MLB APP Redesign
Deepening Fan-Player Connections on MLB APP
A sneak peek into the final solution
Player profile hero section
Lack of Meaningful Fan-Player Connections
We synthesized research insights from multiple sources: the 2023 Washington Post polls, the 2019 ESPN World Fame 100, extensive desktop research, and a survey of 116 baseball fans.
This comprehensive research led us to a clear problem statement and 3 user pain points.
Problem Statement
🌟
Young adults(18-29) seek personal connections with players, but short-form content like sports highlights and the lack of prominent MLB stars hinder meaningful fan-player bonds.
User Pain Points
Pain Points 1
Fragmented player content across multiple sources
Pain Points 2
Unmemorable statistic-driven content on the app
Pain Points 3
Highlights insufficient for comprehensive player knowledge
The Benefits of Enhancing Fan-Player Connections
Drawing from our research insights, we developed a player-centric experience for the MLB app. By introducing additional touchpoints that highlight players' personalities and stories, we aimed to deepen fan-player relationships.
The solution offers several key benefits:
Improved Engagement
Enhanced app metrics (click rates, likes)
Streamlined Player Info
Consolidated, easily accessible player content
Cross-Platform Potential
Extendable to web, boosting app downloads
A Comprehensive Player-Centric Solution
With our research insights and user pain points in mind, we framed our challenge in a HMW question.
Challenge
🌟
How might we create memorable fan-player connections on MLB's digital platforms that align with the consumption habits of young adults(18-29)?
The Design solution
Guided by this question, we focused on player-centric experience and add touchpoints to boost fan-player connections on the MLB app.
The solution focuses on 3 key areas:
My Story page prototype
1
Showcasing Players
I developed 4 high-level themes – My Story, Highlights, Stats, and The Scoop in Player Profile to create a consistent content strategy across all 900+ MLB players.
My Story includes on-field and off-field highlights and career achievements.
Impact
Deepens fan connections through comprehensive player information beyond stats.
2
Flexible Engagement
Features like "Up to Bat" and player profiles offer easy live game access and digestible content.
Impact
Allows fans to engage at their own pace, reducing the commitment of following all 162 games per season.
Up to Bat prototype
Season in Review prototype
3
Extending Engagement
"Season in Review" highlights memorable moments of followed players at season's end.
Impact
Builds excitement for upcoming seasons and maintains year-round fan connections to players and MLB brand.
Building a Consistent Visual Design and Showcasing Players
After finalizing our solutions, I led the UI design and art direction, focusing on:
Modular Card-Based Layout: Created a functional, adaptable system for MLB's app interfaces, ensuring cohesive user experience across 900+ player profiles.
Core components samples
Athletic Excellence Showcase: Incorporated action shot GIFs in the Player Profile hero section, vividly depicting player performances to engage fans.
Player profile hero section samples
Typography Update: Adopted Tusker Grotesk for its flexible weights and condensed style, providing a modern look while complementing the MLB Originals logo.
Type scale
The Process: Key Steps to Success
While our final solution addresses the core challenge effectively, the journey to reach it involved several crucial steps.
Here are the key highlights of the process:
1
Initial Research: Understanding the Landscape
We kicked off with an analysis of the Washington Post poll and 2019 ESPN World Fame 100, which revealed baseball's declining popularity and lack of prominent stars.
⚠️
of U.S. adults aged 18-29 rank baseball as their favorite sport to watch, far behind other sports.
⚠️
ESPN World Frame 100, 2019
2
Deep Dive: Uncovering Fan Perspectives
To gain a more nuanced understanding, we conducted desktop research and surveyed 116 fans.
Desktop research
We reviewed newspapers, academic papers in the sports field, other sports leagues like the NBA and F1, and examined what MLB currently offers.
Key insights:
💡
Gen Z sports fans prefer watching highlights.
💡
💡
Stats heavy player info.
Survey Research
We conducted surveys with 116 baseball fans, distributed via online forums like Reddit.
Key insights:
3
Defining the target users
Behaviours
Needs
Pain Points
Goals
What the Fans Say
We conducted Zoom interviews with three casual fans (two aged 23 and one aged 53) and one avid fan aged 25, presenting them with a user statement, prototype, and having them rate proposed touchpoints on a 1 to 5 scale.
player Profile
Player Profile prototype
Concept statement
“As a baseball fan, I want to know my favourite player beyond their stats — their personal stories and experiences.”
Average rating: 4.5/5
“
[Breaking] down like famous players and their journey and seeing that other side of them is important to me.
Participant 2, Avid fan
Up to Bat
Concept statement
“As a baseball fan, I would like to be notified to see my favourite player bat, without watching the whole game”
Average rating: 4.5/5
“
I would happily just get a notification and watch just Aaron judge's bats you know and then follow up on the score in that clip.
Participant 3, Casual fan
Receiving notification prototype
Season in Review
Fans' seasonal stats prototype
Concept statement
“As a baseball fan, I wish I was reminded of my interactions with my favourite player over the past baseball season.”
Average rating: 4.5/5
“
We love to see stats about ourselves.
Participant 1, Casual fan
Doing a Project Worth Thousands of Lectures
This project offered invaluable hands-on experience, reinforcing classroom learning and providing new insights:
Trust the Process
Despite feeling lost at times, I learned to rely on user definition, HMW questions, and continuous feedback to guide the team through the non-linear design journey.
Small Wins Matter
Facing critiques about user adoption pushed me to consider the business perspective. I realized that even small improvements in engagement can benefit MLB long-term.