Transforming Learning through NBA Activities
Designed basketball-themed learning content reaching 800k+ learners across Canada and 42 U.S. states
Role
UX Designer
Industry
Education & Sports
Duration
3 months
My Role & Strategic Impact
As the lead UX designer, I drove the strategic design of TVO Learn's NBA partnership experience, collaborating directly with stakeholders, content and marketing teams, and engineering to transform a teacher-centric platform into a learner-first engagement model.
I advocated for and led a data-informed approach that shaped product direction, resulting in:
96% reduction in navigation errors (from 10.76% to 0.46% misclick rate)
800k+ learners reach across North America
85% of educators report increased voluntary student participation
This wasn't just a visual refresh, it was a fundamental restructuring of how students discover and interact with educational content.
The Challenge
TVO Learn is an educational platform offering free K-12 resources aligned with Ontario's curriculum. It primarily serves local students but extends its global reach through partnerships such as one with the NBA.
Initially designed for teachers, the platform faced challenges engaging students due to:
Text-heavy, non-interactive content
Limited student engagement and voluntary use
A teacher-centric approach that didn't resonate with young learners
Need to reach diverse and under-resourced communities
The core tension: How do you create content that satisfies curriculum requirements (teacher need) while being engaging enough for voluntary student use (learner need)?
High-Level Goals
Increase learner engagement and voluntary use of TVO Learn
Create compelling, NBA-themed educational activities that align with the curriculum
Expand TVO Learn's reach to diverse and under-resourced communities globally
Establish TVO Learn as a leader in innovative, engaging online education
Research & Discovery: Uncovering the Real Problems
When I joined the project, the team assumed students weren't engaging because the content wasn't "fun enough." Through my research process, I discovered the problem was structural, not just aesthetic.
My Research Approach
Heatmap Analysis (Hotjar):
Revealed that 10.76% of all clicks were on non-interactive text headers and static images that students mistook for buttons. This was the #1 source of friction in the first 30 seconds of use.
264 User Surveys across 3 segments:
180 students
50 educators
34 parents/caregivers
Goal: Understand motivation, barriers, and context of use
Stakeholder Interviews:
Conducted interviews with NBA partnership managers and educators to align on constraints, brand requirements, and learning objectives.
Key Findings That Shaped My Design Direction
Navigation confusion: Students expected basketball imagery to be clickable—our static hero images created false affordances that led to immediate frustration
Motivation mismatch: 68% of students came for basketball content but abandoned when they hit curriculum-heavy text walls
Access patterns: 55% accessed from home (not school), indicating strong potential for voluntary use if content was compelling enough
Interactive preference: Interactive activities (games, questions) were overwhelmingly users' favorite feature—yet they were buried 3+ clicks deep
Sweet spot identified: Grades 3-8 showed highest basketball interest + curriculum alignment opportunity
The Strategic Pivot I Championed
Based on these insights, I advocated shifting from a "basketball-themed curriculum" approach to an "interactive basketball experiences that teach" model.
This meant redesigning entry points, interaction patterns, and content hierarchy—not just adding NBA logos. I presented this vision to stakeholders using user journey maps and clickable prototypes, which helped secure buy-in for a more comprehensive redesign than initially scoped.
The Solution
Partnering with the NBA, TVO Learn designed engaging, co-branded educational activities that made learning more appealing through basketball themes. This transformed the platform from teacher-focused to student-driven and extended its reach beyond Ontario to global communities.
Challenge 1: False Affordances Causing 10.76% Misclick Rate
The Problem:
Students were clicking on static basketball images, headers, and decorative elements thinking they were interactive. This created immediate friction and eroded trust in the interface.
My Solution:
Redesigned the information architecture to create clear visual distinctions between content and interactive elements.
Specific Design Decisions:
Card-based navigation system: Every basketball image became a clickable activity card with consistent visual treatment
Interactive states: Applied hover, active, and disabled states across all touchpoints to reinforce clickability
Visual design system: Used NBA team colours exclusively for interactive elements; greyscale for informational content
Micro-interactions: Worked with engineering to implement scale-on-hover and success animations that reinforced which elements were actionable
Impact
Reached 800k+ students across North America
85% of educators reported increased student participation
Reduced misclick rate from 10.76% to 0.46%
Highest engagement among grades 3-8
Insights
Research showed users primarily accessed content from home (55%) and schools (35%), motivated by:
Subject-specific learning (math, teamwork, social skills)
Interest in basketball
Need for supplementary teaching tools
Enjoyment of interactive elements
