The Problem

With a $76.7 billion global market size per year, sports betting is rapidly expanding, especially with the legalization of online betting in more and more states. Despite FanDuel's position as one of the largest U.S. sportsbooks, staying competitive in this industry requires offering distinctive features to attract and retain users amidst fierce competition

Role

UX Researcher

UX Designer

UI Designer

Tools

Figma

Photoshop

Maze

Success Metric

Ensuring users can effortlessly complete tasks in usability testing is vital for the success of this FanDuel "Add a Feature" case study.

(In this hypothetical case study, my objective was to showcase my creative problem-solving skills by introducing a revenue-generating feature to an exceptionally volatile business model)

Design Process

Research Objectives

  • Determine what information should be provided in a premium service.

  • Investigate what other services in the space offer and their pricing.

  • Research what percentage of users would use a premium service that provides deeper statistics into the sports betting landscape.

User Interviews

Surveys

I conducted 1 on 1 interviews with participants who place wagers FanDuel at a regular basis, between the ages of 24-43. All the participants living within the United States. I got answers from these interviews to my most important questions:

  • Why users prefer other sportsbooks over FanDuel?

  • What makes a user sign up for specific sportsbook?

  • How often does the app retains the user?

  • What features would users pay for in an extra monthly service?

I conducted a survey involving an additional 8 FanDuel users to uncover their motivations for using the app, the nature of their betting preferences, how they access the information they use to make bets. The surveys and competitive analysis were employed to identify a suitable price point for the service.

Key Insights

Exclusive Promotions: For sports bettors, a sportsbook's promotions are highly valued. In the competition among sportsbooks, FanDuel strives to match its competitors in offering enticing promotions. Despite an exceptional overall experience, a less appealing user interface may become secondary when more attractive perks and promotions are available.

Line Movement Tracking: Dynamic betting lines often prompt users to search for updates externally. Including this feature in the premium service provides users with valuable data, eliminating the need to pay for similar insights elsewhere. Why pay extra for comprehensive betting information when FanDuel can offer it within the same app where users are already placing their bets?

News and Noteworthy: While valuable event-related updates are easily found online, incorporating them directly into the Fanduel Sportsbook app streamlines user access to information such as news, injury reports, and weather conditions. This not only enhances user understanding but also consolidates these insights within the service, eliminating the need for separate searches.

Research Constraints

The main challenges in this project included locating individuals with access to legal gambling in their state and a solid understanding of FanDuel's sportsbook. While the ideal audience for this project could be anyone, the individuals I interviewed were mostly male (87.5%) and aged between 25-35, with the exception of one experienced user who was in their mid 40s.

Competitive Analysis

I analyzed other sportsbooks on the market to see what features they offer their users to draw them in over others. The companies I looked at were Draftkings, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook.

DraftKings stands as the primary competitor to FanDuel, offering an impressive user interface, attractive promotions, and an extensive reach in state betting markets. Despite these strengths, the app has drawbacks, including glitch-related issues, limited streaming options, and a withdrawal process that could be more user-friendly.

BetMGM boasts a strong following in its markets. It excels in offering appealing promotions to new users, creates humorous advertising, and provides excellent in-app live streaming. However, negatives are glaring as their promotions are state-specific. They also struggle to provide quality promotions to repeat users, potentially affecting user retention negatively.

Caesars is another sportsbook gaining popularity in markets. With a focus on advertising and the backing of one of the most renowned casinos in the United States, it is understandable why they are gaining traction. However, they are not legal in as many locations as FanDuel and DraftKings. With a primary focus on top-tier sports, Caesars might discourage users interested in more obscure gambling options.

While there are number of sportsbooks that could be considered competitors to FanDuel, DraftKings stands out as the only primary competition.

Affinity Mapping

I used affinity mapping to gather insights from four of the most knowledgable people I interviewed, which allowed me to figure out more about public perception of sports betting companies.

User Persona

After conducting user interviews and surveys, I created a user persona for John. As a young professional, John engages in casual betting with friends and coworkers, utilizing his statistical knowledge to identify the best-valued bets.

John Kirkland

John is a 22 year old who just graduated from college. He moved to New York to get his foot in the door of the financial industry. There is a group of new hires who spend all their time together, whether in or out of work. John wants to use his background in statistics to create smarter bets with a higher chance of winning.

Favorite Sports Apps: Draftkings, Bovada, The Score, Bleacher Report

Goals:

  • Make money while enjoying being a young professional

  • Gain information to share with friends

  • Get a deeper understanding of sports

Challenges:

  • New to gambling and falls for the same mistakes other novices

  • Limited funds

  • Easily influenced by others

Information Architecture

I used insights from competitor analysis, user interviews, and surveys to develop a site map and user flow. Given the substantial similarities in features among sportsbooks identified in the Competitor Analysis, I didn't find card sorting necessary for this project.

Developing a sitemap for this project serves as the foundation for constructing the wireframes. It provides a clear view of the features incorporated into this premium service and how they seamlessly integrate into an existing app.

Site Map

With the help of the sitemap, I was able to complete two user flows:

  • Logging in and enrolling in FanDuel Pro

  • Finding the FanDuel Pro information on a specific event.

User Flow

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

Since FanDuel Sportsbook already exists, I proceeded to recreate their app, bypassing the Low-Fidelity stage and directly creating Mid-Fidelity wireframes. This allowed me to explore how to seamlessly integrate FanDuel Pro into the existing app structure.

Pro Boost Page

Team Tracking Page

Main Page

Pro Page

Specific Event Page

Branding

Since FanDuel already has an established style guide, everything created in this project follows their interface. This guide was created by them, and I thank them for allowing me to use it in my creative process. Using their provided information and colors, I created a logo for the FanDuel Pro premium service.

To view FanDuel’s design guidelines, click the link!

High-Fidelity Wireframes

Using the style guide, the next part of the process was to transition wireframes into complete user interface. I started with replicated screens on the FanDuel Sportsbook app and built my subscription-based service frames from there.

Usability Testing

The next step after finishing the UI was to a prototype of the features to test usability. While testing 7 user of the FanDuel Sports app, I tested them for what I felt was most important through 3 tasks.

  • Sign into an account and subscribe to FanDuel Pro’s monthly service.

  • Explore FanDuel Pro’s statistics on a certain game to make an educated wager.

  • Follow a specific team.

This usability test also allowed me to gain some key insights by answering these questions:

  • How does the user navigate through the FanDuel app?

  • What aspect of FanDuel Pros services are most and least important to the user?

Test Findings

After conducting tests with seven FanDuel users on the three assigned tasks, I gained insights regarding the integration of FanDuel Pro into the existing app. All users successfully signed in, and the automatic pop-up achieved a 100% conversion rate for subscribing to FanDuel Pro's monthly service. However, some testers noted the continuous appearance of the pop-up after login would be annoying. This is something that will get considered later.

Activation of FanDuel Pro in the prototype initially caused confusion for testers. Five out of seven users successfully activated Pro and searched for statistics on the Bills vs. Patriots game. The team-following task had the lowest success rate, with four out of seven users accomplishing it on their first attempt. To improve, clearer instructions will be provided.

User feedback on the aesthetics of the added feature was insightful. It led to the realization that the non-activated Pro feature should be more subtle while still being visible on the page. Additionally, six out of seven users do not use the search function in the top right corner, and think the Pro toggle could fit well there. These insights provide valuable guidance for refining the feature.

Interface Revisions

Based on usability testing feedback, I made the FanDuel Pro icon more subtle for the app user by changing the yellow text to a darker color—still visible but less attention-grabbing.

All Pro pages have been enhanced with the addition of a toggle in the upper right-hand corner. Clicking on Pro within the app directs subscribed users to in-depth information for their selected game.

After conducting usability testing for FanDuel Pro, I improved the designs and develop a more user-friendly product. Prioritizing these enhancements, I created an improved prototype that highlights the potential impact on users' sports betting experiences.

I reorganized the sequence of features and adjusted the formatting of the pop-up page, centering it for a more cohesive and aligned appearance.

Following usability testing, it became evident that the aesthetics of the graphs required improvement. The order in the Pro sliding menu was adjusted to prioritize the most sought-after sections.

Usability Testing 2.0

FanDuel Pro Pop-up

Once a user logs in to FanDuel, if they are not enrolled in FanDuel Pro, a screen will pop up telling the user the features of FanDuel Pro and giving them an opportunity to sign up.

All seven participants evaluated the updated prototype, providing insights into the service and its features. Here are some of the features that were tested:

Toggle Fanduel Pro

User feedback emphasized the need for FanDuel Pro not to disrupt the main app's functionality. This led to the Pro toggle in the top right corner, granting easy access to comprehensive sports betting statistics with a click.

Follow Your Favorite Team

Another new feature FanDuel Pro brings users is the ability to follow specific teams, players, leagues. Users will receive notifications if there is any news, upcoming games, odds changes on who they follow.

Test Findings 2.0

Purchase Through the App Store

Upon selecting "Sign Up for FanDuel Pro" from the FanDuel Pro advertisement screen, users can conveniently acquire the monthly service via the App Store.

A Deeper Dive into Betting

FanDuel Pro offers in-depth gambling statistics, Pro Boosts with improved odds on exclusive bets, and comprehensive insights including weather, news, stats, past results, line movement, and public betting data.

Following the testing of the revised prototype by the seven participants, I gained further insights into the proposed FanDuel Pro service.

All seven users successfully signed up for FanDuel Pro and completed the assigned tasks. Despite some challenges encountered in previous testing, these users demonstrated their proficiency as experienced app users.

The consensus was that these features would integrate well into the existing app, enhancing the overall user experience for those that are interested.

Reflection

I really enjoyed working on this project, especially because it combines two of my ideal industries: Sports and Finance. Creating a feature in an existing sports betting app allowed me to engage with users who use the app regularly, collecting their feedback to enhance the product.

Designing within the style guide of an established company sped up the interface-building process. I was able to recreate the FanDuel app in Figma and start building the service.

The project had challenges that required a lot of critical thinking and problem-solving. Determining which features would justify a subscription fee and finding the price point required research, considering both customer acceptance and business profitability.

The idea of this case study was to generate revenue despite industry volatility. I believe that offering in-depth information to the betting industry provides significant value to customers without compromising the business's perspective. Why not offer this information through FanDuel, considering it's already accessible to gamblers elsewhere?

Thank you for taking the time to read my case study!