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UI/UX Design
In April 2023, students from BrainStations User Experience Design (UX), Web Development (WD), and Data Analysts (DA) programs were challenged to design and build a solution for theScore from scratch collaboratively. Our randomly-assigned team was able to design and develop a successful solution within 24 hours for BrainStation Torontos Hackathon.
As a member of a nine-person team (five developers, two Data Analysts, and Two UX designers), I was primarily responsible for user research, user flows, presentation/pitch and wireframes.
SOLUTION
Free Play
We came up with a design solution called 'Free Play.' We recognize that some users may hesitate to place bets with real money without getting comfortable with the betting feature. Therefore, our team designed a feature that allows existing users to bet for free using tokens to get familiar with the betting process and see how much they could potentially win if they were to bet with real money. This design solution builds user confidence and allows them to test different betting strategies and make more informed decisions when placing bets with real money. Our team believes the 'Free Play' feature will enhance user experience and increase engagement with our sports betting platform.
SOLUTION FEATURE
Head 2 Head
Our team recognized the importance of social connections in sports betting. As a result, we developed a head-to-head feature that allows friends to create parlays and bets against one another, creating a friendly competition that enhances the overall betting experience. This feature encourages engagement and interaction between friends and provides users a risk-free environment to test betting strategies using bet tokens rather than real money. Additionally, the feature allows users to see how much money they could have won if they had played with real money. It provides a glimpse into the potential rewards of actual betting. While we had other features in mind, we chose to focus on this particular feature within the 24-hour window due to its ability to foster a sense of social connection and competition among users while also building confidence in users for future betting opportunities. We believe this feature can improve the user experience and increase overall engagement with the platform, leading to greater brand loyalty and user retention.
UNDERSTADNING THE PROBLEM
How Might We increase engagement of betting features among the existing users in theScore app?
INTRODUCTION
We began by brainstorming a list of issues within the problem space, which we narrowed down to one: competition and the high of winning.
The thrill of competition and the feeling of winning is a driving force behind sports betting. You get that rush when your bet hits, and you come out on top with bragging rights over your friends. For many sports bettors, this emotional high is just as important as the financial gain. The sense of achievement, the adrenaline rush, and the satisfaction of outsmarting the bookmakers or your friends make sports betting so exhilarating. We want to capture and convey this emotion in this design challenge. The design should evoke the excitement and energy of sports betting and celebrate the joy of winning and being on top.
RESEARCH AND PLANNING
The Bet Mode feature available on theScore app provides users access to various betting features. This includes the ability to view and select bets on a range of sporting events, participate in public chat rooms by voting on betting polls, easily download or navigate to theScore Bet app through click-through icons, and keep track of placed bets all in one place. Despite the seamless experience of this feature, we have observed that only around 10% of our active users have interacted with our betting features via bet mode.
While using the app and conducting research, we discovered these existing pain points:
1) Only 10% Engage with the Bet Feature
2) Users get redirected off the APP
3) Users don’t want to waste the money
Our group recognized the importance of prioritizing the existing users of theScore and building upon their user experience to encourage long-term engagement with the platform. Rather than solely focusing on acquiring new users, we chose to address the needs and desires of current users, enhancing their overall experience with the platform. By analyzing user feedback and behaviour, we identified areas of improvement, including the need for a risk-free environment to test out betting strategies, a simplified interface for easy navigation, and a personalized experience tailored to individual user preferences. Our team believes that by prioritizing the needs of existing users, we can increase user retention and build brand loyalty, positively impacting theScore's overall user base."
INSPIRATION
Our team drew inspiration from other successful digital solutions that have used a trial-run approach to onboard users and build customer loyalty. Many companies offer a free product or service trial, allowing users to test the features before committing to a paid subscription. By providing users with a risk-free trial period, companies can build trust and demonstrate the value of their product or service. Similarly, our team recognized the importance of providing a risk-free way for users to get familiar with our sports betting platform. By offering a 'Free Play' feature, we can encourage users to take the first step into sports betting and provide a platform to try different betting strategies and familiarize themselves with the process before committing to real money bets. Ultimately, our inspiration from other digital solutions has led us to create a design solution that enhances the user experience and builds trust and loyalty among our users.
EXAMPLES
Questrade
Questrade's 90-day free trial is a promotion that allows new users to practice investing without risking any real money. During the trial period, users can access a virtual account with $500,000 in simulated funds to invest in stocks, options, and other securities. This trial is designed to help users gain experience and build confidence before making actual investments with real money.
RBC Investing
RBC Direct Investing does offer a practice account that allows clients to practice trading stocks, options, and other securities with simulated funds without risking real money. The practice account is free and offers access to all of the features of a regular RBC Direct Investing account, allowing users to test out different investment strategies and build their confidence before making actual investments with real money.
Fortnite
The Fortnite campaign version allows players to earn Vbucks by completing challenges and missions, which can be used to purchase new skins and other in-game items. This trial period will enable players to get a taste of the rewards that Vbucks can offer and will motivate them to buy the online version of the game. Fortnite has created a seamless experience that encourages users to invest in the game by providing this incentive and making the purchasing process easy.
How will we measure success?
To measure the success of our suggestions, I would consider these three factors:
CONCLUSION
Through the 24-hour deadline, our team was able to develop and showcase a fully-functional prototype for our Free Play solution, which addressed our "engagement" problem. During our presentation at the Brainstation, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many inquiries about when the app would be fully functional and available. Our team was evaluated based on the app's functionality and the presentation of our design, and we are proud to have taken second place overall. Overall, our team found the design challenge to be a rewarding and engaging experience, allowing us to showcase our skills and creativity while addressing a real-world problem. We look forward to applying the knowledge and experience gained from this challenge to future projects and endeavors.
