Oakland Roots Sports Club Scores Hat-Trick with the UserTesting Human Insight Platform

OAKLAND and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – September 8, 2022 – UserTesting (NYSE: USER), a leader in video-based human insight, today announced that Oakland Roots Sports Club has utilized UserTesting to help improve its fan engagement and launch new digital experiences. Oakland Roots turned to the UserTesting® Human Insight Platform to tap into the power of human insight for understanding the behaviors and preferences of its fans and soccer fans at large, as part of its efforts to re-design and launch new digital experiences both across its website and mobile application. With the help of UserTesting and its opt-in network of contributors, Oakland Roots were able to hear first-hand the priorities of their fans, understand their usage and engagement across its mobile and web experiences, and ultimately make digital design and marketing decisions that strengthen fan loyalty. 

Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team, formed in 2018 and based in Oakland, California. The club was founded with the purpose of creating positive social change in the local Oakland community and beyond. With the utilization of UserTesting insight, Roots also launched Oakland Soul, a purpose-driven, womens’ soccer team that provides a pathway to professional soccer in the USL W League. Oakland Soul’s first game launches during the Spring of 2023.  

“Our goal is to create the best possible fan experience–both in-person and digitally,” said Edreece Arghandiwal, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul. “Relying on surface level data on our digital touchpoints isn’t enough to fully understand how our fans are feeling. The marketing and digital team have been able to leverage deeper insight and feedback generated with the help of the UserTesting platform to help us better understand our fans, so we can create magical experiences that drive engagement. The feedback from User Testing has helped us re-organize our mobile app widgets, which has resulted in higher engagement and increased number of registered users. The insight generated by UserTesting’s technology has opened a new level of understanding and connection between the Club and our fans.”

UserTesting quickly delivers feedback on important projects, enabling Oakland Roots to understand consumer sentiment towards ideas and concepts within the same day. Having these insights allows them to innovate faster and bring new features and experiences to market with confidence. The UserTesting Platform has also provided Oakland Roots’ marketing and digital experience teams a window into the world of their fans–from needs and preferences to motives and behaviors–leveraging those insights gleaned to improve its website, prioritize mobile app features, and launch a new mobile app component on behalf of Oakland Soul. The feedback received has led to a deeper understanding of who their fans are, and what outcomes and expectations lead to stronger fan loyalty. 

Before launching a new mobile app component for Oakland Soul on Oakland Root’s mobile app, they used UserTesting to see how fans use the Roots app, what they liked and disliked the most, and what would be most helpful within the app, as well as gained some intel into how fans of other professional sports teams use those apps, to ensure they delivered the best possible mobile app experience for their fans.  

“It’s easy to see that Oakland Roots are a customer-centric organization by just looking at their website–but the organization has taken that one step further–by incorporating human insights into every aspect of how they design and build their digital experiences, they have an even stronger understanding of what motivates their fans,” said Michelle Huff, Chief Marketing Officer at UserTesting. “Organizations cannot gain a complete picture of their customers by data alone, pairing that data with human insights really unlocks a deeper understanding of customers, what resonates with them and how they feel about their digital experiences with a brand. This is critical in building a strong and loyal customer base, and UserTesting aided Oakland Roots in achieving that.”  

About Oakland Roots
Oakland Roots Sports Club seeks to harness the magic of Oakland and the power of sport as a force for social good. Whether on the pitch, in the stands, or within the community, Oakland Roots will represent our one-of-a-kind city with passion, pride, and commitment to all things Oakland. Player by player. Supporter by supporter. Resident by resident. One day at a time. One game at a time. This is about Oakland first, always