Loop

Designing for Connection in Women's Outdoor Sports

Yiwei Cheng

How might we design a digital and physical multi-layered system that removes social barriers and cultivates confidence for women in outdoor sports?

Yiwei Cheng's work stems from a desire to reframe participation through individual courage and collective support. Through spatial strategies, digital tools, and live engagements, Loop offers women new ways to show up, connect, and grow.

Loop is a three-part design framework focused on increasing women's participation in outdoor recreational sports. It responds to women's emotional, spatial, and social barriers—particularly those new to sports or returning after time away.

1.) Loop Digital Platform creates a system where women of different experience levels can connect, matching individuals by their needs or skills. The platform allows individuals to request or offer support, and the interface emphasizes ease of use and low-pressure engagement, encouraging a culture of shared growth.

2.) Loop Physical Intervention explores how the built environment can foster a sense of belonging and peer support. Using modular spatial elements like wooden seating, metal mesh dividers, sports flooring, and greenery, Loop creates soft boundaries that enhance comfort without exclusion. The color-coded sticker system (gray=needs help, bright=offers help) enables spontaneous, non-verbal social exchange.

3.) Loop Pop-up Engagements bring the system into real-world testing. Temporary installations at sports fields include sticker stations, signage, and structured warm-up circles to create moments of dialogue and visibility. These engagements were key to user feedback, shaping the spatial and digital components.

The three parts of Loop offer a replicable and scalable framework for communities and cities seeking gender-inclusive design in public sports spaces.