Michael Potts has been designing and crafting award-winning user experiences for over a decade. Recently named vice president of network and new media design, he leads all design efforts for Turner Sports new media properties and television productions. With a passion for putting the fan first and creating unparalleled experiences, Potts has created and evolved multi-platform destinations Nascar.com, NBA.com and PGA.com as well as the NBA on TNT, NBA TV, MLB on TBS, the PGA Championship and the PGA Grand Slam of Golf on TNT.
Potts began his career as an art director at WestWayne Advertising in Atlanta where he helped create and launch the first Web sites for Publix Supermarkets and Russell Athletic. Before joining Turner Sports, he served as art director, and later, co-creative director, for Exile on 7th in San Francisco where he developed creative solutions for clients such as eBay, AutoTrader, WebVan and Hotmail.
08.03.10
Some UI Love and A Bit of Design
If you have a degree in what field is it? I studied philosophy and economics at Florida State University before bending to my passion for design. I finished up at the Art Institutes International in Ft. Lauderdale Florida with a degree in graphic design.
What’s the best site you've seen lately? What’s so great about it? NBA.com of course. It’s one of our sites, so I’m biased, but it truly does offer fans a clean interface for consuming some of the best content out there. I also like StumbleUpon; it’s a fresh interface that leverages social tools to make content relevant to me.
If you were to change professions, what would you choose to do? Great question. I actually started college wanting to be a pediatric cardiologist, but that changed when I found out I’d have to do calculus. I found a home in design and have never looked back. If I were in another life I may find that I own a corner pub in Barcelona...or maybe a pizza shop in New York. I know my way around the kitchen, so I don’t think it would much of a stretch.
Design or technology? Which is more important? Why? Design. Design is the essence—the core. It’s problem solving at every level, from visual presentation to communicating the right message in a moving way. Technology empowers design to be functional, efficient and transformative.
From where do your best ideas originate? Ideas are born from experiences. My ideas come from the continually growing ether that accumulates in my head. I tap into this in two ways: if there is a problem to solve a set of goals to achieve or objectives to be met; other times, seeing or experiencing something new or in a different way creates a connection or a path to a self-identified objective.
How do you overcome a creative block? Music. Take a break. Take a shower. Invert it. Turn t upside down. Stare up at the stars. Try to think of the problem as something else, perhaps an animal or pin cushion.
In one word describe how you feel when beginning a new project? Excited.
What well-known site is most desperately in need of a redesign? Craigslist. I get it. I do. But with some UI love and a bit of design, it would be loads better and easier to use and still be simple and uncluttered.
Do you have creative outlets other than Web design? Sure. Print design. Broadcast design. Cooking. I just remodeled and redesigned some rooms in my house. That was fun and I got to be creative. I like to rearrange the magnets on the refrigerator from time to time as well.
What music are you listening to right now? I’m into the singer-songwriter, just got up on Sunday morning kinda vibe right now, all smiles.
What product/gadget can you not live without? Doorknobs. Life would be much harder without them.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve bought online? Internet service. I thought it was odd to start service by going online...to start service. The strangest thing I’ve seen for sale online was a “month of friendship.” Anything is possible now.
What’s your favorite quote? “Hell, there are no rules here, we are trying to accomplish something.” —Thomas Alva Edison
I was inspired by Edison when my parents took me on a tour of his home in Ft. Meyers, Florida. I was young and wide-eyed and there was so much to see. I was really moved; everywhere I turned was something fascinating, something useful, something a part of my everyday life now. And it all came from his creative mind. Amazing. The quote speaks to the passion that I strive to feel for the end product. If I can think of it, there has to be a way to do it.
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Master public speaking, be assertive in meetings and make sure that you don’t hold yourself back...take risks.
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? How much fun I would be having. I have the best job in the world. I work with such a passionate group of people bringing fans closer to the sports they love. Who wouldn’t want to go to work each day to do that?