01
Portland Trail Blazers
NBA Team
Exclusively for Basketball Operations
2022-2024
"I don't watch basketball..."
One morning, I received an email about a position with a sports team I hadn't heard of, in a sport I wasn't particularly interested in. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was the right fit, but after learning more about the organization's needs and the opportunity to help build a web application from the ground up, I became intrigued.
As a UX/UI Designer and Front-end Developer, I was excited by the challenge. The Portland Trail Blazers were looking to develop tools that would automate and streamline workflows for basketball operations, including scouts, medical teams, and management. The opportunity to create something impactful was too good to pass up. Before I knew it, I was not only excited about the project, but also becoming a fan of the sport itself.
UX Research
UI Design
Design System
Graphic Design
Front-end development
Component Library
Project Management
Content Creation
I immersed myself fully in the world of basketball, studying the sport, its games, scoring systems, and player stats. I watched live games, examined game highlights, and browsed fan forums and social media to understand fan expectations.
Simultaneously, I reviewed the team’s existing legacy software and explored tools used by similar organizations.
On day one, I grabbed a dry erase marker and started sketching user flows on the whiteboard as the Research and Development team discussed the needs and ideas for the scouting department. These early brainstorming sessions provided a wealth of insights, helping us better understand the requirements and pain points that would guide the design process.
All graphics on this page were created just for this case study—they’re not actual work products. Think of them as my creative playground. Actual sketches, wireframes, designs, and presentations are top-secret, hush-hush stuff to keep things confidential and protect the organization’s intellectual property. The info here covers basic design and development concepts and my role in the process.
From the insights gathered during research, I followed the design thinking process to ensure the solutions would truly meet the users’ needs. I began by conducting interviews with stakeholders to pinpoint the specific challenges and goals.
I then created user personas to represent the key end-users and developed a user journey to visualize how users would interact with the product from start to finish. These tools helped to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement, ensuring that the designs were both user-centered and functional.
With a clear understanding of user needs, I began producing low-fidelity wireframes to establish the basic flow. Once the flow was solidified, I progressed to high-fidelity wireframes, refining the design further. This process involved multiple iterations based on continuous feedback from users and stakeholders, ensuring the designs aligned with both user expectations and project goals.
Once the high-fidelity wireframes were approved, I focused on bringing the designs to life. I was largely responsible for developing the front-end. I implemented Storybook to document and develop UI components. This tool allowed me to build components in isolation, iterate rapidly, and maintain consistency across the project.
I collaborated closely with the development team, ensuring the seamless integration of my designs into the front-end. While I led the front-end development, other developers contributed to certain parts of the implementation process, helping to speed up development. The result was a cohesive, user-friendly interface that matched the original design vision while meeting the needs of the users.
Recognizing the importance of a structured approach, I introduced project management practices to the development team. Initially, I organized my own tasks in Asana, creating detailed projects, setting deadlines, and tracking progress. This system kept me organized and helped the project move forward efficiently.
As the team saw the value in having a clear structure, they became more involved, and we transitioned to using the GitHub Kanban board. I organized tasks into stories, sprints, and tags, making it easier for the team to collaborate, track progress, and stay aligned with development goals. This system improved our workflow and ensured we stayed focused on our objectives.
In addition to the core application design, I applied my graphic design skills to create polished, professional materials for various departments, including coaching, scouting, and medical teams. From player sheets to presentations, I ensured every visual element was aligned with the project’s goals and needs, enhancing the professionalism and clarity of internal materials.
Juanita was instrumental on the initial design of our internal online tools - making thorough tasks of data input or insight collection be seamless to our scouts and coaches.
Her taste and proactiveness allowed our platform to grow beautifully and steadily - creating a place that all wanted to interact with, giving us a de facto corporate image for Basketball Operations in the process. Working with different roles across multiple departments, our presentation and consistency standards were raised immediately by her work - on our website, or in virtually any deliverable we produced.
Sergi Olivia
Assistant General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers
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