Before the hire was finalized, I began preemptive research by analyzing how other NFL teams introduced their new head coaches. I conducted a comparative analysis of recent announcements from the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers, reviewing how they structured their announcement articles, webpages, and app experiences.

From this, I identified three key engagement drivers:

• Coaching history as a focal point → Fans want immediate insight into a coach’s background.
• High-quality visuals throughout → A mix of photos, videos, and articles increases engagement.
• A dynamic content structure → Rotating between media types keeps users interacting longer.

This informed my design approach, ensuring our app experience was intuitive, visually engaging, and provided value to fans within minutes of the announcement.

To validate and refine the structure, I monitored fan reactions across Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook. By treating social media as a pseudo-field study, I could:

• Identify which content fans were most excited about.
• Pinpoint remaining questions they had about Macdonald.
• Adjust the experience structure to match real-time needs.

Based on my research and social listening, the final structure of the app experience followed a logical flow designed to provide fans with the most valuable content first. It began with his biography, followed by his coaching history and key stats from previous teams to establish his background. Next, I prioritized video content, first showcasing his interactions with staff and players, then incorporating a dynamic content carousel that continuously pulled in the latest articles, videos, and photos. The experience closed with his personal shoutout to fans and a final set of graphics and photography, ensuring a well-rounded and engaging introduction to the new head coach.

I had learned about satisficing in UX—the concept of building a “good-enough” experience and iterating post-launch—but this project reinforced its real-world application. While I was able to conduct some research in advance, having only an hour between notification and announcement pushed the boundaries of what I could build.

This constraint shaped my approach—I worked closely with our content team to optimize and repurpose existing assets, ensuring our design team could focus on critical new elements. Thanks to my preliminary research, I wasn’t working blindly; I knew what fans wanted most, sourced that content efficiently, and structured the experience accordingly. The result? A highly utilized experience that—despite being assembled under tight constraints—performed on par with year-round fan experiences.

While the experience was successful, I identified areas for improvement that I plan to apply in future breaking news projects:

• Enhancing Interactivity: The experience relied heavily on static assets from social media and our website. Incorporating tappable story UI elements or interactive stats modules could have encouraged repeat visits.
• Expanding Marketing Opportunities: I could have increased reach by:
  • Promoting the experience on our live press conferences page to capture high viewership.
  • Embedding links to the experience within more Seahawks.com articles to drive organic discovery.
• Leveraging CTA for Lead Generation: I missed the opportunity to include calls-to-action (CTAs) for signing up for notifications or season ticket interest lists. Future experiences could directly translate engagement into conversions.

These insights will shape how I approach breaking news experiences going forward, ensuring we not only meet fan needs efficiently but also capitalize on marketing and engagement opportunities when exciting moments arise.