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Ownersbox
A Fantasy Sports App

Overview:

Fantasy sports is a type of online game where participants create virtual teams composed of real-life sports person. Points are awarded based on the actual statistical performance of the players in real-world games. Users compete against each other based on these scores, making strategic decisions to maximize their teams' success.

My Role:

  • Senior UI/UX Designer

Core Team:

  • Myself

  • Developers

  • Founders

Sector:

  • Business to Customer (B2C)

Goal:

Redesign the mobile web, web, and native mobile apps and establish a structured design process. The light mode was planned to be developed in the second phase.

Duration:

8 months

Image by Carlos Muza

IMPACT

Increased
User Base by 26.2%

Improved UI and UX attracted more users to the platform.

Reduced
User Complaints

The improved UI/UX addressed previous pain points, leading to fewer complaints and a smoother user experience.

Higher
User Satisfaction - 96.4%

Existing users expressed greater satisfaction with the updated UI and improved usability.

Improved
Work Culture

Sprint planning brought clarity to tasks, reducing stress and last-minute changes.

Increased Recommendation Rate - 95.2%

More users began recommending the platform to others due to the improved experience.

Reduced Design &
Development Time

The design system streamlined the design & development process, reducing inconsistencies and saving teams time and effort.

Challenges

1. Conflicting Expectations for Design Process

The founders wanted a design process but only if it worked in their favor. They resisted structured workflows that might slow down their ad hoc decision-making, making it difficult to implement industry-standard UX processes effectively.

2. No Previous Designs

The existing apps were developed without the design files. I had to refer to the live website, mobile app, and a few scattered Figma screens to rebuild the designs from scratch.

3. Lack of Design Process

The company had no structured design workflows. The co-founders would directly set up meetings to discuss what they wanted, leading to ad hoc requests, unclear task descriptions, and miscommunications. I was directly taking tasks from the CEO and co-founders, which led to frequent scope changes and a lack of clear prioritization. The founders were initially against implementing a structured design process, believing that processes would slow down work rather than improve efficiency.

4. No Design System

Developers implemented inconsistent styles across the platform. A developer mentioned that there were 83 different shades of blue applied to the same button across different pages.

5. Lack of UI/UX Understanding

Management did not fully grasp UX principles, leading to frequent last-minute changes.

6. Limited Sports Knowledge

Coming from a non-sports background, I had less exposure to fantasy sports, which required additional research to understand user expectations and industry standards.

Solutions & Process

Mentorship & Team Growth

  • A junior UX designer joined the team, and I took on the responsibility of mentoring and guiding him.

  • Provided hands-on training on design best practices, design systems, and workflow efficiency.

  • Helped him navigate the startup environment, ensuring he understood project priorities and how to communicate design decisions effectively.

Image by Kenny Eliason
Image by QArea Inc.
Establishing a Design Process

  • The founders wanted a design process but one that catered to their preferences and immediate needs, rather than a standardized workflow.

  • Introduced Sprint Planning to facilitate structured planning and execution while ensuring flexibility to accommodate founder-driven priorities.

  • Used Jira for task management, ensuring each request had clear descriptions and accountability.

  • Standardized documentation to track design decisions and feedback.

  • Implemented weekly check-ins with the founders to align on priorities, provide updates, and ensure a smoother decision-making process.

  • Addressed concerns from the founders about process slowing down work by demonstrating how structured workflows improved efficiency and reduced unnecessary back-and-forth.

Creating a Design System

  • Developed a comprehensive design system to unify styles, components, and interaction patterns.

  • Standardized colors, typography, and UI components, reducing inconsistencies and development time.

  • Ensured better collaboration between designers and developers by centralizing assets.

Image by Balázs Kétyi
Image by Amélie Mourichon
UI/UX Redesign

  • Conducted UX research to understand user pain points and improve the experience. Performed user testing using UserTesting.com to gather real user feedback and iterate on the designs.

  • Designed the dark mode first, with light mode planned for phase two to enhance user accessibility progressively.

  • Rebuilt the entire UI from scratch using a modern, scalable design approach in Figma.

  • Added designs for new fantasy sports like golf and football, expanding the platform’s offerings and ensuring consistency across different sports.

  • Conducted industry research to bridge the knowledge gap and ensure my designs aligned with fantasy sports user expectations.

Design System Snapshot

A few components of the design system.

Application Screens

Web Application Screens - Please use the slider arrows to navigate between screens.

Mobile Application Screens - Please use the slider arrows to navigate between screens.

Web Page - Dark and Light Mode

Key Learnings

  • Advocating for UX is crucial in startups where design maturity is low.

  • Structured design processes help scale products efficiently, even when initially met with resistance.

  • A strong design system saves time and enhances product consistency.

  • Cross-team collaboration is key to delivering high-quality digital experiences.

  • User testing is essential to validate design decisions and ensure usability.

  • Expanding features thoughtfully ensures a seamless user experience across different game formats.

  • Adaptability is essential—overcoming a lack of industry knowledge through research and testing can lead to effective design solutions.

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