Research and discovery
Problem
Some special bet features such as Push-Up and Bonus Buy lived in different places with unclear labels. Newer players often struggled to find them and if they did, they did not understand how they worked. This limited the use of them, and in turn resulted in negative revenue.
Players struggle to understand old special bets
In the first screen the bet select panel is where players change their stake and where Push Bet sits. There is no short description of what Push Bet does, so terms like 1 scatter and 2 scatters are unclear at a glance.
The Bonus Buy screen has the same problem. The name does not explain what you get and there is no simple summary, which makes it hard for new players to know what they are buying.
Findings
Quantitative: reviewing game data showed very low use of Push Bet.
Qualitative: Maze testing revealed confusion about names, the entry point and where the price appears.
Competitive review: other products use clearer naming and a single, obvious entry point.
Goals
Make discovery obvious from the main game flow
Explain each option in plain language
Show price and outcome upfront
Give product and marketing a single place to promote
Solutions
Consolidate all betting options into a single, accessible hub, streamlining the user experience.
Ensure Special Bets are prominently displayed and easily discoverable.
Clarify the distinctions and functionalities of Push Bet, Bonus Buy, and Feature Buy to users, enhancing their understanding and engagement.
Incorporate space for a marketing banner, enabling users to easily recognise promotions from advertisements.
Rapid Ideation Through Sketching
Utilising quick sketches allows me to swiftly pinpoint the optimal arrangement of design elements. Although these initial sketches might appear rough, their true value lies in facilitating a rapid ideation process. This approach is indispensable for early-stage conceptualisation, enabling me to explore various layouts and interactions with remarkable agility, proving that effectiveness often precedes aesthetics in the creative process.
Initial Design User Testing
Leveraging the Maze App, I engaged 13 participants for the test, confident in the design’s potential. Surprisingly, the data revealed that while some users were exploring the app, leading to slower completion times, there were genuine usability challenges for others, particularly when attempting to activate the Push Bet feature. This combination of exploratory behaviour and usability issues provided a clear signal that further refinement was needed, sending me back to the drawing board to enhance the design's intuitiveness and efficiency.
Wireframing & Prototyping
I prefer to transform my wireframes into interactive prototypes accessible via my phone, utilising Figma for this purpose. I design with the smallest supported size in mind, which, in this instance, is 375px in width. This approach allows for scaling up to accommodate larger devices seamlessly. These wireframes are instrumental in ensuring the ideal sizing and providing ample space for touch areas, crucial for enhancing user experience.
Second design user test
After the initial user testing, I iteratively refined the design to not only meet immediate needs but also to ensure its future relevance. Despite users completing tasks efficiently, feedback from the CEO necessitated additional adjustments.
To integrate this feedback effectively, I revised the design once more and conducted a final test. This last iteration was particularly successful, achieving a usability test score of 93%. The slight deviation from perfection was largely due to user multitasking, a conclusion I drew from screen recordings of the test sessions, which revealed moments of distraction.
This iterative process, underscored by both qualitative feedback and quantitative data, solidified the design's effectiveness and user engagement.
