Overview–
For this project, my class tasked with picking a unique sport and creating a concept map for how to play it. The goal was to create this map assuming the user had no prior knowledge of how it worked or what terms were included. I chose Sumo wrestling as my sport because I am familiar with Japanese culture.
In my design, I included a brief description of the sport, as well as the most important rules, terms, and traditions, as well as the most crucial details about how it is played. The map's center features an image of the main area where a sumo match takes place.
Tools: Illustrator, Zoom
Team: Individual Project
Role: Ux Researcher, Visual Designer
Information Gathering and Explanation–
What is Sumo?
Sumo is a Japanese martial art that is more accurately described as a sport, but one that retains many of the Shinto religion's ancient traditions, as demonstrated by the rituals that initiate each Sumo match. Sumo is actually a pretty simple sport once you break down the rules. It begins by taking place in a clay pit called a Dohyo. Matches consist of two wrestlers going up against each other. The objective is to force your opponent out of the ring or force them to the canvas. There is no time limit though each match takes less than one minute.
Starting the Project–
We chose a sport that not many people are familiar with to begin the project. After that, we had 15 to 20 minutes to learn about and research the crucial elements of the sport we had chosen, then separate them into groups using post-it notes. Once everything was finished, everyone went around and attempted to arrange the sports categories according to what they knew and how they thought they would function.
How I organized my post-it notes:
How people with no previous knowledge organized the notes:
With the help of this knowledge, I was able to evaluate the essential elements of the sport so that an outsider could pick it up as quickly and easily as possible.
KEYWORDS / PHRASES
Dohyo (clay ring where the match takes place)
Dohyoiri (ring entering ceremony)
Rikishi (sumo wrestler)
Mawashi (silk belt that rikishi wear)
Gyoji (referee)
Shikirisen (white lines in the center of the Dohyo from which the wrestlers begin)
Bout (match, game)
Shinpan (a judge)
Sumo (national sport of Japan)
Tachiai (initial charge at the beginning of a match)
User Personas–
User Flow Chart–
Sketches–
Final Design–
The final design includes a definition of what Sumo Wrestling is, the three most significant rules, valuable terms used within and during games, a description of how it is performed, ceremonial customs illustrated, and lastly a flow chart expanding on the general way the game is played.
This poster covers all of the most crucial components of sumo for an amateur to properly understand how it is played and what takes place.
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