Overview
A next gen betting experience
This case study is focused on researching and testing new ideas for this product. It was key to get Qualitative and Quantitative data from users. This case study only covers 10% of the research I did for the team.
Vanilla is a new betting platform that will be rolled out to 20+ Bookmakers in Australia. Throughout this project, I lead the design and research for the project. This case study is focused on UX Research for new and Innovative features we wanted to Implement that was new to the market.
Company
BetMakers
Period
6 Months
Role
Senior UX/UI
Case Study
Research & Testing
User Survey
I wanted to know what the real pain points and challengers users are currently facing with betting platforms so I set up some survey questions to get some feedback amongst regular punters. This initial survey was conducted with 15 users across Australia.
Pain points
01
Complex and confusing interfaces. Betting apps and websites can often have complex and confusing interfaces, which can make it difficult for users to navigate and find the information they need. This can lead to frustration and a poor user experience.
02
Difficulty placing bets. Placing bets on betting apps and websites can be challenging for some users, especially those who are new to betting or unfamiliar with the interface. This can lead to frustration and a lack of confidence in using the app or website.
03
Limited payment options. Many betting apps and websites only offer limited payment options, which can be inconvenient for users who prefer to use a different payment method. This can lead to frustration and a poor user experience.
04
Slow loading times. Betting apps and websites can often have slow loading times, which can be frustrating for users. This can lead to a poor user experience and potentially result in users abandoning the app or website.
05
Security concerns. Security is a major concern for many users when it comes to online betting. Users may be concerned about the safety of their personal and financial information, and may be hesitant to use a betting app or website if they don't trust its security measures.
06
Customer Service. Slow customer service times can have a major impact on user experience. It can cause frustration amongst users and lead to them abandoning the app to a competitor. Platforms need to priorities Customer service as an important part of their business to keep loyal customers satisfied.
"One pain point I've experienced when using betting platforms is the long wait times for customer service. It can be frustrating when I have a question or issue and have to wait hours or even days for a response. Improved customer support would definitely make my experience on the platform much smoother."
Female, 26
"A pain point I've encountered is the limited payment options. It can be frustrating when the platform only accepts a handful of payment methods, especially if my preferred method isn't available. It would be great if there were more options to choose from."
Male, 36
These are the pain points I'll be focusing on solving throughout this project. It's clear users has specific concerns and frustrations with current betting platforms and I will address all these concerns.
Competitive Analysis
Did some research into competitors and looked into what features some of the top products do and don't have compared to us. Created a spread sheet to compare and analyse
User Stories
Persona
UX Research
A new ‘Preview’ Race feature
Audience
Bet on Horse/Harness Racing
Mainly bet on upcoming racing
User Group
15 Users
Female and male
Age 18-55
In this test, we were testing a new feature for Upcoming Racing that allows users to view both a list and preview option. This would allow a more visual option for those that would rather view upcoming races in a widget
Problem
Inability to visually see upcoming races and bet from an ‘All Racing’ level
Goal
Ability to preview upcoming race cards. Ability to place bets faster. Value-based information on the race and horses
User Stories
Initial Test
List view
Preview
Q. What would you rate this 'Preview' feature?
Q. Would you personally use this feature to preview upcoming races?
Yes
Maybe
Results
Rating
4.07
Rating out of 5 amongst 15 users. Good feedback but could be Improved. Users liked the Idea of the ‘Preview’ feature. They prefer to visually view race cards rather than a list view.
“The preview feature is a simplistic way for a user to view more detail regarding a race. I like this feature because it provides useful information in a succinct way that is not confusing to users”
Conclusion
We wanted to do a retest with new ideas that would add more value to help users make a decisive decision. We want to make users feel more comfortable betting at this level, so we decided to add some additional features.
Stats
93%
14/15 users said they would personally use this feature and that they think it adds great value. Resulting in a 93% approval rating.
“I like how it allows for a seamless movement between the general location of the races but if you’re looking to just put a bet on generally the preview button ensures quick access to the next races to jump”
A function that shows the Last 4 placings for each horse
A button that allows users to view all the Runners within the widget
Final Test
Added a new 'stats' button that displays the last 4 placings for each horse and the ability to view all runners within the race widget
List view
Preview
Stats
Q. How useful is this "Stats" toggle that shows the last 4 races?
Q. What would you rate this 'Preview' feature overall?
Results
Stats Rating
4.80
Rating out of 5 amongst 15 users. Strong feedback by all users. Added great value and Information they appreciated.
“With the preview tab, good layout and very informative but also looks easy to use. If I were to place a bet I would feel comfortable using this”
Feedback
100%
15/15 users said they would personally use this feature and that they think it adds great value
Preview Rating
4.60
Rating out of 5 amongst 15 users. Strong feedback on the Preview feature overall. Users appreciated the ‘Stats’ and ‘Show all’ functions.
“No Additional Ideas that would not require more screen to be used. The only instinctive suggestion would be to go to the next level of stats ie Track conditions”
Conclusion
In conclusion, Adding the Last 4 races added great value for users as it increases the chances of making a more decisive decision. This gave us confidence to proceed with this new updated feature and push to development.
UX Research
Next to Jump
Case Study
Audience
Bet on Horse/Harness Racing
Mainly bet on upcoming racing
User Group
14 Users
Female and male
Age 18-55
In this test, we were testing a new feature for Upcoming Racing that allows users to view both a list and preview option. This would allow a more visual option for those that would rather view upcoming races in a widget
Problem
Navigating to upcoming races or having the ability to bet from the home page
Goal
Understand which 'Next to Jump' layout users prefer and why
A/B Test
Next to Jump is a major area for Racing apps and it was important to find out which layout users prefer so I conducted an A/B Test to gather data
A
B
C
Q. Which layout do you prefer?
Prefer A
Prefer B
Prefer C
Results
Prefer A
50%
Rating out of 5 amongst 14 users. Strong feedback by all users. Added great value and Information they appreciated.
Prefer B
36%
Rating out of 5 amongst 14 users. Strong feedback by all users. Added great value and Information they appreciated.
Prefer C
14%
Rating out of 5 amongst 14 users. Strong feedback on the Preview feature overall. Users appreciated the ‘Stats’ and ‘Show all’ functions.
Option A (Preferred)
4.14
Rating out of 5 amongst 14 users. Strong feedback by all users. Users prefer to visually see the horses and be able to place a bet from this level.
“Option B, I like the simplicity of the layout and the inclusion of how long until the race begins. It sets out basic information in an easily accessible manner.”
“I prefer option A. I like seeing the Jerseys and explicit details straight away without having to press any further.”
“I picked option A. I much prefer this option to the others as the layout is super effective and easy to understand. I especially like the use of images and ability to choose between viewing the horses, greys and harnesses.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, Option A and B are very close amongst users. It ultimately comes down to preferences on both the client side and Executive side. In this case, A was the winner with a 50% preference rate and a rating of 4.14/5.
UX Research
Improving the Short Form
Audience
Bet on Horse/Harness Racing
Mainly bet on upcoming racing
User Group
15 Users
Female and male
Age 18-55
In this test, I worked extensively with Product Managers to design a short from that was at the highest level in the Industry. We wanted to test this new short form design with users.
Problem
Lack of understanding
Complex Short form layouts
Unstructured and misinformation
Goal
Design a short form that's structured, easy to understand and clean for all users
User Stories
Initial Test
Q. How did you find the layout of this short form?
Q. What would you rate it compared to competitors in the market?
Results
Rating
4.67
Rating out of 5 amongst 15 users. Highly regarded feedback from all users. Users liked the modern and clean layout of the short form.
95%
Of users said they would personally use this short form over competitors in the market.
“The layout is very clear and has everything I need to know. Category grouping is great and love that I can view the last 4 race results. Clean design.”
“Very well presented design. I like that it shows Runner comments, conditions, win % and career history. The last 4 race results are also a great addition to the design.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, This is a well structured and clean short form layout that users appreciated. Strong feedback around the UX and UI. Working with Product Managers helped drastically.
UX Research
Speed Map
Case Study
Audience
Bet on Horse/Harness Racing
Mainly bet on upcoming racing
User Group
15 Users
Female and male
Age 18-55
In this test, I wanted to understand how we could Improve the speed map that would lead us against competitors in the market. After Surveys, I realised that there was a disconnect between users knowledge and understanding around the speed map.
Problem
Lack of understanding of what a speed map is and Lack of Information to make decisions
Goal
Design an Improved Speed map that offers additional Informative features and explains what it does
Survey
Initial survey was conducted to better understand users thoughts and knowledge around the speed map. This gave us data to then understand what features we could add to Improve the overall experience.
70% of users didn’t fully understand what a Speed map was and it’s main purpose
80% of users said Speed maps lack features to make a decisive betting decision
30% of users said they don’t use the Speed map regularly and don’t find it as useful as it could be
Inital Test
Q. How would you rate this speed map compared to others you've used?
Results
Rating
3.80
Rating out of 5 amongst 15 users. Good feedback but needs Improving. Great suggestions and feedback from users.
“Overall I like how clean the UI is with all the information being displayed. I would suggest adding in the rating that horse has whether thats a number out of 100 or a 5 star system.”
“I think it meets my expectations and it gives me all the information I need from the speed map but it may be useful to see a figure with what the pace, off mid, leader means.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, This was an initial test to get a better understanding of how I could Improve on the standard Speed map that everyone is use to in the market. New ideas and additional features would benefit the user experience drastically.
After the survey, I realised that there is a percentage of users that may not understand what the speed map actually is and how it's beneficial. Especially new users that have never bet on horses before.
Final Test
After the survey, I designed a new Speed map concept that added features including the Horses 'Rating' and 'Speed'. Additionally a help? button that shows an Informative modal for users.
Q. How would you rate these additional features?
Q. How would you rate this speed map compared to others you've used?
“Yes, very useful - clearly outlines what a speed map is for beginners and clearly defines key terms for beginner punters such as on pace, midfield, off mid and pace. This simplifies the process for bettors and makes things easier to understand.”
“Very useful, especially for those unfamiliar. The breakdown is also very easily accessible and not an overload of information on a small page.”
100% of users found this ‘help’ Information modal useful and beneficial for beginners
Results
Overall Rating
4.73
Rating out of 5 amongst 15 users. Strong feedback on the overall UX and UI for the Speed map. Modern and clean layout.
Features Rating
4.53
Rating out of 5 amongst 15 users. Strong feedback and opinions of these additional features. Added great value for users.
“I really liked this function. Rating gave me an accurate rating of each horse currently, speed outlined the current racing speed of each horse and lead outlined the clear current leaders in the race. Excellent.”
“I definitely appreciate this information and the ease of use. I usually don’t do very much research into horses so having this additional information easily accessible is a positive. It would help influence my pick as I know more about each horse.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, adding these additional speed map features brought great value and appreciation amongst users. Knowing the rating and speed of the horse allows users to make a more decisive betting decision.
Conclusion
01
User Research was an important factor in understanding major pain points and user needs for this project. Without the Research, I would of been able to back up designs with evidence and understand our future customers.
02
Gathering User Feedback was very important in making decisions and refining designs. Without the user feedback, I wouldn't have pinpointed flaws in particular designs that would of lead to a bad user experience.
03
Collaboration with stake holders, product managers and team members were important for feedback and making sure I was meeting all requirements.
04
Iterations helped me refine and design concepts for particular complex problems that needed to be solved. Without initial Iterations and brainstorming, it would of been very difficult.