GameBreaker

Video capture and analysis tools for OSX and iOS.

By the time Sportstec approached Tropixel to design Sportstec Gamebreaker, they had already developed a rough working prototype that was modelled after their flagship product, SportsCode. They we looking to develop software that appealed to school teams and amateur clubs that didn’t need the full gamut of features offered in SportsCode.

The overarching task of the software is to import video, tag moments as they happen in the video and then extract clips of those key moments and present them in a playlist. It allows for extremely efficient analysis of indexed footage that can then be exported and distributed using Sportstec’s suite of software.

I didn’t want the design to stray too far from typical video editing patterns as most people looking to use this software will have already learnt those workflows. I centred the layout around a tray where all the clips would be gathered. They tied the video together with the timeline below and made sure that the users area of interaction was concentrated to the middle third of the window.

Re-imagined for iPad

The interface was then redesigned for the iPad to take advantage of the mobility afforded by a more portable device. The real challenge was the high density of information did not translate well from the desktop to the touch interface. Screen real estate is very quickly surrendered to the larger touch targets so I had to devise different methods of controlling play back and coding the timeline.

Although a smaller screen might seem like a curse, I see it sometimes as a blessing. A a designer you’re forced to maximize the content by optimizing the chrome around it. The result is usually a much more refined interface that focuses the user on one task at a time. I see it extremely useful for consumer apps where you can guide their focus from screen to screen.