Case study
Blue Sky
Beyond the Live Stream
Exploring the Future of Sports Experiences
Product vision · Concept exploration
Summary
Blue Sky explored how live sports streaming could become a more interactive, connected experience, bringing together video, contextual information, betting and audience participation.
The challenge was to introduce new ways of engaging with live sport without compromising the experience people came to watch.
My Role
I led the design direction, coordinated other designers and contributed directly to user journeys, interfaces and interactive prototypes.
Working with Product, UX Research and DAZN stakeholders, I helped turn a broad exploration into a coherent product vision that could be demonstrated, discussed and evaluated.
The Key Design Decision
One of our biggest challenges was connecting streaming and betting without making them feel like disconnected products or overwhelming the live broadcast.
We explored overlays, contextual panels, connected navigation, event-driven interactions and experiences spanning multiple devices.
Rather than relying on a single interaction pattern, we developed a principal direction supported by alternative concepts for different viewing contexts.
The guiding principle was to keep live sport at the centre while making additional interactions accessible and intuitive.
Research and Iteration
We evaluated concepts through user research and prototype testing, alongside workshops and stakeholder reviews.
Research informed changes to overlays and contextual panels, the prioritisation of concepts and our consideration of responsible gambling. Feedback from both users and stakeholders also helped us simplify interfaces, improve navigation and refine the multidevice experience.
Outcome
The exploration concluded with a selected design direction, refined interactive prototypes and a completed proposal delivered to the client.
Blue Sky reinforced the importance of using research to focus ambitious ideas, designing for the context of each device and building a shared vision across teams.
The work was a conceptual exploration.
Immersion vs. interaction
Approaches investigated
Investigated
Designing across devices
Mobile, tablet and television
Contexts explored
- Mobile
- Tablet
- Television
Full case study
What if watching live sport could become more interactive without losing the immersion of the live event?
Blue Sky was a product vision exploration for DAZN, investigating how streaming, contextual information, betting and audience participation could come together in future sports experiences.
Our challenge was to explore new possibilities while protecting the experience at the heart of the product: watching live sport.
Exploring the Opportunity
We explored how viewers might engage with live events beyond the traditional video player.
The concepts covered reimagined live players, real-time statistics, betting integration, audience interactions, highlights, personalisation, social experiences and connected devices.
Some opportunities were developed into high-fidelity designs, while others progressed into interactive prototypes.
The goal was not simply to introduce more functionality. We wanted to understand how these experiences could work together, which interactions were worth pursuing and how they might fit into different viewing contexts.
The team combined research, concept exploration, user journey design and prototyping to make these possibilities tangible enough to evaluate.
My Role
I worked on Blue Sky through my independent freelance practice, think studio, leading the design direction while contributing directly to the work.
I designed user journeys and interfaces, developed and reviewed interactive prototypes, and coordinated other designers involved in the exploration.
I also contributed to research and concept development, collaborating with Product Managers, UX Researchers and DAZN stakeholders.
An important part of my role was bringing the proposals together into a coherent direction and communicating the reasoning behind our design decisions.
The work was collaborative, with my contribution combining hands-on design, team coordination and responsibility for the overall design direction.
Key Design Decision: Connecting Streaming and Betting
Immersion vs. Interaction
One of the most significant challenges was exploring how streaming and betting could feel connected without allowing additional interactions to compete with the live broadcast.
We needed to balance two competing needs: making new functionality accessible while keeping the sporting event as the main focus.
We investigated several approaches, including overlays within the player, contextual panels alongside the video, connected but separate experiences, interactions linked to live events, second-screen experiences and functionality accessed on demand.
Immersion vs. interaction
Approaches investigated
Investigated
Each approach raised different questions about discoverability, navigation, cognitive load and the relationship between content and interaction.
Our decisions were guided by several principles: minimise interruptions, keep transitions intuitive, provide flexibility across devices and maintain consistency with DAZN’s wider product experience.
Responsible gambling considerations were also part of the exploration.
Shaping the Design Direction
Rather than applying one pattern to every situation, we developed a principal direction supported by alternative explorations.
Interactive prototypes demonstrated how overlays, contextual panels and connected navigation could bring new functionality into the viewing experience.
Other concepts explored interactions associated with moments during live events and how complementary experiences could work across multiple devices.
The important decision was not simply where to place additional controls. It was how those controls should relate to the content, when interactions should become relevant and how much attention they should demand.
This approach allowed us to explore a connected experience without treating every potential feature as equally important.
Designing Across Devices
A further challenge was understanding how the experience should change across mobile, tablet and television.
We developed interactive concepts exploring different roles for the live broadcast and complementary interactions, including second-screen experiences.
Designing across devices
Mobile, tablet and television
Contexts explored
- Mobile
- Tablet
- Television
This required thinking beyond responsive layouts.
The design exploration considered how interactions could be distributed across screens and how viewers might move between different contexts.
These concepts helped us explore a broader product vision without assuming that every device needed to provide an identical experience.
From Research to a Focused Direction
We evaluated the concepts through user research and prototype testing, alongside collaborative workshops, demonstrations and ongoing Product and stakeholder reviews.
These activities provided complementary perspectives.
UX Research informed our understanding of the proposed interactions, while discussions with Product and stakeholders helped us consider the wider direction, complexity and feasibility of the concepts.
Across these activities, feedback included interest in the broader vision, preferences for certain interface approaches and positive reactions to the multidevice experience. Questions were also raised about complexity, technical or business feasibility and responsible gambling.
Rather than treating the original concepts as fixed, we used the feedback to refine the work.
User research directly informed revisions to overlays and contextual panels, the prioritisation or removal of certain concepts, and further consideration of responsible gambling.
Feedback from both research and stakeholder reviews helped the team simplify interfaces, improve navigation between streaming and betting, and refine the multidevice experience.
The outcome was a more focused design direction supported by updated interactive prototypes.
Outcome: A Vision Made Tangible
Blue Sky concluded with a selected design direction and refined interactive prototypes.
The team also produced high-fidelity designs, user journeys and strategic presentation material, with work prepared for potential development.
The exploration was completed and delivered to the client.
While the concepts reached different levels of design and prototyping, subsequent engineering implementation and public launch have not been verified.
The result was a tangible product vision that brought multiple opportunities together and allowed them to be explored, evaluated and refined.
Leadership & Learnings
Blue Sky reinforced three principles that continue to influence how I approach product exploration.
Protect the core experience. Innovation should complement what people already value. In this case, new interactions needed to support the live event rather than compete with it.
Use research to focus ambition. Exploring possibilities is valuable, but knowing what to simplify, change or leave behind is essential to developing a stronger direction.
Build a shared vision. Working across Design, Research, Product and stakeholders requires more than compelling prototypes. It requires clear reasoning, communication and a direction that different teams can understand and challenge.
Leading the design direction on Blue Sky reminded me that product innovation is not only about imagining what could exist. It is about making ideas tangible, testing assumptions and bringing people together around a considered direction.