my role

This PokerStars case study covers four years of engagement between our team, the client and their product. Throughout this time as Design Lead, I owned the planning, UX and delivery on multiple PokerStars projects. These projects required extensive research, iteration and collaboration to enhance user engagement and retention while reshaping an improved digital poker experience.

Project 1: Onboarding

We gasped at the stats, only a quarter of those who attempted to sign up to PokerStars were able to start their first game. It was more shocking to realize the percentage of players who were able to keep up, stay engaged and have a positive experience. The combination of usability testing and a Heuristic Evaluation of the current sign-up process, we highlighted key areas of improvement. To add further incentive, this onboarding project was aimed to providing the winning experience from the beginning.

I took a deeper look into user engagement and what users may experience before even thinking about signing up. A major breakthrough was when I convinced PS to reward players with real money after signup in an interactive tutorial where the goal was to quickly introduce the excitement of playing and winning.

The signup process was encouraging and seamless. In-game tutorials introduced the product in a sensible and engaging way. The redesigned onboarding led players to experience the excitement of winning and were quickly rewarded.

• Research and Competitive Analysis
• Heuristic Evaluation
• Whiteboarding & Ideation
• Customer Canvas & Journey
• Wireframes, Motion Demos & High Fidelity Mockups
• Documentation and Collaboration
• Weekly Client Presentations

Project 2: Table Re-Design

After onboarding, the focus shifted to the in-game experience. Players were introduced to table play in interactive tutorials and the goal was to provide seamless interaction and make players aware of the current gameplay.

During user studies, even those familiar with poker found themselves lost in play. The UI and audio created confusion and lack of understanding. Players felt pressured by the interface and disconnected from the game. We identified the pain points of the table experience and also noted areas which can be improved. Additionally, PS also wanted players to be able to use the app with one hand.

After collecting more research from PS, their users and competitors, we took the table design and re-defined the visual hierarchy. It was a fun process exploring many different layouts and gameplay ui through detailed wireframes. Building on the wireframes, we created motion demos for many specific in-game situations to show how gameplay can be improved by animations. For ease of use, we switched from landscape to portrait orientation and explored ways of swapping between both. Single-finger gestures were also incorporated for player actions.

• User Journey, Customer Canvas & Value Proposition
• Competitive Analysis, User Research & Ideation
• Wireframes: Table layouts, Betting UI & Player area
• High-fidelity Mockups
• Motion Demos
• Weekly Client Presentations

Project 3: Poker Dojo

In poker, skilled players are able to spot novices and there was an opportunity to educate new players so they can increase their chance of winning. As part of a successful RFP, we outlined our ability to design and develop an app with several mini games that focuses on different aspects of poker. To gauge the product’s success, we started with a Proof of Concept—an alpha, that was used in testing. The positive results led to us defining our three games: Grid Poker, Strongest Hand and All-In or Fold and naming the app Poker Dojo.

I was heavily involved in the game design while leading UX and visual design. A big highlight was when the art and visual direction was approved. The original PoC’s art direction and title were inspired by money. Once the PoC was approved and the name was to be Poker Dojo, PS didn’t want any visual themes around money, poker or martial arts.

The essence of this app was education and I would dig deeper into this theme, eventually using block toys for inspiration. This translated to using a unique colour and key shape for each of our 3 mini games—making this versatile for the addition of more games. The result is an aesthetically polished app with a visual theme where users could quickly associate each game through use of colour while other visual elements tied all games as a family under Poker Dojo.

• Successful RFP
• Research and Proof of Concept
• Branding & Identity
• Design System
• Game Design
• App and Game User flows
• Wireframes & High-fidelity Mockups
• Documentation, QA & Dev Support
• Weekly Client Presentations & On-site Collaboration

Impact

These solutions gets players in the game faster, adds clarity to the gameplay experience and helps both novice and experienced players improve their skills while making learning fun and rewarding.