PROJECT OVERVIEW

DISCOVERY

• Desktop, tablet and mobile sites were all separate designs and experiences – many different products for the same purpose – very confusing
• Too many levels within navigation structure
• Taxonomy was random and disorganised, labels missing resulting in actions with dead paths and journey failures
• Game filters in some sections worked well to reduce time in searching for games
• Search function not working correctly

COMPETITOR REVIEW

We carried out a competitor review in order to better understand the market space and our competition within it. It exposed how competitors within this industry were all following very similar patterns in marketing, design and UX. We also reviewed our existing brand and marketing research on competitor positioning to gain an idea of the characteristics of each brand

• Many gaming sites looked and behaved very similarly
• Most competitors had the same games
• Interface look and feel had some brand differences but followed similar designs
• Lack of innovation from major competitors, Lacked personalisation
• Promotion heavy

UNDERSTANDING USERS

Within the team we had a very good understanding of who our users were but needed to better understand behaviours, habits and what they want. We structured the user research with the following methods:

• 

  Demographics & Interests

• 
• 

  Creating Personas

• 

  Data lead Personas

• 

  Personas

• 

  Stakeholder Workshops

Discovery Stage Findings

Objectives & Solutions

• Build a responsive with intuitive and user goal focused experience across all resolutions
• Build relationships with new customers though new design and UX
• Increase Gala Casino brand engagement and recognition through unique experience design
• More Promotions, more relevant promos, arriving at the right time when playing particular games (personalisation)
• Minimise cognitive load
• Add personalistaion elements
• Simplify the interface and journeys
• Reduce game search time – offer favourites, saved games etc
• Build a experience that has a story and creates recall

DESIGN

As we had agreed on target screen sizes for design purposes, i thought it was time to start designing the framework foundation via sketches and detailed wireframes. I designed the UX wireframes for the whole site with responsive interpretations for each screen. These wires were to be sent to developers with detailed documentation of navigation, functions, UX patterns, interactions etc for reference during their development process.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

Grid System:

Like all successful design and development projects the foundation of our design is based on a grid system. Grids allow clarity, order, efficiency and consistency. For our UX and UI we based the site on a 12-column grid system which has allowed us to tackle design, usability and consistency with any responsive issues.

Navigation:

The original desktop navigation would be overhauled as it lacked clarity and added confusion. The main site navigation would be updated to a new design with left and right side split. The left side wiill contain all of the main site sections. The right side contains login, join now and when logged in would contain Cashier, Balance, My Account and Quick Deposit.

Cards & Tiles System:

We wanted to apply a content first approach and present information in a coherent and clear order. I decided to use a card and tile system to display images, text, games etc. Cards and tiles are perfect for mobile devices as well and with the future push on mobile device gaming we wanted to future proof a system. Cards divide content into meaningful sections which occupies less screen space as well as allowing users to scan and digest information easier.

Tab Sections:

Many sections contain sub sections. Rather than create a separate page for each sub-section we implemented tabbing. A page can lead with a banner and below would follow tabbed headers for all the subsections. This allows the user with constant access to the main navigation and sub navigations, as they will be visible at all times. Tabs also are easy to select, take up little space and explain where a user is as well as where they can go. Tabbing also allows us to connect a filter system (where required) to the associated active tab in an intuitive method for the user.

At mobile resolutions the tabs will automatically convert to an accordion menu system. This will provide the user with full visibility of menu items on a small screen size.

Pins:

The “Pin” feature allow users to “Pin” games and promos which then appear on the homepage on a “Pins Board”. Users have constant access to their pinned items on the homepage and all top level sections

My Account Deposit:

From my e-commerce experience and our user research I found users wanted complete focus when it came to handling money i.e. paying,  depositing and withdrawing. Coupled with a easy to use experience our My Account had to provide users with a sense of security. I reworked the My acount section to match the tried and tested Gala Bingo structure. The new My account section simplifies each section and has its own dedicated space without any distraction from other parts of the site.

RESULTS

The Results Were Amazing!

20 weeks after launch we had increasingly promising results from our responsive website.