact
Future Developments
🚀 3D Interactive Race Car Model
→ Allow users to deep-dive into engineering details.
🎥 Expanded Video Content
→ More short-form content to boost engagement.
🎬 More BTS Footage
→ Keep users engaged beyond race days, building year-round fandom.
"For the first time, the INDYCAR app feels like part of the race, not just a place to check results."
💬 One fan summed it up perfectly:
Powered by Curiosity, Late Nights, and Endless Iterations.
Karthik Anupindi – 2024
