NBA

Official App

Role

Director of Product Design

Services

Design Systems, Research, Team Management

Timeline

2021-2026

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+43%

YoY growth in NBA App subscribers

+42%

YoY increase in downloads across iOs

4.7

Star rating on App Store (from 2.2)

NBA

Official App

Role

Director of Product Design

Services

Design Systems, Research, Team Management

Timeline

2021-2026

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce bibendum enim ipsum, non fringilla libero tristique sed. Quisque ut justo quis dolor luctus pellentesque et quis dui. Suspendisse cursus magna in nulla sagittis finibus. Mauris pharetra enim in dui placerat ullamcorper. Nunc tempus eget erat a blandit. Pellentesque vitae congue lectus. Fusce rutrum, neque vitae ornare rutrum, lorem purus varius turpis, quis vehicula sem risus a dolor. Phasellus ullamcorper, lorem non tincidunt accumsan, tortor augue tempus risus, a efficitur quam lorem et urna.

+43%

YoY growth in NBA App subscribers

+42%

YoY increase in downloads across iOs

4.7

Star rating on App Store (from 2.2)

NBA

Official App

Role

Director of Product Design

Services

Design Systems, Research, Team Management

Timeline

2021-2026

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce bibendum enim ipsum, non fringilla libero tristique sed. Quisque ut justo quis dolor luctus pellentesque et quis dui. Suspendisse cursus magna in nulla sagittis finibus. Mauris pharetra enim in dui placerat ullamcorper. Nunc tempus eget erat a blandit. Pellentesque vitae congue lectus. Fusce rutrum, neque vitae ornare rutrum, lorem purus varius turpis, quis vehicula sem risus a dolor. Phasellus ullamcorper, lorem non tincidunt accumsan, tortor augue tempus risus, a efficitur quam lorem et urna.

+43%

YoY growth in NBA App subscribers

+42%

YoY increase in downloads across iOs

4.7

Star rating on App Store (from 2.2)

Challenge

Finding a fragmented experience

In 2021, the NBA app was a poor digital experience: a mix of outdated design patterns built by various outsourced agencies for years. No platforms matched, which led to a broken UX for fans.


The backlash was very public:

Challenge

Finding a fragmented experience

In 2021, the NBA app was a poor digital experience: a mix of outdated design patterns built by various outsourced agencies for years. No platforms matched, which led to a broken UX for fans.


The backlash was very public:

Strategy

Build a design system and a team to give it life

We partnered with top agencies and contractors to build NBA Kinetic, the league's first all-digital style guide. It replaced every earlier version and brought consistent UX across platforms and devices.


Around the same time, I hired my direct reports: senior-level designers placed strategically to become platform experts and execute Kinetic across each native digital surface.

Strategy

Build a design system and a team to give it life

We partnered with top agencies and contractors to build NBA Kinetic, the league's first all-digital style guide. It replaced every earlier version and brought consistent UX across platforms and devices.


Around the same time, I hired my direct reports: senior-level designers placed strategically to become platform experts and execute Kinetic across each native digital surface.

NBA Kinetic Design System

The design system I helped create gave the NBA one set of building blocks (components, patterns, and rules) that every native platform builds from, so new work starts consistent instead of starting from scratch.

True Parallax Image
True Parallax Image

Execution

Platform-by-platform

Over the following years, my team and I began extrapolating the Kinetic Design System across every native platform. I ran weekly reviews and 1-on-1 critiques to keep our work aligned.

Execution

Platform-by-platform

Over the following years, my team and I began extrapolating the Kinetic Design System across every native platform. I ran weekly reviews and 1-on-1 critiques to keep our work aligned.

Mobile App

With iOs as our largest market share and starting platform, we began mapping and updating key screens & flows informed by our user research.

TV Experience

64% of fans watched games on their home television, so we crafted an experience built for 10-foot viewing and non-touch inputs.

True Parallax Image

Apple Vision Pro

Apple Vision Pro was our most exciting yet challenging surface; a brand new platform with no prior playbook. But our Kinetic Design System gave us an agnostic language to speak from — principles, patterns, tokens — that we could extend to spatial.

True Parallax Image

Testing early and often

At the NBA offices using the Apple Vision Pro

Testing early and often

At the NBA offices using the Apple Vision Pro

Reviewing our gestures and interactions

Presenting a live demo of our prototype

Yes, we had a lot of fun

Reviewing our gestures and interactions

Presenting a live demo of our prototype

Yes, we had a lot of fun

Results

I worked with our analytics team to track the following KPIs across 5 years:

We became the very first sports app on Apple Vision Pro, and the top-rated tvOS app.

Our Apple Vision Pro app also won us the coveted Apple Design Award in 2026.

"I had to use ESPN for some things and the NBA app for others. Now everything's in one place and actually consistent. I love the personalization features too - this is an app I actually want to use! "

James Molina (Usability Testing Participant, 2025)

"I had to use ESPN for some things and the NBA app for others. Now everything's in one place and actually consistent. I love the personalization features too - this is an app I actually want to use! "

James Molina (Usability Testing Participant, 2025)

"I had to use ESPN for some things and the NBA app for others. Now everything's in one place and actually consistent. I love the personalization features too - this is an app I actually want to use! "

James Molina (Usability Testing Participant, 2025)

Want the full story?

An executive case study with research methodologies and metrics are available for hiring teams and agencies.

Want the full story?

An executive case study with research methodologies and metrics are available for hiring teams and agencies.

Want the full story?

An executive case study with research methodologies and metrics are available for hiring teams and agencies.