📱 Bingo Native App: UX Case Study (MVP)
UX Strategy and Process
After years of success at Playtech, we decided our HTML5 bingo product needed a refresh. As a leader in the industry, this was an opportunity to innovate. We started by developing a Native App with plans to later create a responsive web version. I led the process of research, ideation, prototyping, and iteration, translating concepts into tangible solutions that addressed both practical needs and user emotions.
Below you will see the steps I took.
Bingo App
⏱️Time: 2022, 6 months
📱Type: Native App
🧑🏼💻 Role: Information Architecture, Sketches, Wireframes, Prototyping
✏️Tools: Adobe XD, Photoshop, Figma
A Native App That Keeps Bingo Players Entertained and Provides a Feeling of Community.
Context
Playtech is a B2B company that provides bingo products to our licensees. We received feedback that our bingo product felt outdated. In response, we initiated user testing with real users to identify pain points. We also met with customers who conducted focus groups, and gathered insights from chat moderators who interacted with our users. I conducted a user journey analysis, with a particular focus on the mobile ticket-buying experience.
Key issues discovered included:
Small, hard-to-read text
Multiple unnecessary clicks
No clear visibility of the ticket on the purchase screen, leading to user confusion
Lack of checkout confirmation
No notification after ticket purchase
Our goal with Playtech Bingo was to create an app that any user could easily pick up, find bingo games they enjoy, and purchase tickets seamlessly. The platform ensures a safe, user-friendly experience with:
Clear confirmation pop-ups during purchases
Notifications post-purchase
Daily spending limits, allowing users to stay in control of their expenditures
It’s designed to be a fun and social platform where users can enjoy games with friends while feeling secure in their choices.
On the right, you can see the user persona, highlighting common hurdles from usability testing and an emotional chart that reflects the user journey during the ticket purchase process.
Through creating the user persona, I noticed a recurring theme: users highly value the feeling of achievement and satisfaction from winning, while also cherishing the sense of connection with others.
User Persona
User feedback on the current Bingo Client
Emotional Chart while buying tickets on mobile
Challenge
Design an online bingo experience that is easy, engaging, and social, replicating the excitement of a traditional bingo hall while highlighting promotions and giveaways.
Solution
Developed an accessible app featuring a legible font, allowing users to easily buy tickets with clearly sign-posted steps. The app keeps users informed at every stage, provides engaging entertainment, and integrates a chat function to enhance the social experience.
Design Process
🗺️ Site Map with User Flow
I created a detailed site map and user flow, focusing on the most critical aspects of the user experience, such as ticket purchasing and lobby navigation.
🎯 Understand
For this project, based on user testing and focus groups I created a user persona.
I analysed the results from user testing to empathise with and understand the user, I focused on improving the solutions that users pointed out.
I started from the ticket purchaser journey as I knew that was most important. Continued with the lobby flow as it was also essential.
I created user flows to satisfy user needs and goals.
✍️ Sketches and Wireframes
Next, I sketched each screen in the user flow to get a sense of what it would look like. After finalising the sketches, I started working on digital wireframes.
🖼️ Hi Fidelity Wireframes and Prototype
I created high-fidelity wireframes and prototype responding to the challenges that users had with the solutions in hand.
⌘ Flows
At this stage, I created multiple flows. For the MVP, the most important are the pre-game flow, ticket purchasing, gameplay, and the final win animation. I’ve provided an overview of these flows for reference, as going into detail on each would be quite technical. This high-level view offers a clear understanding of the core interactions.
📲 Prototype
I created a prototype illustrating the most essential flow of purchasing a ticket. Knowing how important for our user is the social aspect I also added chat functionality. I also laid the groundwork for the lobby flow allowing users to pick one of the bingo rooms. Interactive prototype on the right 👉
🍿 Finalised MVP Product Video Recording
Video presenting app from the test environment
The user selects the room, purchases tickets, game starts called numbers are marked on the tickets.
👩🏻💻 Next Steps Code and Validate
We are in the process of coding the app while working on additional features such as room branding, pre-buy, side games and a rewards system that would gamify it.
Once the app is in beta version we will have to validate it. At the minimum, I would like to conduct quantitative testing to understand the group behaviour and see if/where the user gets stuck, and find the problems that affect a considerable number of users.
💡 Retrospective Notes for the Future
Looking back, I would like more time dedicated to UX during the first stages of the project. I would prefer to write down all requirements, and then create several prototypes based on wireframes. Conduct A/B Test and only start doing the visuals once the best usability was decided.
Challenges I Encountered
The timeframe was quite ambitious so we needed to push forward and I didn’t have enough time to experiment with options of the solutions I offered.
Avoiding false consensus effect. Remembering to constantly reference the user persona empathising and thinking about what she needs, what she likes. The app is about the user and I should stay away from my personal preference.
Improvements I Want to Make
Spend more time in the initial stages of the project, and create more options for solutions.
Keep the user persona central to every decision, ensuring user needs remain the priority.
What’s next
We plan to enhance the app with additional features such as pre-buy, branded rooms, and an achievement system to further gamify the experience. Despite the challenges, this project has been a valuable learning experience and an enjoyable process.