A broken system with a two faced problem and 1 simple solution
Players rely on mass emails, expensive agencies and costly showcases, with no guarantee of getting into the coaches’ spotlight.
Coaches are buried under a lot of unfiltered interest, leaving them missing out on a lot of talent and players that fit their program.
1–3%
Is the expected chance of a reply to an email
30s
Is how long a coach will typically watch your tape
100+
Is how many emails a coach can see in a day
How may we
Put the right players into the right coaches’ spotlight at the right time, without relying on mass outreach or expensive showcases?
Next Gen
An app designed to replace the stress of sending an aimless email into a coach’s chaotic inbox, through a filterable discovery feed with short form videos bringing relevant players into a coach’s spotlight and watchlist.
“I got a lot of offers through an agency, but most weren’t the right fit”
“I sent out so many emails and had 2 replies in total”
My experience
Cayuga Community College 2021
Bryant & Stratton University 2021
Academy of Art University 2023
I need to understand what recruiting looks like for a Coach
James Hogan
“Most highlights I’ll have decided within a minute whether I’m watching more or not”
“I’ll rarely recruit through my emails, I’ll get 60+ a day so most just get lost in there”
“We recruit for specific player profiles to fit specific roles”
We need to focus on short form videos to catch a coaches attention early. Especially with an increase of younger coaches.
A watchlist is needed to make sure coaches don’t lose players they want to keep in their spotlight, helping both player & coach.
Filters should allow coaches to search for specific profiles while ensuring players are in the right coaches spotlight.
Notifications are needed to give the player clarity to whether their clips, profile and highlight are being seen.
I took forward an old award winning design, as a base, making it into something that has purpose
I started by sketching out three new key user flows before turning to Figma, building the flows out from low to high fidelity.
I then of course had to go and build out a logo.
This also won a Silver ADDY!
PrototypePrototype
Player profile set up
There will be 2 role options when setting up a profile. A player will have to fill in all their information, which will help players get into relevant coaches spotlight,
Coach filtering feed
With coaches seeking specific player profiles they will be able to filter down the players in their feed to meet the needed profile.
Coach messaging
Only a coach will be able to send the first message, helping them avoid noise and keep better track of their conversations.
What I learned
I learned that while things can look good, they might not be good or be for any good. It’s better that things serve a purpose than just look good.
Whats next?
I plan on building this out further and sending it out to coaches and players to get it tested and act on their feedback.
