Abeer Khalique

Abeer Khalique

Abeer Khalique

The NBA

Mobile App and Connected Devices

Services

Research, Product Design, Systems, User Testing

Partners

Design Research, Product Management, Engineering, Analytics

Timeline

2021-2026

When I joined the NBA as Director of Product Design, the digital products were disconnected across iOS, Android, and Connected Devices — leading to declining


I led the execution of building of a design language that could scale across platforms and support all 30 NBA teams. I hired and managed the team that built it in lockstep with Engineering, Product, and Analytics and is currently serving over a million users around the globe.


This resulted in a Sports Emmy nomination and an Apple Design Award, along with:


+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

A broken experience

In 2021, the NBA App was on a fragmented expeirnces, an amalgamoation of designes from various outsoucerd agecies. iOS did not match Android. Neither matched web. Multiply that inconsistency across 30 team brands living inside one app, and the NBA was losing users in a very public way:

Challenge

A broken experience

In 2021, the NBA App was on a fragmented expeirnces, an amalgamoation of designes from various outsoucerd agecies. iOS did not match Android. Neither matched web. Multiply that inconsistency across 30 team brands living inside one app, and the NBA was losing users in a very public way:

The NBA's issues were evident, but the way forward was less clear - how do we fix an issue this large affecting millions of users?

I worked closely with our partners in User Research to conduct usability testing across our platforms to see exactly where fans hit friction, then audited the product to better understand where the consistency lived the inconsistency actually lived before I could argue for how to fix it.

1.





The NBA's issues were evident, but the way forward was less clear - how do we fix an issue this large affecting millions of users?

I worked closely with our partners in User Research to conduct usability testing across our platforms to see exactly where fans hit friction, then audited the product to better understand where the consistency lived the inconsistency actually lived before I could argue for how to fix it.

1.





Strategy

Systems first, team next

I partnered with the Head of Design to build that team that could solve this from an operational level, not just screen by screen.

To accomplish this, I hired 3-4 senior level product designers whom I assigned to own their platforms and help create Kinetic, the NBA's flagship design system.

The plan was to craft a design system first, then bring in the right designers to build on it.

Strategy

Systems first, team next

I partnered with the Head of Design to build that team that could solve this from an operational level, not just screen by screen.

To accomplish this, I hired 3-4 senior level product designers whom I assigned to own their platforms and help create Kinetic, the NBA's flagship design system.

The plan was to craft a design system first, then bring in the right designers to build on it.

We began compiling reference points for what Kinetic could be

Sub-Section Title

Title of the paragraph

My next mandate was hiring. I recruited and hand-picked almost all the designers who eventually became my direct reports (Dayna Bieber, Matt Krueger, and Vimal Bisundial).

With a designer now assigned to a key position per platform, I built a structure of weekly 1:1s and team meetings that allowed me to oversee the work being output while giving designers the automoney to craft work for their respective platform.

This let a small team operate at the output of a much larger one.

Execution

Platform-by-platform

With the foundational design system and brand pirciples starting to be built, I began working with my direct reports on assgiging varuious roles avcross movile. We worked in a hybrid-waterfall fashhion with our partner in product and engineering.

With iOs as our largest markest, we staretd rebuilding the app - with a fresh new design system and features that algined with our user resarch and key business meterics to drive KPIs and

  • Shipped iOS → Android → tvOS → Vision Pro →

Execution

Platform-by-platform

With the foundational design system and brand pirciples starting to be built, I began working with my direct reports on assgiging varuious roles avcross movile. We worked in a hybrid-waterfall fashhion with our partner in product and engineering.

With iOs as our largest markest, we staretd rebuilding the app - with a fresh new design system and features that algined with our user resarch and key business meterics to drive KPIs and

  • Shipped iOS → Android → tvOS → Vision Pro →

Mobile App

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

True Parallax Image

Remiagined Stats and Standings

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

Remiagined Stats and Standings

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

Remiagined Stats and Standings

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

Remiagined Stats and Standings

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

Remiagined Stats and Standings

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

Remiagined Stats and Standings

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

TV Experience

Next, we proved the system worked outside mobile. Same component library, completely different context (10-foot viewing, non-touch input, social watching). Shipping tvOS in a 6-month accelerated time was a testament that NBA Kinetic was doing its job.

True Parallax Image

Apple Vision Pro

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

This meant we had to think carefully about what makes NBA App feel like NBA App, while being true to Apple's platform best practices.

Testing and iterating
Here I am at the New York office testing the app.

Testing and iterating
Here I am at the New York office testing the app.

My design team testing and trying out features on the Apple Vision Pro

My design team testing and trying out features on the Apple Vision Pro

My design team testing and trying out features on the Apple Vision Pro

Results

I worked with our analytics team to track the folloing KPIs:

  • Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Active Users (DAU / WAU / MAU)

  • Total Users, New Installs, Re-Installs

  • Visits Per Visitor

  • Video Starts Per Visitor and Per Week

  • Watch Hours Per Week

  • VOD and Live Video Viewers Per Week

  • Total Hours in Product, Total Visits, and Minutes Per Visit, by platform (NBA App, NBA.com, Connected Devices)


In the years after we shipped, time in our product grew double digits across NBA App, NBA.com, and connected devices, with visits up nearly 20% YoY. Fans weren't just showing up, they were staying longer. Minutes per visit on NBA App grew double digits, weekly video starts climbed roughly 50%, and live video viewership grew nearly 50% in the same stretch. All of this translated into real ad revenue from impressions.



Results

I worked with our analytics team to track the folloing KPIs:

  • Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Active Users (DAU / WAU / MAU)

  • Total Users, New Installs, Re-Installs

  • Visits Per Visitor

  • Video Starts Per Visitor and Per Week

  • Watch Hours Per Week

  • VOD and Live Video Viewers Per Week

  • Total Hours in Product, Total Visits, and Minutes Per Visit, by platform (NBA App, NBA.com, Connected Devices)


In the years after we shipped, time in our product grew double digits across NBA App, NBA.com, and connected devices, with visits up nearly 20% YoY. Fans weren't just showing up, they were staying longer. Minutes per visit on NBA App grew double digits, weekly video starts climbed roughly 50%, and live video viewership grew nearly 50% in the same stretch. All of this translated into real ad revenue from impressions.



The app finally feels like something I want to use. Finally!

Johnny Ive

Johnny Ive

The app finally feels like something I want to use. Finally!

Johnny Ive

The app finally feels like something I want to use. Finally!

Want the full story?

An executive case study with research methodoliges and full metrics readouts are available for hiring teams and agencies.

Want the full story?

An executive case study with research methodoliges and full metrics readouts are available for hiring teams and agencies.

Want the full story?

An executive case study with research methodoliges and full metrics readouts are available for hiring teams and agencies.