Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation: Research-Driven Website Redesign

A deep dive into how strategic user research transformed the Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation website into a streamlined, user-first platform using mixed-methodology including content audits, stakeholder interviews, card sorting, heuristic analysis, and information architecture.

Jump To Process

Role

UX Researcher, UX Designer

Duration

5 months

Team

Team of 4 with stakeholder collaboration

Tools

Miro, Figma,  Figjam, Teams, Zoom, ​Appointlet, Zapier, Jotform

Project Overview

Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation (MBN) manages adult and youth B.A.S.S. fishing tournaments. However, its outdated website structure caused frequent user frustration, missed event details, and inefficient content management for staff.

Our goal: create a streamlined, user-centered experience that improves navigation, clarifies membership paths, and boosts engagement across all user groups.

The Challenge

  • Users couldn’t easily find tournament schedules, eligibility info, or educational resources.
  • Membership distinctions (Adult vs GEM vs Youth) were unclear, leading to incorrect sign-ups.
  • Staff struggled to update and maintain content across two separate sites.
  • The site lacked a scalable structure and intuitive navigation.

The Process

Stakeholder Interviews

Conducted with MBN President and Youth Director to uncover goals, pain points, and user priorities.

Key Insights:

  • Primary users: Adult anglers, youth anglers, parents, coaches
  • Goals: Easier tournament sign-up location, calendar access, form retrieval, viewing results
  • Pain points: Disorganized content, difficulty viewing PDFs, unclear membership flows

Card Sorting Study

  • Automated the participant recruitment and consent process utilizing Appointlet, Zapier, and Jotform
  • Participants grouped content based on perceived similarities
  • Sessions: 3 card sorts (1 Adult, 2 Youth), 3 expert heuristic reviews
“​There was just so much content to look through. I know it's important to have access to the Presidential meeting information, but as a member I never do.”

 — Participant 1, Adult

12

screening questions

3

card sorting sessions

3

expert heuristic evaluations

The "Aha!" Moment

During usability testing, participants struggled to distinguish between adult and youth memberships. One participant noted:

“WOW! This looks great. The only things I would change is under Become a Member I'd separate Youth and Adult on to a second level.”
— Brett, MBN President

“I can't believe you got all the content to fit on one website!”
— Greg, Youth Director

This insight led to a key design pivot: introducing clear headers and visual cues to differentiate membership types and reduce onboarding errors.

View Original Site Map View Updated Site Map

Expert 3

Youth

Expert 1

Expert 1

Adult

Participant 1

Participant 1

Adult

Participant 2

Participant 2

Youth

Participant 3

Participant 3

Youth

Expert 2

Expert 2

Adult

Key Improvements

The Solution

Unified Youth & Adult Sites

Combined both platforms into one cohesive experience, eliminating redundancies streamlined the user journey and reduced the cognitive load.

Removed Low-Value Features

Eliminated underused sections to reduce clutter and improve focus, allowing users to focus on essential content and find what they need more efficiently.

Implemented Login System

Protected sensitive member-only content with secure access, ensuring the privacy and security.

Simplified New Member Onboarding

Created a dedicated "New Members" section with clearer pathways and fewer clicks  to find and complete the registration process with fewer clicks and less confusion.

Optimized Tournament Info

Separated highly trafficked pages such as schedules, results, and eligibility into distinct sections for faster access.

Impact & Results

Usability Testing 

  • Method: Remote sessions via Zoom/Teams
  • Tools: Figma prototype, screen recording, observation sheet
  • Tasks: 5 scenario-based tasks + post-task questionnaires
  • Participants: 2 stakeholder sessions

Outcome:

  • ✔
    Improved clarity in membership selection
  • ✔
    Faster access to tournament and educational content
  • ✔
    Positive feedback from stakeholders

Join the correct membership club

You’re an independent adult angler ready to join Michigan BASS Nation for the first time. Navigate to Become a Member, identify the correct membership, and click the “Join” button.

Goal: 
Navigate to Become aMember > GEM Club Details > Join the GEM Club

Success Criteria: 
Participant correctly navigates to the GEM section and finds the join CTA.

Observation/Finding: 
Participants found the "Become a Member" button clear and visually effective, indicating a strong entry point. However, the distinction between adult and youth memberships within the flow needed improvement.

Action Taken (and Why):
Based on feedback, weadded clear headers and visual differentiatorsto distinguish adult and youth memberships. This change was crucial forreducing user confusion and preventing incorrect sign-ups, thereby streamlining the onboarding process.

Look up membership meeting info

As a new member, you want to attend your first Membership/President/Board meeting. Find out when the next one is happening.

Goal:
Navigate toAnglers > Adult. Locate the meeting time/date via News or Calendar on the main page.

Success Criteria:
Participant identifies the meeting date.

Observation/Finding: 
Participants cited confusing navigation when attempting to locate membership meeting information, especially for members-only content. They suggested renaming the "Anglers" menu for better clarity.

Action Taken (and Why):
We redesigned the navigation path to membership meeting information and renamed the "Anglers" menu to more descriptive terminology(e.g., "Members Only"). This action aimed to create more intuitive paths for accessing members-only content, reducing user frustration and improving discoverability of essential information.

Register for the Team Championship Tournament

You’re ready to fish competitively! Find out if you're eligible for the Team Championship Tournament and begin registration.

Goal: Navigate to Tournaments > Teams > Register Here. Locate and read eligibility information before clicking “Register Here”.

Success Criteria: ​Participant reaches Team Championship Tournament details and simulates registration.

Observation/Finding: 
Participants struggled with the organization of tournament listings. They proposed grouping tournaments under distinct headings for adults, youth, and colleges, and suggested refining confusing tournament names (e.g., "BTC" instead of "Teams").

Action Taken (and Why):
Weimplemented clear headings for adult, youth, and college tournaments and revised ambiguous tournament names to be more descriptive(e.g., changing  "Teams" to "Bassmaster Team Championship, BTC"). This ensuresusers can quickly identify and register for the correct tournament, reducing errors and improving the efficiency of the registration process.

Find how-to info for preparing

You’re nervous and want to review how to properly fizz a largemouth bass. Find this info on the website.

Goal:​ Navigate to the How-To.

Success Criteria: ​Participant finds the “How-To” content.

Observation/Finding: 
Users found the "How-To" content exceptionally easy to locate and navigate due to its clear and direct placement. No significant changes or improvements were suggested for this section.

Action Taken (and Why):
No changes were required for this task, validating the existing effective design and ensuring continued ease of access for users seeking instructional content.

Check the tournament schedule and directions

It's the day before your tournament. You want to double-check the Team Championship Tournament schedule and location.

Goal: Navigate to Schedules. Locate the specified tournament and click the corresponding address.

Success Criteria: ​Participants find location details and click on the address, accessing map/directions.

Observation/Finding: 
While navigation to the schedule page was successful, participants noted the absence of detailed tournament fact sheets. They appreciated the schedule layout's clarity but emphasized the critical importance of accurate and complete tournament information.

Action Taken (and Why):
Although the schedule layout was clear, we identified the need to integrate comprehensive tournament fact sheets or detailed information directly within the schedule view. This isvital for providing users with all necessary details (e.g., rules, locations, fees) at a glance on tournament day, enabling them to make informed decisions and better prepare for events.

“I'd like it to say adult membership, and when they click it it would navigate to the MBN Club Membership and GEM Club Membership. I can see people getting confused. It's inevitable.”
— Greg, Youth Director

Key Takeaways

Clear content hierarchy and visual cues are essential for reducing user error.

Combining platforms can reduce cognitive load and improve branding.

Early stakeholder involvement ensures alignment with organizational goals.

Strategic UX research leads to scalable, maintainable design solutions.

Path Forward

Part I – User Research
  • Usability testing with members and non-members
  • Heuristic evaluation of prototype
  • Competitive analysis with current site
Part II  – UX Design & Development
  • Iterate Figma prototype
  • Build backend-friendly platform based on IA insights

Let's Catch Up!

Don’t let your project be the one that got away—get in touch! Whether you're looking to collaborate, ask questions, or just talk UX, I’d love to hear from you.

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