Bet with Mates

Client

Sportsbet

Date

2019 - 2021

Roles

Project Management, Research, Design Lead, QA

Opportunity

Between 2018 and 2019, Sportsbet introduced a social betting feature known as Punters Club, enabling customers to form betting groups with friends, contribute funds, and collectively wager from a shared pool. Despite its popularity, the product had to be discontinued in early 2019 due to platform instability. Following its closure, customers consistently expressed interest in a new social betting platform, prompting Sportsbet to make the decision to develop a more stable alternative. In mid-2019, this led to the creation of Bet With Mates.

Initial Project information

Platforms

This product will be been seamlessly integrated into all Sportsbet platforms.

Technical constraints

The development of this product posed significant technical challenges. Our teams ventured into uncharted territory by implementing new technologies never utilized at Sportsbet before. Many team members acquired expertise in this technology while actively contributing to the product's construction.

Timeline

Initiated in 2019, the project began by assessing the scope and establishing a realistic launch timeline. However, the onset of Covid-19 led to a project pause throughout 2020. Resuming in late 2020, the project picked up momentum again, and a revised timeline was established. With substantial progress made, the product was re-scheduled for launch in May 2021.'

Initial Project Research

After the decommissioning of the Punters club and prior to the establishment of Bet With Mates, we conducted an initial survey. Our objective was to ascertain whether there had been any shifts in customer needs and to identify the essential features customers would desire for the launch of the new platform. Our analysis focused on the pain points experienced in punters clubs and the reasons why customers prefer running their punt clubs online as opposed to offline.

From our survey, we distilled the following key insights:

Short-term betting groups are more attractive to customers than longer-term groups.
Online platforms facilitate easier money transfers, although the topic of money remains a sensitive issue within punt clubs.
Online platforms provide a clearer overview of all members' winnings and losses.
The importance of time in placing bets underscores the need for a simple and quick user interface.

Problems with previous Punters club

What users said about an online vs an offline punters club

Key survey insights

Learnings

Inital scope, timelines, continued research and rough journeys

Exploration of Initial Scope and Principles

After a thorough examination of existing research, we embarked on formulating a foundational Minimum Viable Product (MVP) scope and delved into the initial user journeys. Additionally, we identified design principles that would serve as constant guides throughout the project, ensuring our trajectory remained focused.

Design Goals and Principles for the project

Inital MVP scope

Exploration of Initial Journeys and Concepts

Following the establishment of the MVP scope, we proceeded to dissect the individual journeys, generating ideas and crafting mock-up screens for each path. Our technical team carefully reviewed these journeys, enabling us to formulate timelines for the key phases. These timelines encompassed any additional research requirements, estimated durations based on journey complexity, and considerations for potential technical implications in the development process.

Initial User flows

Example journey breakdown - Creating a group / Joining a group

We began by deconstructing each journey, initiating the process by outlining it on a whiteboard in collaboration with our tech team. Subsequently, we evaluated preliminary wireframe designs and provided constructive feedback. Several rounds of critique preceded the testing phase, during which we sought valuable insights from our customers.

Final Designs

Following the design, testing, and necessary adjustments for each journey, we systematically developed the Bet With Mates product. Our approach involved building out each journey individually, adhering to the timeline.

Several screens from the Bet With Mates mobile app and desktop interfaces

Final Testing

Following the completion of the journeys, we organized a Bet With Mates day for our company. During this event, we invited staff and colleagues to test the products, enabling us to identify any remaining bugs, UI errors, and gather overall feedback. The day was highly successful and has sparked consideration within the company for implementing similar events during future major product releases.