| User Experience Designer 2019 – Present Released on iOS and Android Tools used: Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe XD |
Double Down Fort Knox is a player-centric social casino that is loaded with exciting slot games and expansive bonus game features. |
When I joined the team, the application had been released publicly for about a year. I was tasked with finding existing pain points for players and collaborating with game designers to create solutions for those problems, while also contributing to new feature designs.
Pain Points and KPIs
Through playtesting and player feedback, I quickly discovered that new-player onboarding and long animations that did not respect players’ time were two of the most apparent pain points. New players were barraged with pop-ups and notifications for unrelated portions of the application without context. Our new user retention metrics reflected this pain point and became of immediate interest.
Internally, we also had specific metrics that we sought to improve. We wanted to increase player engagement and spin count, and enhance the purchasing flow by utilizing non-typical casino features. Throughout the process of identifying potential improvements and enhancements, one of the highest priorities was that the new functionalities would allow for the application to stand out from its competition.
Research and Competitive Analysis
A critical step in our process was to learn how our application stacked up against our competitors and to evaluate how they solved similar problems.
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Slotomania
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Jackpot Party
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Personas and Player Studies
Using analytics, player forums, and player surveys, we created a user profile of the average social casino player.
- Mostly Female (60%)
- Ages 25-34 (43%), 35-44 (26%)
- Married (65%)
- Primarily plays at home (86%)
- Looking for a relaxing way to kill time
- Often plays while doing something else
Mapping Player Flows and Wireframing
Keeping the players in mind, we took a holistic approach to design the features and onboarding process. Many of the application features interact with other portions of the application, and it was paramount to introduce the players to these features at the right time and with appropriate context, without causing information overload
Big Win Results
Improved New-User Experience
To improve player onboarding, I prioritized each of the application’s features. In this case, the highest priority was to introduce new players to a tutorial slot game, which was designed to educate them on the core gameplay. Other features were to be introduced to players as they progressed through the game, but only when there were appropriate context and potential value-add for the player.
Bingo Challenges
Players earn bingo daub calls for completing three daily challenges in a given day. Players can achieve a bingo (five daubs in a row) or blackout (fill the whole board) by collecting these daubs for larger rewards.
Changing What’s “In-Store”
While the first version of the in-app store served its general-purpose allowing players to purchase credits and scratcher tickets, it was underutilized by players. By moving our daily wheel bonus and vault bonuses to the store, players now had a one-stop-shop to collect all of their daily bonuses. This redesign also allowed us to show players specials or limited-time deals being offered, and rather than relying on pop-ups.
Boosts
To bring more excitement and controlled volatility to slot games, players can earn boost tokens that can be spent on one of six boosts available to them. The boosts increase slot game payouts by utilizing different aspects of gameplay, which gives players more agency of how they play.
Gallery
Screenshots contain artwork by Andy McCulloch, Brandon Kallmes, Elissa Torgeson, and Erik Chichester
Retrospective
Collaborating with a fantastic team of talented artists, engineers, and game designers, we achieved our initial goals. The changes to the player onboarding have yielded a significant increase in early player retention as well as improved understanding of the application, and the new features have had a positive impact on daily active users, spin counts, and revenue.
During the process, I learned a lot about breaking information down into smaller, easier-to-digest portions while respecting players’ time. The timing of notifications and animations proved to be vital in the execution.
We are continuing to develop exciting features and games for DoubleDown Fort Knox regularly. Check back for more!