Work

About

Approach

Let's Talk

Work

About

Approach

Let's Talk

Let's Talk

Case Study

Scaling MLSE's Mobile Ecosystem to Improve Game-Day Experiences and Drive Revenue

During COVID, mobile lost priority and became a supporting channel. I helped reposition it as a strategic lever for fan experience and commercial growth, then led the ecosystem rebuild as Director of Product Design. We shipped four team apps in the same year, aligning product, design, and engineering around a reliability-first approach. The result was meaningful growth in partner performance, commerce revenue, and fan engagement during the launch year.

Page Views

+
0
0
0
%

Dwell Time

+
0
0
0
%

Unique Users

+
0
0
0
%

TOP App Ranking

#
0

Role

Director of Product Design

Scope

Multi-app ecosystem

Team

Managed PMs, Designers, Engineers

Timeline

2024-2025

The content is password protected.

Enter the provided password to view.

OverView

MLSE operates a multi-app ecosystem

across team brands and live-event

environments.

MLSE operates a multi-app ecosystem across team brands and live-event environments.

MLSE operates a multi-app ecosystem across team brands and live-event environments.

Usage peaks on game day: tickets, entry,

in-venue utility, commerce.

Usage peaks on game day: tickets, entry, in-venue utility, commerce.

Usage peaks on game day: tickets, entry, in-venue utility, commerce.

Launched new Leafs, Raptors, TFC, Argos apps ahead of opening nights.

FY24 delivery: launched new Leafs, Raptors, TFC, Argos apps ahead of opening nights

FY24 delivery: launched new NHL, Leafs, Raptors, and TFC apps ahead of opening nights; enhanced existing apps for performance and operational efficiency.

Organizational alignment around strategic mobile priorities.

FY24 delivery: launched new Leafs, Raptors, TFC, Argos apps ahead of opening nights

FY24 delivery: launched new NHL, Leafs, Raptors, and TFC apps ahead of opening nights; enhanced existing apps for performance and operational efficiency.

The Challenge

MLSE operates multiple team apps that had evolved independently over time. Each app solved similar problems in slightly different ways. The result was fragmented fan experiences and duplicated internal effort. Traffic was strong, but engagement dropped quickly. Fans opened the app for scores or tickets, then left. Internally, there was no shared clarity on why engagement fell off or which experiences mattered most beyond game day.

If mobile was going to remain a meaningful channel for MLSE, it needed to operate as a cohesive ecosystem. One that could support multiple teams, business units, and fan segments without rebuilding from scratch every season.

Fragmentation

Fragmented System

Inconsistent patterns, IA, and analytics made

it harder to scale improvements and prove

business impact.

Inconsistent patterns, IA, and analytics made it harder to scale improvements and prove

business impact.

Game-day Failures

Tickets not loading at gates, app freezing

during critical moments, forced reinstalls

causing fan frustration.

Tickets not loading at gates, app freezing during critical moments, forced reinstalls causing fan frustration.

Reliability + Revenue Risk

Mobile stability and security gaps eroded fan trust on game day and put sponsorship value at risk.

Raptors security score baseline 48/100. 150k+ crashes across team apps.

$500k+ sponsorship revenue at risk.

Risk Baseline (FY23)

CRITICAL STATUS

0
0
/100

Security Score Baseline

0
0
0
k+

Total Crashes

Total Crashes

$
0
0
0
k+

Revenue at Risk

Revenue at Risk

My Role

I was Director of Product Design, managing Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers across the ecosystem. I was ultimately accountable for delivery, including timelines, business impact, and game-day readiness.

Owned ecosystem strategy and prioritization across apps and core journeys

Established governance and standardization across teams

Directed experience and system design for ticketing, entry readiness, in-venue utility, commerce

Directed experience and system design for ticketing, entry readiness, in-venue utility and commerce

Aligned stakeholders across analytics, partnerships, marketing, ticketing, venue ops

Aligned stakeholders across analytics, partnerships, marketing, ticketing and venue-ops

Owned ecosystem strategy and prioritization across apps and core journeys

Directed experience and system design for ticketing, entry readiness, in-venue utility, commerce

Established governance and standardization across teams

Aligned stakeholders across analytics, partnerships, marketing, ticketing, venue ops

Strategy: 9 Core Pillars Across 3 Key areas

For the Fans

Clear navigation and content discovery

Fans needed to find what mattered most: scores, highlights, tickets, and news, without friction. The new structure prioritized intent-driven navigation, making it easy to move between live content, team updates, and ticketing in just a few taps.

Prioritize tickets, entry readiness, in-venue orientation, and transactions where failure is most costly.

Deeper engagement beyond scores and tickets

The app evolved from a utility into a daily destination. Personalized content, richer video experiences, and interactive features encouraged fans to return between games and stay connected to the team year-round.

Prioritize tickets, entry readiness, in-venue orientation, and transactions where failure is most costly.

Real-time experiences that respect attention

Live Activities and in-app updates delivered real-time scores and moments without overwhelming fans with notifications. The experience kept fans informed while maintaining control over how and when they engaged.

Prioritize tickets, entry readiness, in-venue orientation, and transactions where failure is most costly.

For the Business

Seamless continuity across revenue channels

Ticketing, retail, and partnership integrations remained stable through launch. The transition was invisible to fans and partners, protecting critical revenue streams while enabling future optimization.

Prioritize tickets, entry readiness, in-venue orientation, and transactions where failure is most costly.

Sustained growth in engagement and retention

Month-over-month increases in active users, dwell time, and content consumption demonstrated that the new experience drove measurable business value and strengthened fan loyalty.

Prioritize tickets, entry readiness, in-venue orientation, and transactions where failure is most costly.

Actionable insight into fan behavior

Unified analytics provided a clear view of what fans were doing, when, and why. This visibility allowed marketing and partnership teams to make data-informed decisions and refine campaigns in real time.

Prioritize tickets, entry readiness, in-venue orientation, and transactions where failure is most costly.

Across the Platform

Shared architecture and design system

A single foundation supported multiple team apps, reducing duplication and ensuring consistent quality. Teams could now build once and deploy across brands with minimal rework.

Prioritize tickets, entry readiness, in-venue orientation, and transactions where failure is most costly.

Standardized analytics and instrumentation

Every app captured data in the same way, enabling cross-team comparisons and faster learning. This consistency turned analytics into a strategic asset rather than a maintenance burden.

Prioritize tickets, entry readiness, in-venue orientation, and transactions where failure is most costly.

Scalable operating model for future seasons

The platform established repeatable processes for design, development, and release. New features could be shipped faster and at lower cost, setting up MLSE for sustainable growth across all team apps.

Prioritize tickets, entry readiness, in-venue orientation, and transactions where failure is most costly.

What Shipped

Seasonal launches at scale

4 seasons / 4 apps shipped ahead of opening nights with tight 2-month design/dev cycles.

Vendor strategy

Vendor platform as baseline; evolved beyond included feature sets to execute the vision.

Partner-ready inventory

Repeatable placements + attribution reporting for

sponsorship scaling.

Engagement + utility features

Live Activities, PiP video, interactive ads,

personalization surfaces.

Segmentation foundation

20+ segments, CDP integration, event/location-based targeting.

Governance + quality gates

Release readiness discipline for live events.

Seasonal launches at scale

4 seasons / 4 apps shipped ahead of opening nights with tight 2-month design/dev cycles.

Segmentation foundation

20+ segments, CDP integration, event/location-based targeting.

Engagement + utility features

Live Activities, PiP video, interactive ads,

personalization surfaces.

Partner-ready inventory

Repeatable placements + attribution reporting for

sponsorship scaling.

Vendor strategy

Vendor platform as baseline; evolved beyond included feature sets to execute the vision.

Governance + quality gates

Release readiness discipline for live events.

Seasonal launches at scale

4 seasons / 4 apps shipped ahead of opening nights with tight 2-month design/dev cycles.

Partner-ready inventory

Repeatable placements + attribution reporting for

sponsorship scaling.

Segmentation foundation

20+ segments, CDP integration, event/location-based targeting.

Vendor strategy

Vendor platform as baseline; evolved beyond included feature sets to execute the vision.

Engagement + utility features

Live Activities, PiP video, interactive ads,

personalization surfaces.

Governance + quality gates

Release readiness discipline for live events.

Post Launch Impact

The ecosystem performed when it mattered most: game day. Stability and security improvements rebuilt fan trust, reduced support load, and removed friction at entry and in-venue moments. With a shared foundation across teams, we scaled partner-ready inventory, protected core revenue streams, and unlocked new ones. The result was stronger engagement and clear commercial lift across food and beverage, advertising, partnerships, and new features.

  • Food & Beverage

    $
    0
    .
    0
    0
    M+

    vs $1.43M annual target

  • Security Score

    0
    0
    /100

    Baseline security score failed at 48/100.

  • Advertising

    $
    0
    .
    0
    M+

    vs $600K annual target

  • App Stability (Crashes)

    0
    0
    K

    150K+ baseline crash volume.

  • Partnerships Revenue

    $
    0
    .
    0
    0
    M

    vs $1M annual target

  • SUPPORT TICKETS (GAME DAY)

    -
    0
    0
    %

    Previously averaged 42 support tickets every home game.

  • New Feature Revenue

    $
    0
    0
    0
    K+

    Newly generated for FY

Leafs

(Jul 2023–Jun 2024)

Mobile Order Revenue

$
0
0
0
K

24K orders • $32/order

+18% YoY revenue • +12% orders • +5% $/order

Ticket Scans via App

0
0
%

+4% YoY

MAU - Season Average

0
0
0
K

+9% YoY

MAU(k)

5504132751380JanFebMarApr

Raptors

(Jul 2023–Jun 2024)

Mobile Order Revenue

$
0
0
0
K

19K orders • $33/order

+22% YoY revenue • +15% orders • +6% $/order

Ticket Scans via App

0
0
%

+3% YoY

MAU - Season Average

0
0
0
K

+11% YoY

MAU(k)

5504132751380JanFebMarApr

Post-upgrade Engagement improvements

Page Views

+
0
0
0
%

A massive increase in page engagement.

App Ranking

#
0

Leafs ranking in Sports app category in the iOS App Store

Unique Users

+
0
0
0
%

Averaged increase in unique users across our apps.

Video Views

+
0
0
0
0
%

Averaged increase in video views.

Dwell Time

+
0
0
0
%

Averaged increase in dwell time.

APP Downloads

+
0
0
%

Increased app downloads across all apps.

Learnings

Reliability is a growth lever in live-event contexts

When fans trust the app won't crash at the gate, they open it earlier and use it more.

Ecosystem governance enables speed and consistency

Centralized design systems and shared patterns reduced dev time across 4 apps simultaneously.

Vendor platforms are baselines; strategy defines the path

Don't settle for out-of-the-box. Push vendors to extend their APIs to meet your specific UX vision.

What's Next

FY25 DIRECTION

Auto-generated highlights

Auto-generated highlights

Dynamic vertical video recaps generated in

real-time for instant post-game engagement.

Dynamic vertical video recaps generated in real-time for instant post-game engagement.

In-venue journey optimization

In-venue journey optimization

Context-aware features powered by

segmentation to guide fans to shorter lines and seats.

Context-aware features powered by segmentation to guide fans to shorter lines and seats.

Deeper fan insights

Deeper fan insights

Unified profile feeding into a customer data platform for hyper-personalized marketing.

Let's BUILD SOMETHING MEANINGFUL

Whether you're building something new or scaling what you have, I'd love to hear about your challenge.

Email

hello@eugenejoe.com

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/eugenejoe

Let's BUILD SOMETHING MEANINGFUL

Whether you're building something new or scaling what you have, I'd love to hear about your challenge.

Email

hello@eugenejoe.com

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/eugenejoe

Let's BUILD SOMETHING MEANINGFUL

Whether you're building something new or scaling what you have, I'd love to hear about your challenge.

Email

hello@eugenejoe.com

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/eugenejoe

Eugene Joe

Strategic Design Leader for AI-Native Teams

© 2026 Eugene Joe. All rights reserved.

Eugene Joe

Strategic Design Leader for AI-Native Teams

© 2026 Eugene Joe. All rights reserved.

Eugene Joe

Strategic Design Leader for AI-Native Teams

© 2026 Eugene Joe. All rights reserved.