GAME STORY
Helping casual NBA fans understand the game as it unfolds.
The NBA app delivers live scores, statistics, and play-by-play updates to millions of fans. While experienced fans can quickly interpret this information, beginner and casual fans often struggle to understand what is happening during the game. This project explores how contextual storytelling can make the live viewing experience more approachable.
BACKGROUND
MY ROLE
I led the project from research through final design, conducting user research, synthesizing insights, designing the feature, testing the experience, and creating the final prototype.
SCOPE
Adding a new feature to an existing platform.
TOOLS
Figma, FigJam, Typeform, v0
The NBA app is one of the most widely used platforms for following live basketball, offering real-time scores, statistics, and play-by-play updates. While these features work well for experienced fans, they can be difficult for beginner and casual fans to interpret. Game Story explores how contextual explanations and live insights can make the game easier to understand without disrupting the viewing experience.
PROBLEM
The NBA app provides live scores and statistics but offers little context for users who are still learning the game. Casual fans often struggle to understand key moments or catch up after stepping away, making it difficult to stay engaged throughout the game.
GOAL
Design a feature that helps casual fans understand live gameplay through contextual explanations integrated into the existing NBA app experience.
RESEARCH
Research explored how casual fans engage with live basketball and identified opportunities to improve comprehension without disrupting the viewing experience. A competitive analysis highlighted a gap in contextual storytelling, while user research uncovered common pain points and learning behaviors.
KEY INSIGHTS
Fans multitask while watching games
Many users aren’t able to follow every possession in real time.
Users leave the app for explanations
Many rely on highlights, or social media to understand what they missed.
Raw data doesn’t explain why important moments matter.
Statistics lack context
Clear storytelling improves understanding
Simple, contextual explanations help users stay engaged throughout the game.
DESIGN PROCESS
Research findings informed the overall experience strategy, feature priorities, and user journey. The focus was on delivering contextual information at the right moment while keeping the experience intuitive and unobtrusive.
The user flow mapped how fans would discover Game Story, catch up on missed moments, explore highlights, and return to the live game experience.
WIREFRAMES
Early concepts explored how narrative-driven updates, highlight moments, and game context could be integrated into the live game experience.
USER TESTING
Usability testing with five participants evaluated the clarity of the Game Story experience, focusing on navigation, highlight discovery, and understanding game momentum.
Usability testing with five participants evaluated the clarity of the Game Story experience, focusing on navigation, highlight discovery, and understanding game momentum.
REFINING THE EXPERIENCE
Refined navigation and labeling to better distinguish the Highlights tab from individual highlight screens.
Clearer Highlight Navigation
Expanded momentum summaries with additional context around player impact, key plays, and scoring runs. A simple momentum indicator was introduced to better communicate shifts in game flow.
More Meaninful Momentum Context
Strengthened the relationship between narrative summaries and the box score, helping users connect key moments with the statistics behind the game.
Stronger Connection Between Story and Stats
FINAL DESIGN
FINAL THOUGHTS
designing game story reinforced the importance of designing for understanding, not just information. while live sports experiences often prioritize statistics and data, users also need context to understand why moments matter.
This project highlighted how thoughtful product design can transform complex, real-time information into a more accessible and engaging experience. by combining narrative, visual hierarchy, and meaningful context, Game story creates a way for casual fans to follow the game with greater confidence.