NHL: EDGE
A stale, low-traffic stats tool rebuilt end-to-end into a story-driven platform fans return to.
Problem
EDGE had quietly become an afterthought. It was managed by an external partner under an ongoing contract, and over time it had gone stale and visually flat. Traffic reflected that. A lot of the data visualizations also didn't meet accessibility standards, which mattered more as the league started planning a bigger future for advanced stats. Players and teams weren't meaningfully highlighted, comparison tools spit out numbers without much insight, and there were enough dead ends that fans would drop off instead of digging deeper. EDGE wasn't just underused. It didn't give people a reason to use it.
Design Goal & Approach
Before designing a single screen, we rebuilt EDGE from the sitemap up, rethinking how players, teams, comparisons, and data stories should actually connect. The guiding idea was restraint: give fans structured data and strong visualizations, then let them draw their own conclusions instead of the product declaring a player or team "good" or "bad." That discipline had to hold up in color choice too, which ended up being one of the hardest parts of the whole project. Color carries real meaning across all 32 NHL teams, and getting it wrong could unintentionally imply performance or favoritism. We spent real time researching neutral palettes that worked across every team, met accessibility standards, and added pattern support so colorblind fans weren't relying on color alone.
The existing experience had no clear narrative or sense of progression. The product lacked a 'why,' and there was little incentive for fans to return.
Challenges
This project tested more than design skill. It tested how well we could take in conflicting input without losing our own point of view. Getting the stats right meant leaning on subject matter experts, but with that many stakeholders came that many opinions, and reconciling them was often harder than the design work itself. Every group had a different read on what mattered most, and there wasn't a shortcut to consensus. Prototypes ended up being our common language, the thing that let SMEs, engineers, and stakeholders actually see how EDGE would flow as one connected system instead of arguing over static screens.
On top of that, we were also running the project ourselves. There was no dedicated project manager for much of the design phase, so my colleague and I owned scope, sequencing, and timeline pressure on top of the design work, across desktop, tablet, and mobile all at once. Then, close to the finish line, we realized the player headers, arguably the emotional core of the whole experience, were underselling that emotion. Reworking them was the right call, but it meant taking on a timeline hit right before a hard preseason launch deadline.
Mockups & Prototypes
Before final designs, significant effort went into redefining the sitemap and page hierarchy to ensure experiences were connected and free of dead ends. We also prioritized which information belonged “where” on each page. Prototyping played a critical role in aligning stakeholders and SMEs around flow, interaction, and narrative. Numerous prototypes were created to demonstrate how fans would move between players, teams, and comparisons. These artifacts helped clarify intent and reduce ambiguity across a complex system. Prototyping ensured EDGE functioned as a cohesive product rather than disconnected pages. All experiences were designed across desktop, tablet, and mobile from the outset. Data-dense layouts were carefully adapted to maintain clarity at smaller screen sizes. Player headers and key moments were prioritized to preserve emotional impact across devices. Responsive behavior was documented to ensure consistency during development. This approach ensured EDGE felt intentional and usable regardless of entry point.
Landing pages, details pages, prototypes
Challenges: No project manager / Avoiding bias with color and rank / Multiple screen breakpoints / Separate design system components
Takeaways
This project sharpened my ability to hold onto a design vision while still taking in input from people who didn't always agree with each other, or with me. Synthesis, not just collection, is the real skill in stakeholder management. It also taught me to protect a product's emotional core, in this case the player headers, even under deadline pressure, instead of letting schedule risk quietly erode the parts of an experience that make people actually care. And having to run project management alongside design work, out of necessity, made me better at estimating scope and sequencing on everything I've worked on since.
Conclusion
EDGE launched successfully ahead of preseason: refined, accessible, and story-driven. It was actively marketed to fans, including on television, and reestablished EDGE as a meaningful part of the NHL digital ecosystem, balancing data, storytelling, and accessibility in a way the product hadn't achieved before.