Sportbook Air

This project was extensive, involving a wide range of stakeholders, and spanned approximately nine months from the initial kick-off meeting to the final presentation of the prototype. Throughout the duration, we diligently followed the design process, enabling us to successfully attain the desired end result.

MY ROLE

Leading the Native app product redesign, collaborating with stakeholders and the branding department.
Creating a strategic plan for the solution, emphasising the importance of great and native app designs.
Supporting user testing and incorporating feedback to improve the app's usability.

Conceptualizing and executing a brand-focused app redesign.
Enhancing the app's UX and UI to deliver a seamless and intuitive user experience.
Redesigning the whole Onboarding experience of the app.

TOOLS

THE COMPANY

Unibet is a one-stop gambling brand that belongs to the Kindred Group company. The Kindred Group owns 11 other gambling brands and operates in 12 international markets, including the USA, Australia, and the UK.

THE PROBLEM

The Unibet app on Apple devices faces significant usability challenges as it primarily functions as a mobile website wrapped for the Apple Store, with limited implementation of native Swift code. Apple's restrictions on gambling brands within their store demand a transition to a fully native experience and code, while the Google Store's prohibition of gambling apps makes it crucial to prioritize the app's availability on the Apple Store.

Key Issues:

SOLUTION

In summary, the Unibet app's reliance on a mobile website wrapper, coupled with slow performance, negative user reviews, and inconsistent design elements, presents significant challenges to delivering a seamless and satisfactory user experience.

By implementing these solutions, the Unibet app can elevate its brand credibility, provide a customised user experience, and enhance the overall usability and engagement for its users.

METRICS

While identifying the problems, we set the metrics we would like to measure.

Customer satisfaction

Increase user satisfaction by 20% with the re-design

Apple Store Rating - Started with 2.5, and after design implementation increased to 3.5
User's Survey

Churn

Decrease churn by 10% giving the option for users to customize the experience and make the interaction between splash screen and betting faster, and increase brand credibility with consistent experience and interface.

Monthly report by the data team to track user's churn data in the app

Design Process

Discovery

To align knowledge and goals, a comprehensive workshop was organised, where all the data and information collected from various teams were presented. The workshop served as a platform to consolidate the insights and findings obtained throughout the project. Below is an overview of the information gathered and shared during the workshop:

PERSONA

By understanding the needs and preferences of user personas like John Anderson, the sports betting company can tailor their app experience to cater to their target audience, providing a user-friendly platform that enhances engagement and satisfaction.

DATA ANALYTICS & CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE INSIGHTS

During the insightful discovery workshop, the data and customer experience (CX) teams collaborated to share valuable insights derived from user surveys. Leveraging the data-driven feedback collected from users, the teams were able to provide in-depth analysis and observations that shed light on user behaviors, preferences, and pain points. This collaborative effort helped uncover significant patterns and trends, enabling the teams to gain a deeper understanding of the user base and inform future decision-making processes.

APPLE STORE RATINGS & REVIEWS

As a designer, I begin projects by checking the Apple Store ratings and reviews. This helps me understand user perception and gather potential metrics for evaluation. It provides valuable insights into user feedback, strengths, and weaknesses of the design. This information guides my understanding of user expectations and informs the design process.

APP AUDIT

Recognizing the presence of numerous inconsistent components and design elements within the app, conducting a comprehensive design audit became imperative. The purpose of this audit was to meticulously identify and map out the various flaws and inconsistencies within the design. By thoroughly examining the app's interface, visual elements, and user interactions, the audit aimed to create a comprehensive overview of the existing design challenges. This process provided crucial insights for prioritizing improvements, enhancing the overall user experience, and ensuring a cohesive and harmonious design across all app elements.

The absence of a comprehensive app map within the current design team prompted me to take the initiative and conduct an audit to map the entire app. The aim was to gain a holistic understanding of the app's structure and size. The results of the audit came as a surprise not only to the design team but also to the stakeholders, who had never before obtained a complete overview of the app. The mapping process shed light on the extensive scope and complexity of the app, providing valuable insights into its structure and facilitating better collaboration and decision-making moving forward.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

While competitors were striving to meet Apple's compliance standards for their apps, I observed that even though they also had outdated designs, some had already begun to mimic native components within their wrapped apps or just building it natively. Notably, they incorporated familiar elements like navigation back buttons, tabs, and bullet filtering. This strategic move allowed them to create a more seamless and native-like user experience, aligning with Apple's guidelines. By closely analyzing the competition, I identified these trends and recognized the importance of adopting similar approaches to ensure our app's competitiveness and enhance user satisfaction.

Define

VISION

Introduce a new app that rivals top industry players like Bet365, Paddy Power, and Skybet in performance and quality.

Create a modern and sleek app that appeals to the new generation, known for their preference for speed and visually appealing interfaces.

Build credibility as a top betting provider by delivering an exceptional user experience and earning the trust of users.

Offer a tailored app experience where users have control over the content they see, allowing them to personalize their betting journey.

GOAL

Enhance the user experience by tailoring it to specific user segments, moving away from a generic web-focused approach.
Address the issue of inconsistent designs and outdated user interface, revamping it with a modern and visually appealing UI.
Elevate the product to the same level as renowned brands in the market by adopting a design that displays professionalism and credibility.
Streamline the process of finding favorite sports, games, and bets, making it easier and faster for users to navigate and locate their desired options.
Prioritize efficiency and speed in the app's functionality to provide a seamless and hassle-free betting experience for users.

PRODUCT LEVEL

What apps the Unibet users have in their phone and the product level we should aim for?

DESIGN CHALLENGES

Navigate the limitations imposed by the third-party provider of the betting book IPA while ensuring a thoughtful redesign within the given boundaries.
Address the challenge of inconsistent components and styles resulting from different teams around the world working on various app features with limited communication.

Adhere to strict regulations and design requirements in the heavily regulated market, ensuring compliance while maintaining a user-friendly and engaging experience.

PROJECTS PRIORITY

Create a captivating onboarding experience using UX and UI trends as this part of the app was already built natively.

Launch screen
Permission request
Login
Create options for user to customise their sports and teams preferences
Customised Homepage

Ideate

WORKSHOP

With a clear focus to enhance the onboarding experience, we conducted a dynamic workshop called "Crazy Sixies." Through collaborative brainstorming, we generated ideas that were translated into wireframes. These wireframes were then tested with users, refining the onboarding process for a seamless user journey.

‎Portfolio Presentation 2022 v2.‎017.jpeg

TASK FLOW DIAGRAM

To optimize the user experience, we focused on creating three distinct task flows. These task flows explored different journeys related to mandatory login, customization, and notification requests for both first-time and returning users. By carefully mapping out these flows, we aimed to streamline the user journey and ensure a seamless and personalized experience throughout the app.

Mapping the different user flows
Reference point for stakeholders, designers and developers
Understanding the app scope, errors and success

ONBOARDING COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

Intro animation - First time user
Splash screen animation - Return user
Permission request - Location and notification
Passwordless login
Sports and games preferences customisation

ONBOARDING WIREFRAMES

Define flow for first time user
Define flow for return user

USER TESTING

‎Portfolio Presentation 2022 v2_edited.jpg

Test the top 3 sketches from the ideation workshop
Researcher and designers created hypothesis and questions for users
Researcher set and launch user testings in Usertesting.com
Workshop to watch results, highlight issues, define priorities and next steps

Prototype

BRANDING

To foster inspiration and alignment with the branding direction, I arranged a meeting with the branding department. During the meeting, I presented the latest UX/UI and app trends of 2020, aiming to stimulate creative thinking and encourage cohesion.

We explored various trends, including:

Low-key gradient backgrounds
Asymmetric layouts & split views
Unique illustrations, animations
Minimal and spacious designs.

By considering these trends, we aimed to infuse our design with modern aesthetics and captivating visuals, ensuring a cohesive and visually appealing user experience.

LIVE SCREENS

ONBOARDING MOCK UP FLOW

APPROVED CONCEPT

MOCK UPS IPHONE

MOCK UPS IPAD

MOCK UPS APPLE WATCH

PROTOTYPE

To showcase our work comprehensively, we selected the longest flow for this prototype. The prototype itself was meticulously crafted by one of our skilled UI designers, who expertly translated the mock-ups I had created. The new designs garnered positive feedback from both the company and stakeholders, affirming their appreciation for the direction we had taken. This successful reception validates the effectiveness of our collaborative efforts in delivering visually appealing and user-friendly designs.

Prototype was made with Figma.

Production

PATTERN LIBRARY

Conclusion

Following the presentation of the prototype, the entire company enthusiastically embraced the design, highlighting its positive reception.

The collaboration between the Branding and Design teams flourished, resulting in a stronger working relationship marked by effective synergy. Despite the company's adherence to the waterfall method, we successfully integrated a select group of developers into the creative process, leveraging their valuable insights. However, regrettably, due to limited developer resources and a significant backlog of bugs to address, the implementation of this new proposal was ultimately canceled.

As a compromise, only a few screens were built, blending elements of the old and new branding.

These screens included:

Intro
Splash
Permission Request
Login screens.

METRICS

Customer satisfaction

Apple Store Rating - Started with 2.5, and after design implementation increased to 3.5

WHAT WORKED

Conducting an audit proved crucial in uncovering the actual issues of the product, as the initial information provided by stakeholders was vague.
Presenting the audit findings, Apple Store reviews, market research, and competitor analysis to stakeholders enabled them to fully grasp the product's challenges, establishing a realistic vision, goals, and desired level of quality.
Involving the Branding team from the outset provided them with a holistic understanding of the product, ensuring alignment and consistency throughout.

WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY

Including more members of the design team from the start would have allowed for a wider range of perspectives and expertise.
Gaining a better understanding of the product's actual capabilities and constraints early on would have provided valuable insights for more accurate planning and decision-making.