NFL
Schedule Optimizer
The NFL schedule optimizer is a software application used by the NFL to generate and analyze potential game schedules, considering numerous constraints and objectives. It uses mathematical optimization techniques to create and evaluate thousands of feasible schedules, helping the NFL create a schedule that meets the needs of teams, broadcast networks, and fans.
Company
NFL - ZettaLabs
Product
Schedule Optimizer
Collaborators
Timy Gonzalez
Role
Director of Product Design
Year
2022
Problem Statement
At first glance, the NFL's scheduling problem seems simple: 5 people have 12 weeks to schedule 256 games over the course of a 17-week season. That might seem like plenty of planning time for seemingly few decisions, but – when you actually work it out – the number of possible schedules is well into the quadrillions.`
Objectives & Goals
Maximize Fan Engagement and Viewership: A key goal is to create a schedule that features compelling matchups, especially in prime-time slots, to attract the largest possible television audiences and keep fans engaged throughout the season. This involves showcasing rivalries, potentially high-stakes games, and popular teams.
Ensure Competitive Equity (as much as possible): The league strives to create a schedule that is perceived as fair to all 32 teams. This involves considering factors like:
Strength of Schedule: While not perfectly equal, the optimizer aims to avoid extreme disparities in the difficulty of schedules.
Travel Burden: Minimizing instances of teams having to travel excessively, especially with short rest. This includes limiting consecutive road games and long-distance trips.
Bye Week Placement: Giving each team a bye week within a reasonable timeframe (Weeks 6-14) and considering past bye week placements for fairness over time.
Opponent Rest: Limiting the number of times a team faces an opponent coming off a bye week.
Accommodate External Constraints: The schedule must work around numerous logistical and external factors, including:
Stadium Availability: Avoiding conflicts with other events (e.g., concerts, other sports) at or near NFL stadiums.
Broadcast Partner Needs: Satisfying the requirements of CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network, and Amazon Prime Video by providing them with attractive game slates.
International Games: Strategically placing international games in London, Mexico City, and Germany while minimizing the travel impact on participating teams.
Protect the Integrity of the Game: The schedule aims to avoid situations that could be perceived as compromising the fairness or competitiveness of games.
Create a user experience that is seamless and easy to use: The schedule optimizer tool should allow the scheduling team to run example scenarios by entering key parameters and let the AI in the application run a number of selected scenarios.
User Experience: The application should have a consistent design language and intuitive navigation to ensure a predictable and efficient user experience across different features.
UX Process
4. Code & Deploy
5. Measure and Learn
3. Conceptualize
2. Define
1. Discover
Deliverables
Deliverables
Deliverables
Deliverables
Deliverables
Needs
Users
Stakeholders
LOBs
FRDs
Accessibility
Business goals
User needs
User journeys
Information arch.
Visual preferences
Success Metrics
Design language
Layout design
Interaction design
Usability testing
Front-end coding
Back-end coding
API Integration
Testing & QA
UX Auditing
Deployment
Metrics for LOBs
Usage analytics
User feedback
Accessibility
Success metrics
Heuristic evaluations
Accessibility tests
Recommendations
Improvements plan
Front-end code
Back-end code
QA Test plan
Deployment plan
Developers docs
User stories
Journey maps
Taxonomies
Persona designs
Flow diagrams
Mind maps
Design system
Low-res wireframes
Hi-res wireframes
Prototypes/Animations
Graphic assets
Usability test analisys
Interviews
Surveys
Report
Research
Design
Learn
Iterate
Code
pen
lightbulb
brackets
ruler
UX Process
Discover
Needs
Discover the needs for this product by conducting user interviews and asking questions related to the need for the product.
Users
Find out which types of users benefit from this product.
Stakeholders
Find out who are the primary stakeholders fro this product. From end users to CEOs.
LOBs
Find out what lines of business are part of this project or could be part of this project.
FRDs
Find out if there are existing functional requirement (FRD) document or see if they are complete or need to be completed, who owns the document, etc
Accessibility
Find out if there are any specific accessibility requirements for ADA, WCAG, etc.
Deliverables
Interviews
Results of interviews with executive summaries and quantitative measurements.
Surveys
Results of surveys with executive summaries and quantitative measurements.
Reports
Reports of any other findings related to this discovery phase.
pen
Define
Business Goals
Define what the business goals are for this suite of applications.
User Needs
Define what the users needs mean for this specific.
User Journeys
Define what a user journey or journeys are for this suite of applications.
Information Architechture
Define what the information architecture should be for this suite of applications.
Visual Preferences
Define the meaning of visual preferences for this suite of applications.
Deliverables
User Stories
Deliver documents with user stories for each one of the applications in this suite. User stories should be as granular as possible, including role, goal, benefit/reason, etc.
Journey Maps
Deliver documents with journey maps for each one of the applications in this suite. Journey maps should be as granular as possible, including personae design, scenarios, stages, etc.
Persona Design
Deliver documents with persona design for each one of the applications in this suite. Persona designs shouls be as granular as possible, including a realistic presentation, demographics, goals and motivations, etc.
Taxonomies
Deliver documents with taxonomies for each one of the applications in this suite. Taxonomies should be as granular as possible, including hierarchy, mental models, etc.
Mind Maps
Deliver documents with mind maps for each one of the applications in this suite. Mind Maps should be as granular as possible, including branches, sub-branches, keywords, connections, etc.
lightbulb
Conceptualize
Design laguage
Conceptualize a design language for the full suite of applications. This should include, visual style, UI components and guidelines, interaction guidelines, etc.
Layout Design
Conceptualize a layout design for the full suite of applications. This should include, gris systems, visual hierarchy, whitespace, responsiveness, etc.
Interaction Design
Conceptualize a layout design for the full suite of applications. This should include, grid systems, visual hierarchy, whitespace, responsiveness, etc.
Usability testing
Conceptualize a usability testing plan for the full suite of applications. This testing is made pre-deployment so only Figma designs will be used. This should include, navigation, information architecture, overall flow and user journeys, etc.
Deliverables
Design System
A complete design system using Figma.
Low-res Wireframes
Low-res wireframes using Figoma.
Hi-res Wrireframes
Hi-res wireframes using Figma, AI, Photoshop, Etc.
Prototypes / Animations
Prototypes using Figma, Framer, D3.js visualizations, etc
Graphic Assets
All assets in hi resolution. Assets within the Figma files can be downloaded by developers while in Figma dev mode.
Usability Test Analisys
Usability testing reports.
brackets
Code
Front-end Development
After UX Design sign off, using Figma, sent link to the developers in DEV mode.
Back-end Development
Back-end developers create the back end code to support the UI designs, interactions, databases, etc.
API Integration
Developers integrate APIs into the application.
Testing & QA
The QA team creates test plans of various types.
Deployment Plan
Create a deployment plan.
UX Auditing
UX designers review and audit design tickets.
Deliverables
Front-end Code
Front-end code is created through a software development cycle managed through the Azure DevOps agile ticketing system.
Back-end Code
Back-end code to support the UI designs, interactions, databases, etc.
QA Test Plan
QA test plans of various types and actual testing reports.
Deployment Plan
Developers and other stakeholders present a deployment plan.
UX Audit Tickets
Assign one or more UX designers to audit the development tickets that are in the UX/QA bucket in the DevOps ticketing system.
ruler
Measure & Learn
Success Metrics
Define metrics for the lines of business within the company.
Usage Analytics
Define usage analytics for post deployment measurements.
User Feedback
Gather user feedback before and after beta and general availability (GA)
Accessibility Tests
Define the accessibility test plan to comply with WCAG and ADA.
Deliverables
Success Metrics
Success metrics reports.
Heuristic Evaluations
Heuristic evaluation reports.
Accessibility Test Results
Accessibility test results.
Recommendations
Recommendations report for future iterations
Improvements Plan
Improvements plan. This includes backlog items, new features, changes to product roadmap, etc.
Journey Map
Personae Design
Amy McDonald
Age
38
Education
Masters in Sports Science
Status
Single
Occupation
Lead Scheduler
Location
NYC, NY
TEch literate
High
I want an efficient way reduce the time it takes to create optimized game schedules.
Bio
Amy lives in NYC . She is the lead scheduler for the NFL. She works with executives and third-party stakeholders to produce optimized schedules.
Core needs
•
Needs to produce optimized game schedules
•
Needs to work with stakeholders to obtain the parameters needed the schedule optimizer.
•
Needs to re-run the optimizer many times and record the optimizer run history
Frustrations
•
There is no similar software used for optimizing the game schedules using AI and ML.
•
Other stakeholders want to run their own optimizations, but Amy can't provide them with that service
Personality
Leader
Thinker
Analyser
Tech-savy
Novice
Analytical Skills
Consumer
Specialist
Advocate
Motivation
UI Designs
Design & Development Tools Used in this Project
NFL
Schedule Optimizer
The NFL schedule optimizer is a software application used by the NFL to generate and analyze potential game schedules, considering numerous constraints and objectives. It uses mathematical optimization techniques to create and evaluate thousands of feasible schedules, helping the NFL create a schedule that meets the needs of teams, broadcast networks, and fans.
Company
NFL - ZettaLabs
Product
Schedule Optimizer
Collaborators
Timy Gonzalez
Role
Director of Product Design
Year
2022
Problem Statement
At first glance, the NFL's scheduling problem seems simple: 5 people have 12 weeks to schedule 256 games over the course of a 17-week season. That might seem like plenty of planning time for seemingly few decisions, but – when you actually work it out – the number of possible schedules is well into the quadrillions.`
Objectives & Goals
Maximize Fan Engagement and Viewership: A key goal is to create a schedule that features compelling matchups, especially in prime-time slots, to attract the largest possible television audiences and keep fans engaged throughout the season. This involves showcasing rivalries, potentially high-stakes games, and popular teams.
Ensure Competitive Equity (as much as possible): The league strives to create a schedule that is perceived as fair to all 32 teams. This involves considering factors like:
Strength of Schedule: While not perfectly equal, the optimizer aims to avoid extreme disparities in the difficulty of schedules.
Travel Burden: Minimizing instances of teams having to travel excessively, especially with short rest. This includes limiting consecutive road games and long-distance trips.
Bye Week Placement: Giving each team a bye week within a reasonable timeframe (Weeks 6-14) and considering past bye week placements for fairness over time.
Opponent Rest: Limiting the number of times a team faces an opponent coming off a bye week.
Accommodate External Constraints: The schedule must work around numerous logistical and external factors, including:
Stadium Availability: Avoiding conflicts with other events (e.g., concerts, other sports) at or near NFL stadiums.
Broadcast Partner Needs: Satisfying the requirements of CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network, and Amazon Prime Video by providing them with attractive game slates.
International Games: Strategically placing international games in London, Mexico City, and Germany while minimizing the travel impact on participating teams.
Protect the Integrity of the Game: The schedule aims to avoid situations that could be perceived as compromising the fairness or competitiveness of games.
Create a user experience that is seamless and easy to use: The schedule optimizer tool should allow the scheduling team to run example scenarios by entering key parameters and let the AI in the application run a number of selected scenarios.
User Experience: The application should have a consistent design language and intuitive navigation to ensure a predictable and efficient user experience across different features.
UX Process
4. Code & Deploy
5. Measure and Learn
3. Conceptualize
2. Define
1. Discover
Deliverables
Deliverables
Deliverables
Deliverables
Deliverables
Needs
Users
Stakeholders
LOBs
FRDs
Accessibility
Business goals
User needs
User journeys
Information arch.
Visual preferences
Success Metrics
Design language
Layout design
Interaction design
Usability testing
Front-end coding
Back-end coding
API Integration
Testing & QA
UX Auditing
Deployment
Metrics for LOBs
Usage analytics
User feedback
Accessibility
Success metrics
Heuristic evaluations
Accessibility tests
Recommendations
Improvements plan
Front-end code
Back-end code
QA Test plan
Deployment plan
Developers docs
User stories
Journey maps
Taxonomies
Persona designs
Flow diagrams
Mind maps
Design system
Low-res wireframes
Hi-res wireframes
Prototypes/Animations
Graphic assets
Usability test analisys
Interviews
Surveys
Report
Research
Design
Learn
Iterate
Code
pen
lightbulb
brackets
ruler
UX Process
Discover
Needs
Discover the needs for this product by conducting user interviews and asking questions related to the need for the product.
Users
Find out which types of users benefit from this product.
Stakeholders
Find out who are the primary stakeholders fro this product. From end users to CEOs.
LOBs
Find out what lines of business are part of this project or could be part of this project.
FRDs
Find out if there are existing functional requirement (FRD) document or see if they are complete or need to be completed, who owns the document, etc
Accessibility
Find out if there are any specific accessibility requirements for ADA, WCAG, etc.
Deliverables
Interviews
Results of interviews with executive summaries and quantitative measurements.
Surveys
Results of surveys with executive summaries and quantitative measurements.
Reports
Reports of any other findings related to this discovery phase.
pen
Define
Business Goals
Define what the business goals are for this suite of applications.
User Needs
Define what the users needs mean for this specific.
User Journeys
Define what a user journey or journeys are for this suite of applications.
Information Architechture
Define what the information architecture should be for this suite of applications.
Visual Preferences
Define the meaning of visual preferences for this suite of applications.
Deliverables
User Stories
Deliver documents with user stories for each one of the applications in this suite. User stories should be as granular as possible, including role, goal, benefit/reason, etc.
Journey Maps
Deliver documents with journey maps for each one of the applications in this suite. Journey maps should be as granular as possible, including personae design, scenarios, stages, etc.
Persona Design
Deliver documents with persona design for each one of the applications in this suite. Persona designs shouls be as granular as possible, including a realistic presentation, demographics, goals and motivations, etc.
Taxonomies
Deliver documents with taxonomies for each one of the applications in this suite. Taxonomies should be as granular as possible, including hierarchy, mental models, etc.
Mind Maps
Deliver documents with mind maps for each one of the applications in this suite. Mind Maps should be as granular as possible, including branches, sub-branches, keywords, connections, etc.
lightbulb
Conceptualize
Design laguage
Conceptualize a design language for the full suite of applications. This should include, visual style, UI components and guidelines, interaction guidelines, etc.
Layout Design
Conceptualize a layout design for the full suite of applications. This should include, gris systems, visual hierarchy, whitespace, responsiveness, etc.
Interaction Design
Conceptualize a layout design for the full suite of applications. This should include, grid systems, visual hierarchy, whitespace, responsiveness, etc.
Usability testing
Conceptualize a usability testing plan for the full suite of applications. This testing is made pre-deployment so only Figma designs will be used. This should include, navigation, information architecture, overall flow and user journeys, etc.
Deliverables
Design System
A complete design system using Figma.
Low-res Wireframes
Low-res wireframes using Figoma.
Hi-res Wrireframes
Hi-res wireframes using Figma, AI, Photoshop, Etc.
Prototypes / Animations
Prototypes using Figma, Framer, D3.js visualizations, etc
Graphic Assets
All assets in hi resolution. Assets within the Figma files can be downloaded by developers while in Figma dev mode.
Usability Test Analisys
Usability testing reports.
brackets
Code
Front-end Development
After UX Design sign off, using Figma, sent link to the developers in DEV mode.
Back-end Development
Back-end developers create the back end code to support the UI designs, interactions, databases, etc.
API Integration
Developers integrate APIs into the application.
Testing & QA
The QA team creates test plans of various types.
Deployment Plan
Create a deployment plan.
UX Auditing
UX designers review and audit design tickets.
Deliverables
Front-end Code
Front-end code is created through a software development cycle managed through the Azure DevOps agile ticketing system.
Back-end Code
Back-end code to support the UI designs, interactions, databases, etc.
QA Test Plan
QA test plans of various types and actual testing reports.
Deployment Plan
Developers and other stakeholders present a deployment plan.
UX Audit Tickets
Assign one or more UX designers to audit the development tickets that are in the UX/QA bucket in the DevOps ticketing system.
ruler
Measure & Learn
Success Metrics
Define metrics for the lines of business within the company.
Usage Analytics
Define usage analytics for post deployment measurements.
User Feedback
Gather user feedback before and after beta and general availability (GA)
Accessibility Tests
Define the accessibility test plan to comply with WCAG and ADA.
Deliverables
Success Metrics
Success metrics reports.
Heuristic Evaluations
Heuristic evaluation reports.
Accessibility Test Results
Accessibility test results.
Recommendations
Recommendations report for future iterations
Improvements Plan
Improvements plan. This includes backlog items, new features, changes to product roadmap, etc.
Journey Map
Personae Design
Amy McDonald
Age
38
Education
Masters in Sports Science
Status
Single
Occupation
Lead Scheduler
Location
NYC, NY
TEch literate
High
I want an efficient way reduce the time it takes to create optimized game schedules.
Bio
Amy lives in NYC . She is the lead scheduler for the NFL. She works with executives and third-party stakeholders to produce optimized schedules.
Core needs
•
Needs to produce optimized game schedules
•
Needs to work with stakeholders to obtain the parameters needed the schedule optimizer.
•
Needs to re-run the optimizer many times and record the optimizer run history
Frustrations
•
There is no similar software used for optimizing the game schedules using AI and ML.
•
Other stakeholders want to run their own optimizations, but Amy can't provide them with that service
Personality
Leader
Thinker
Analyser
Tech-savy
UI Designs
Design & Development Tools Used in this Project
Timy Gonzalez
Copyright © 2025 Timy Gonzalez
Address
Mooresville, NC, USA
My Email
timygonzalez@mail.com
Call Me Now
704-402-4401