A collection of user interface elements from an MLB AR app

Ballpark experience innOVATION

Pitching a visionary app for MLB

I designed an AR phone app to pitch the next generation of in-game experiences for MLB’s Home Run Derby and All-Star Game.

Team:

Design, engineering, and strategy

Audience:

MLB digital leadership, T Mobile sponsor leadership

Skills:

Ideation, Interaction Design, Visual Design, Journey Creation

Scope:

2 weeks

CHALLENGE

Go above and beyond the requested AR features in MLB's pitch brief. Win the MLB team over with interaction design, value generation, and a holistic vision for the fan experience.

Home Run Derby MVP

MLB faced a quick turnaround of 3 months before the Home Run Derby, so we focused on augmenting the event with statistics, audio, and social engagments.

STORY-FORMAT PLAYER PREVIEWS

CALL-YOUR-SHOT CHALLENGE

LIVE AUDIO BROADCAST

PITCH AND SWING TRACKING

A whole new ballgame

For the all-star game, we blended AR, audio, video, statcast, and social integrations to create iconic moments for a spectacular ballpark experience.

SEAMLESS HEADS-DOWN TO HEADS-UP TRANSITION

PLAYER STATS AND CONTEXTUAL PURCHASE

INTERACTIVE QUIZZES WITH MLB PLAY

LIVE ON-FIELD HIGHLIGHT CAMS

INTEGRATIONS

collectibles

A phone screen showing an acquisition of a digital collectible at a baseball stadium

in-stadium engagements

A phone screen showing an image sharing feature of an MLB screenshot

content sharing

A phone screen showing a geolocated suggestion to access an MLB app from the home screen

geolocated suggestions

Dimensions of responsiveness

Knowing that the MLB digital team would be eager to see practical implementation, we crafted a live 3-d demo and responsive designs.

RESPONSIVE DESIGN

A phone screen in landscape orientation showing an interactive quiz superimposed over a view of a baseball game

A phone screen in landscape orientation showing a heads-up score display superimposed over a view of a baseball game

A phone screen in landscape orientation showing a view of a tracked home run at the home run derby

Results

Though my team didn’t win the pitch due to a preferred sponsor relationship, our vision thoroughly impressed the MLB digital team. Our performance on the pitch led directly to more contracts with MLB, including work on an integrated vision for the future of AI-enabled fan experiences.

We shared our approach to AR experiences with the rest of our agency to encourage future AR work.

CHECK OUT ANOTHER PROJECT