Alumna keeps watchful design eye on ESPN streaming experiences

Every day, the digital experiences of millions of sports fans are enhanced by the work of Becky (Drexler) Yaeger ’18 (new media design). 

Yaeger is a lead product designer for the Walt Disney Company, where she oversees ESPN’s Watch streaming experiences. Yaeger and her team focus on the user experience (UX) of browsing, finding, and watching sports content across the network’s apps and sites. 

A recent feature she worked on was a redesigned navigation of ESPN’s TV app.

“It’s really exciting to see any of your work go live, but there is something extra special when you are able to see people directly interact with your work in public,” said Yaeger, based in Albany, N.Y. “I’ve been out at dinner or bowling and seen people using the ESPN app on their phones, directly using features I helped make a reality — and that never gets old.”

With Yaeger’s steadfast belief that thoughtful UX design can positively influence lives, human-centered solutions are at the forefront of her work. It’s a space where data and human behavior are blended with creativity and innovation. 

“Understanding who is using a feature, and why, is extremely important when considering any feature or initiative,” Yaeger said. “Our projects always have some aspect of research incorporated into the design process. The extent and type of research will vary depending on a number of variables — timeline, scope, how much research already exists, etc.”

While at RIT, Yaeger completed a trio of co-op experiences, at creative agencies Butler/Till and Odopod, as well as Rochester-based video game developer Workinman Interactive.

“Those experiences were extremely beneficial in helping me understand what it’s like to work with real clients with real-world limitations, such as timelines and budgets,” Drexler said. “It also gave me insight into the type of design environment I’d like to work in post-graduation.”

Yaeger also met her future husband, Mike Yaeger ’18 (film and animation), at RIT. The two got married in 2024.

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Shannon Lesch '26

Becky Yaeger has been with Disney/ESPN since 2022.

After graduating, Yaeger secured UX design positions at Total Wine & More, Paychex, and Bed Bath & Beyond before landing at Disney/ESPN. 

Executing projects at industry-standard levels while on co-op and in the new media design program made it a smooth jump from RIT to industry.

“The new media design program helped me hit the ground running,” Yaeger said. “The program offered a wide variety of classes to help give us a breadth of knowledge across graphic design, web design, motion design, 3D design, and UX. The professors, especially in my last couple years, treated several projects like real-world projects. We had external clients come and sponsor projects, provide feedback, and evaluate our work. I felt extremely prepared heading into my first full-time role.”