Introduction

• Brief: Redesign the dashboard and contest screens for Cover5, an online sports game for casual and die-hard fans.

• Challenge: With more sports, leagues, and users, info overload was killing the fun and making navigation a pain.

• Goals: Make tracking your contests and scores effortless, visual, and fast—especially for fans watching the game live.

Discovery Phase

• Stakeholder interviews: Talked to founders and product managers about scaling pain points.

• Business requirements: Support more sports/leagues, boost engagement, and keep the platform easy to use.

• User needs: Fans want instant feedback, clear contest stats, and a dashboard they can glance at between plays.

Problem Framing

• Problem statement: Users struggled to find key info; dashboards and contest pages were cluttered and hard to scan.

• Success criteria: Users can find their top contests and scores in seconds, with no confusion.

• Constraints & assumptions: Mobile-first, must support live updates, can’t slow down during peak usage.

User Research

• User interviews: Fans shared how they use the site during games (often with one eye on the TV).

• Competitive analysis: Checked out fantasy and sports tracking apps—most prioritized visuals and summaries.

• Market research: Quick, visual data wins over tables and text, especially when fans are multitasking.

Synthesis

• User personas: The “Live Game Multitasker,” the “Stat Junkie,” and the “Casual Contest Player.”

• Journey mapping: From login to checking dashboard, joining contests, and tracking results live.

• Key insights: Users want at-a-glance stats, clear status on contests, and easy access to favorites.

Solution Development

• Information architecture: Streamlined panels—dashboard for overall summary, contest pages for contest-specific stats.

• Wireframes & prototypes: Switched to card-based layouts, prioritized graphs and isotype feedback.

• Visual design system: Borrowed best cues from the Cover5 app—clean, bold visuals and clear navigation.

Testing

• Usability testing: Fans tested new layouts during live games—flagged slow loads and hidden info.

• User feedback: Iterated card layouts, tweaked summary panels, and made everything easier to scan.

• Design iterations: Kept refining based on real-world usage and feedback.

Implementation

• Handoff process: Delivered annotated wireframes and design system to devs.

• Development collaboration: Weekly sprints to ensure live updates and smooth transitions.

• Go-to-market strategy: Rolled out to active users with in-app prompts and a blog post.

Results & Impact

• Metrics & KPIs: Faster info retrieval, more contests joined per user, higher session times.

• User adoption: Fans loved the new visuals and quick stats—more engagement during live games.

• Business impact: Higher retention, more contests played, and positive feedback from both casual and hardcore users.

• Lessons learned: Visuals and clarity matter most—especially for fans who never take their eye off the game.