SportsTech

PlaySmart — Transforming Athlete Development

Data-platform designed during the U-M Ross Business +Tech Innovation Jam to help coaches track athlete development. Currently building this into a real product.

Role

UX Designer

Timeline

Sept 30 - Nov 15

Skills

User Flows, Collaboration, UI Design

Tools

Figma, Trello, Loom, Jira

GIF walkthrough of primary screens.

Figma Prototype

Slidedeck

Context

Ever wonder why “the coach's kid always plays”?

High school coaches often collect little to no objective, long-term performance data for their players. Instead, player development is typically based on wins, losses, and the coach’s subjective judgment. This lack of transparency and objectivity leaves players and their parents/guardians unsure about progress or areas needing improvement.

Imagine paying for a tutor but never receiving the student’s report card — this is the current state of competitive youth sports.

Ever wonder why “the coach's kid always plays”?

Imagine paying for a tutor but never receiving the student’s report card — this is the current state of competitive youth sports.

Ever wonder why “the coach's kid always plays”?

Imagine paying for a tutor but never receiving the student’s report card — this is the current state of competitive youth sports.

Coach dashboard page.

Problems

Athletes need more than just a scoreboard.
Without the right tools, coaching is a game of guesswork.

Unfocused training — Identifying which areas of practice are most linked to game performance is near impossible, resulting in practice sessions that don't fully prepare players for game-day success.

Progress without clarity — Coaches can’t tell if overall team progress is due to practicing or just random fluctuation without context behind performance data.

Lack of directed effort — Players work hard, but their energy is scattered across various skill-sets, preventing them from reaching their full potential.

Hard to track progress — Key areas for improvement are often missed as coaches struggle to spot unique patterns across individual player performance.

Objective

Transform the complex and time-consuming process of tracking youth athlete development into a seamless, data-driven experience that empowers coaches to make informed decisions and drive consistent player progress.

Design Requirements

The following criteria enabled me to ensure my design was exactly what coaches and athletes were looking for.

Intuitive — Prioritize simplicity in workflows to minimize cognitive load for coaches.

Engaging — Gamify player interactions to encourage a sense of achievement.

Reliable — Use consistent design patterns and language to provide a predictable experience.

Scalable — Design a flexible platform architecture that can seamlessly accommodate new features in future updates.

Key Features

Goals

Drive growth with every step.
Goals break down long-term objectives into smaller, actionable milestones, providing structure and motivation for players while ensuring measurable progress.

Athlete specfic goal performance page.

Sustained motivation — Small, achievable goals keep players engaged and motivated by celebrating incremental progress.

Clarity and focus — Breaking down objectives into manageable steps helps players and coaches stay focused on specific areas for improvement.

Sense of ownership — Players take ownership of their development, fostering a personal responsibility for their progress.

Drills

Practice smarter, not harder.  
Drills track player performance and progress, providing insights into areas of strength and opportunities for improvement, optimizing training for each athlete’s needs.

Team drill performance overview.

Holistic athletic development — By tracking a variety of drills and metrics, coaches can ensure that players are developing a well-rounded skill set.

Prevention of plateauing — Regularly monitoring drill progression helps detect when players are plateauing, allowing coaches to adjust training plans before progress stalls.

Progress over time — Tracking drill performance provides both players and coaches with a clear visual representation of growth, helping to keep motivation high by celebrating visible improvements.

Smart Insights

Unlock performance with data-driven insights.  
Smart Insights uses AI and data analytics to analyze player and team performance, offering actionable recommendations that guide coaches toward informed decisions.

Athlete specfic smart insights based on drill performance.

Uncover hidden patterns — Smart Insights reveal trends and patterns that may not be visible through casual observation, helping coaches pinpoint areas for improvement.

Objective evaluation — Smart Insights removes subjectivity from player assessment, providing a more accurate and unbiased approach to performance analysis.

Actionable feedback for continuous improvement — Coaches can immediately act on the Smart Insights, creating a continuous feedback loop that accelerates player development.

Retrospective

Summary

From concept to challenge winner in six weeks!  
In six weeks, our team created PlaySmart - a data platform to revolutionize youth athlete development. Through collaboration and innovation, we designed a solution that empowers coaches and players, all while having a great time throughout the process (and did I mention we won $1,000!?). Thank you to my amazing teammates: Husain Saifuddin, Ryan Lynn, Gabriel Oliveira, Jelani Hastings, and Michael Huskey!

The dream team. As pictured from left to right: Michael Huskey, Justin Mason, Ryan Lynn, and Gabriel Oliveria. Not pictured: Husain Saifuddin and Jelani Hastings.

Next Steps

It’s only up from here.
This project is just getting started, and there’s a lot of exciting work ahead.

Onboarding developers — I'm currently working with a talented team of developers to refine and implement new features, starting with an MVP.

Beta testing with local schools — We’re partnering with local schools to conduct beta tests, gathering feedback from real-world users to fine-tune the platform and ensure it’s ready for an initial launch.

Expanding feature set — As we collect data from beta testing, we’re consistently considering the platform’s scalability, adding new functionality to support a broader audience.

See more projects!