Our Journey
The University of Texas at Austin has been a powerhouse for college athletics, academics, and innovation since 1883. Memories of burnt orange baseball games and victories against our friends and conference rivals stand out among some of the best when the spring season comes around. Getting a chance to sit in the Disch and watch this historic program make another run towards Omaha during the season is a spectacular experience. Because Texas Baseball is so special, we wanted to find a way to bring a new level of Longhorn innovation to UFCU Disch-Falk Field this spring, and create new gameday traditions that bring more of the Longhorn faithful to the Disch for all nine innings.
Blog 1: Our design question
This inventive effort started in a small Digital Innovations Capstone class between three Longhorn students: seniors Brady Pieper, Cecilia Rodriguez and Casey Ellis. The trio attempted to capture and solve the question, “How can we improve fan engagement with Texas Baseball while at games?”
For us, it's about more than just selling tickets and getting fans in seats through nine innings. It’s about leaving a revolutionary Longhorn baseball experience in the hearts and minds of all fans attending games this season. Ultimately, every fan that comes to a Longhorn baseball game should have a unique, engaging and immersive experience which will set the burnt orange further apart from our athletic adversaries and bring fans back to the Disch for years to come.
Starting this spring, you’ll find Bevo and all the boys down at the field as always, but with a newfound chance to meet your favorite bull and players. Play trivia linked to the scoreboard and the Texas Baseball app for a chance at winning authentic prizes, scholarships, and experiences with the team throughout the game and season. Along with an all-new cast of Longhorn entertainers prepared to bring fun throughout the game, expect to see live on-field skits and games where you may see some of your fellow Longhorns competing for prizes.
Blog 2: Recapping Inspiration
In looking for inspiration, our team scouted a few innovative teams around the sport of college baseball and peered into our own university’s athletic improvements. Profitable college baseball organizations like Georgia and Texas Christian University made for good proof-of-concept examples for the team. The Bulldogs integrated a “Pawdcast” to their weekly posts that was judged well by the fans and got more people engaged with the team and players. The integration of a Longhorn baseball podcast produced by students in conjunction with the team could be an opportunity to reach out to new fans using the Georgia model.
Engaging fans through social media channels and providing more content about the team and players would be a massive step in developing and engaging the fanbase. Many Texas baseball fans already use Twitter as their primary source for team information. Over 65% of our survey respondents received their baseball updates through Twitter or Instagram. Incentivizing fans to continue to use this method with weekly trivia and giveaways throughout the season would be an engaging and relatively inexpensive way for the team to gain more traction and interest in fans buying tickets.
Longhorn baseball needs a consistent student and alumni fanbase attending games for the team to start increasing engagement. The Texas brand has never been the problem as Longhorn fans and alumni are devoted, but getting the crowd across I-35 and to the stadium for a full nine innings has been a struggle. The I-35 barrier has been addressed by the athletics department in the past with public transit to every game via a bus which picks up on campus. Many current students we polled were unaware of this as an option and were unsure on whether it would be an option they would use in the future. Revamping and strongly-advertising a new party bus (Flyrides) or large ride-sharing service (Fetii) allowing for a fun, unique and free way for students to get the game by themselves or with friends.
Crossing I-35 and approaching Disch-Falk Field, Red & Charlene McCombs Field, and the neighboring cemetery leave a lot to be desired when it comes to setting the stage for Texas baseball. Surveyed fans and students noted the pre- and in-game experiences as areas needing improvement. Starting with a new set of banners, signs, and Texas baseball advertising on campus and next to the stadium, the area across I-35 could become a mecca of baseball culture in Texas. In-game changes including trivia, live-skits, a revamped video board experience, and special student nights during weekdays make for an all-new fan-driven experience at the ballpark this Spring. No one loves Texas baseball more than Longhorns themselves, and we’ve listened.
Blog 3: The Sprint To Home Plate
When we started this journey a few months ago, we never imagined it would be this fun creating innovative ideas for a sport and team we all love so much. Getting to these final stages was one crazy sprint towards home plate and less of a home run jog around the bases, but nonetheless worth it. From choosing to focus on baseball instead of basketball to interviewing people from the Texas Athletics department; each step in the process was so vital to our final prototypes. One of our biggest focus points from the beginning was making prototypes or products that would incorporate the students into the gameday experience in a bigger way. Because of this we talked to a wide range of students and alumni across the campus community and got their feedback throughout many stages in this process. Their feedback inspired ideas that led to the creation of our prototypes like Fetii to Falk – a solution to get students from campus to Disch-Falk Field at a low cost and across the theoretical I-35 barrier for games. Student and alumni feedback also provided us with insight on what fans wanted to see while at games. Our social media trivia concept and in-game experience prototype were designed to integrate every fan with a digital aspect that builds engagement and keeps fans at the game longer. Incentivizing fans to come through social media, providing a free option to get to and from games, and new in-game activities will be a part of the new unique Longhorn baseball experience designed by students for students. Our human-centric design through our rounds of feedback was devised to provide better accessibility options, cheaper transportation, and overall a more fun and engaging experience when attending Texas baseball games.