Okay, I’ll be honest, it’s Masters week, so it’s hard not to write another post about the event, but let’s examine an aspect of the tournament that won’t show up on any highlights. The Masters App. It’s the time of year we all re-download it and jump back in, and while I’ve used the app many times before, something struck me this time around.
It’s the best sports App in the world.
The reason? I think it’s Vision.
No, Vision isn’t a programming slang or something mobile developers “build” into an app, but I think it’s why this app stands out among the rest. The Masters event has as clear of a Vision and a brand as exists in the world, and it’s clear when you open up their app.
Let’s dive into some areas that the Masters app succeeds in, and some tips other app developers could take from it:
1. Relevance
Yes, I’ve talked about relevance in the past, but the Masters app hits the nail on the head. Why does someone download, install, and open their app? To monitor and watch the Tournament. Front and center in the app is the live Leaderboard (what we all care about), not to mention easy access to live coverage, just one tap away. During the day the app’s main screen is populated with different coverage streams, and after the rounds it switches to relevant news, articles, and coverage. It’s brilliant.
Not to mention, for the hardcore fans, you can follow individual players, tracking their whole round, and even diving into individual shots on any hole you want. I mean c’mon, nobody is doing that. Furthermore you can dive into each hole on the course, or look up tee times for the next day.
For a sporting event in the 21st century, it ticks off all the boxes. What you need, where you need it, when you need it. Well done.
2. Consistency
Each year you come back to the app, it feels familiar. Granted, it’s not exactly the same, but you remember what it was like to use the app. This is where branding and vision come into play. The Masters knows what it is, knows what its brand means and leans into it. The aesthetic is consistent, they leverage their unique leaderboard shape throughout the app, and use well thought out minimalist themes.
This allows minimal barriers to entry, and minimal frustration in finding what you need. They make it easy to do what you came for. The holy grail of mobile app development.
3. User-First Experience
This one is something that makes the app stand out among all other Golf media. Golf has a bad habit of not being user or fan-first. Sure, the Masters benefits from a fantastically well recognized brand and it the premier golf event of the year, but does that mean other events/media can’t be as user-focused? I have my doubts.
What makes the App feel like it’s built for the users and not the sponsors is the accessibility, quality of content, and minimalist sponsor messaging. Logos adorn the home screen, sure, but there aren’t huge ad banners taking up precious screen space. You’re not constantly hit with paywalls when trying to look at articles or videos. They don’t make you sit through an ad to jump into the leaderboard. Everything is built with the fan in mind, and it’s pretty obvious.
I think that’s the key difference. Advertising still exists in the Masters app, but it feels like it plays second-fiddle to the user experience. So many sports app feel backwards. Maybe that’s why it feels head and shoulders above the rest, simply putting the fan first? Strange concept.
Yes, the Masters is one of the high points in the year for many golf fans, and one might even say golf fans would put up with a lot to simply view the event. What the Masters App does is actually enhance the experience through thoughtful design, extremely relevant content, and a complete buy-in to putting the user and fan first. The result is something that fans don’t have to put up with, but rather helps and fosters the experience and understanding of the tournament. Hats off to the designers, developers, and product creators. You’ve got a winner in my book.
Two Off the First 