Context & Challenge

We set out to build a new feature that would allow youth athletes to showcase their performance beyond the field. The idea was simple but powerful: give athletes a profile they could personalize, share, and build over time, a digital presence that could serve as both a highlight reel and a recruiting asset.

The challenge was to turn raw stats, game footage, and career data into something that felt personal, engaging, and meaningful. We needed to design a flexible, athlete-focused experience that could be updated easily, shared widely, and serve as a natural extension of the GameChanger ecosystem.

Approach & Process

We began by aligning with stakeholders on what success would look like: higher engagement among athletes, increased profile sharing, and more repeat interaction with stats and video content. With that in mind, we ran a discovery sprint that included internal interviews, competitor analysis, and a review of how players and families currently shared accomplishments.

We then spoke directly with users - parents, and coaches - to understand what they valued most. For athletes, it was recognition and visibility. For parents, it was pride and documentation. For coaches, it was simplicity and access.

Our early prototypes focused on what we identified as the core loop: create a profile, customize it with bio and photos, share key stats and videos. We tested multiple iterations with users in moderated sessions, refining the experience. We also collaborated closely with engineering to ensure the stats and video content could be surfaced dynamically, minimizing user effort while maximizing the impact of what was shown.

Solution

The final experience brought everything together in a streamlined, mobile-first profile that made each athlete’s story easy to tell. Users could upload a profile photo, write a short bio, and instantly showcase career stats and highlight clips, automatically pulled from GameChanger’s in-app tracking and streaming features. Premium users could also upload external video clips to round out their story.

Crucially, profiles could be shared via a unique web link, meaning they were viewable by anyone, no login required. This made it easy for athletes to share with coaches, schools, family, or potential recruiters, and helped GameChanger expand its reach beyond just those who use the app.