The Pick is Your Win
The Ultimate NFL Draft Prediction Challenge
PickPool is an app designed to engage NFL fans by allowing them to predict draft outcomes and compete with others for rewards. The goal is to create an interactive platform where users can showcase their draft prediction skills, join pools, and track their accuracy in real time during the event.
The designs displayed are still a work-in-progress and are not considered high fidelity at this stage.
Timeline
Started in July 2024, the design phase focused on refining the app’s core concept and creating user interface designs to present to potential partners and development contractors. The goal is to finalize the designs and estimates ahead of a planned launch before the 2026 NFL Draft.
Background
PickPool is designed to provide a fresh and exciting way for NFL fans to stay engaged throughout the NFL Draft. While the PickPool experience will be completely new, we’ve designed it to feel familiar to users of popular sports betting apps, daily fantasy football platforms, and other sports contests. The goal is to create an intuitive, engaging, and competitive environment that feels like a natural extension of the sports apps fans already enjoy, while offering something unique for draft season.
This section outlines the step-by-step approach taken during the project, including research, planning, design, and prototyping.
Research & Planning
Conducted market research to explore popular apps in sports betting, daily fantasy football, and sports prediction contests, identifying features and interfaces that resonate with users. Developed a bare-bones version of the game using a Google Sheet to test the concept, refine the rules, and gather initial feedback. Defined target user groups and outlined key features to create a compelling and competitive experience.
Design & Prototyping
Collaborated with designers to develop an interface that balances familiarity with innovation, creating a unique look and feel that aligns with PickPool’s goals. Built interactive prototypes to simulate the user experience and iteratively refined the designs based on feedback, focusing on usability, visual appeal, and alignment with the app’s competitive and engaging vision.
This section highlights key screens from the PickPool app, focusing on the most frequently used and most intricate pages from a UI/UX standpoint. It explores how the design balances familiarity with innovation, enhancing user engagement and creating an intuitive, competitive experience. These screens demonstrate how thoughtful solutions and strategic design choices bring the app’s vision to life, fostering a seamless and engaging platform for NFL draft enthusiasts.
Creating a Draft
The Create a Draft screen empowers users to build their NFL mock drafts by selecting players for all 32 picks. Dropdown menus provide a list of eligible players for each draft slot, alongside the drafting team’s identified needs to aid in accurate predictions. Additionally, users can predict trades by adjusting the team associated with a specific draft pick. This screen combines user-friendly features with strategic tools, offering a streamlined way to craft precise and thoughtful predictions.
Active Entries
The Open Entries screen provides a comprehensive mid-draft overview of all active entries. Users can monitor the progress of each draft, including their real-time accumulated points, current standings, and overall performance across multiple pools. This screen simplifies tracking by consolidating key details, ensuring users stay informed and engaged as the draft unfolds.
Leaderboard
The Leaderboard screen displays rankings within each contest, showing user positions, potential earnings, and submitted mock drafts from fellow participants. This transparent and competitive interface keeps users engaged by letting them track their standing and compare strategies. It also provides insights into the performance of rivals, enhancing the competitive nature of the experience.
Real-Time Scoring
The Real-Time Scoring screen delivers live updates as NFL draft picks are announced. Users can view their accumulated points, current standing within each pool, and compare results with their submitted mock drafts. This dynamic interface keeps users connected to the action, fostering excitement and continuous engagement throughout the draft event.