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501 Fun Case Study
Designing game UI systems and social replay experiences
Overview
I led the creation of the 501 Fun Player Profile, aligning product, engineering, and research to centralize game management. Using customer insights, we prioritized transparency, simplified entry points, and introduced gamification to boost engagement. I collaborated with cross-functional leaders to integrate the initiative with the Sampling Program, ensuring scalability and driving customer retention.
Goals:
Create polished game UI systems by defining clear flows, visual systems, and motion-ready assets for developers.
Improve player engagement by redesigning social replay web experiences for venues and players.
Support accurate implementation by collaborating closely with developers across UI details and interaction behavior.
Create reusable game assets by designing interfaces, environments, logos, and animation-ready components.
Role
Responsibilities
Collaborators
Timeline
Product challenge
Review submissions had a 1% conversion rate, well below the 5% industry benchmark due to low volume.
Social replay flows needed clearer usability and a stronger path for player engagement.
Business Need
Improve game and replay experiences through clearer flows, stronger visual identity, and implementation-ready UI.
User problem
Players and venues needed replay and game interfaces that felt intuitive, expressive, and easy to use.
Without a way to track submissions, users felt unmotivated, reducing engagement and game volume.
User Need
A clear, engaging interface experience across games, replay pages, and interactive touchpoints.
problem to solve
Game UI and replay experiences need strong visual clarity, motion support, and developer-ready flows to improve usability and engagement.
quick_reference_all
Research
Game and replay UX game
I gameed product goals, game themes, and venue replay needs to define visual and interaction requirements.
1
motivation
Game interfaces needed to support fast comprehension, feedback, and visual polish.
2
acknowledgement
Players don’t know if their submissions are approved or if they help or influence anyone.
3
Discoverability
Developers needed accurate UI flows and assets for implementation.
Game and replay UX game
motivation
Clear representations of progress and associated benefits motivate users.
Booking.com: Uses levels and rewards to validate user participation.
Duolingo: Uses streaks and badges to encourage consistent engagement.
acknowledgement
Dashboards display earned points or status to validate user contributions.
Facebook Groups: Displays user status and earned interactions.
Google Local Guides: Tracks progression and impact through badges.
Discoverability
Accessible, low-friction entry points improve engagement.
Amazon: Displays game stats and offers a clear path to post plays.
Target: Provides a dedicated tab for easy access to gameable items.
Booking.com
Duolingo
Facebook Groups
Google Local Guides
Amazon
Target
Addressing the user pain points
1
motivation
Recognize player contributions with status.
2
acknowledgement
Display game status and its provided impact.
3
Discoverability
Provide intuitive entry points to submit plays.
How might we
How might we create game and replay interfaces that feel engaging, clear, and implementation-ready?
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Ideation
Developing UI directions
Guided by game themes and player needs, I created UI directions, motion-ready assets, and developer-facing flows for multiple titles and replay experiences.
Mapping the game and replay journey
Guided by these principles, I worked across gameplay and replay touchpoints:
Game UI: Screens, states, and animated components for titles such as Robin Hood, Around the World, and The Vortex.
Dart games: Flow definition and UI collaboration with developers.
Social replay: A redesigned webpage experience for venues and player engagement.
Assets and logos: Visual systems, game assets, and brand elements for title-specific experiences.
Motion: Animation support using After Effects and Rive.
Dashboard
needs plays
awaiting approval
published
all badges
badge details
group
developer collaboration
Aligning design and implementation
I collaborated with developers to ensure visual decisions, flows, and animation-ready assets translated accurately into the product.
Methodologies used
We explored how to merge the Player Profile and Sampling Program into one cohesive experience.
With Jen Luong, our UX Research partner, we used a rapid and iterative testing approach:
Quick Unmoderated Testing: Comparing badges vs. points frameworks.
Traditional RITE Testing: Six in-depth interviews to refine concepts.
Fast-Follow Testing: Three unmoderated sessions for quick validation.
Final Evaluation: Six unmoderated sessions to confirm the final direction.
Determining a framework
We tested two frameworks to identify user preferences:
Badges
Users earn badges by completing tasks in specific categories.
Points
Users earn points for plays, progressing through defined levels.
natural behavior
"Is there a reason why there are so many badges? Point is more about gameing the way you want to and earning that way.”
badges are complex
"I would say, I prefer the points. I think the badges are cool, but it doesn't necessarily give me as much value, and I think that at this point it becomes a little bit too complex."
Status is easily understood
"It motivates me more to be called a Gold Player.... what are the benefits of a badge?”
A clear preference emerged
Users strongly preferred the points framework for its simplicity and intuitive design. Key reasons included:
Points align with users’ natural behavior.
Points are less complex than badges.
Status levels are intuitive and easy to understand.
This preference shaped the final design, focusing on simplicity and intuitive progression through points.
Insights from the sessions
Three drivers increase the likelihood of users leaving plays:
Ease of Use: Simplify the process to align with natural behavior.
Awareness: Make game goals transparent and top of mind.
Recognition: Highlight user contributions with stats and impact.
checklist
Track_Changes
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published_with_changes
The proposed design
The work resulted in cohesive game UI systems, stronger replay usability, and polished visual assets across multiple product experiences.
Dashboard
points system
how to earn
sampling - level 1
sampling - level 2
user quote
"I'm definitely going to be a hundred percent more willing to leave game if this was in place."
thumb_up
final approval
Presenting to leadership
After final refinements, the design needed to be presented to the Chief Design Officer before being handed off to developers.
An overview of the project
A centralized profile within Account allows users to:
Track submitted plays (pending and posted).
Earn points for contributions.
Gain status and recognition.
See the impact of their feedback.
Gamification elements encouraged repeat engagement and streamlined the game process.
The need for a pivot
A new conflicting project required us to rethink our approach. We needed to find a way to motivate users and provide elevated status without relying on points or levels.
We explored four concepts:
No Status: No status with a focus on overall impact.
Top Player: Status based on game contributions.
Helpful Player: Status based on plays with the highest impact.
Leaderboard: Competitive ranking based on overall activity.
no status
Top player
helpful player
leaderboard
editor_choice
Final Design
The revised flow
The updated flow simplifies the Player Profile, ensuring discoverability and paving the way for future gamification.
BEfore
After
Dashboard header & impact module
The dashboard highlights user contributions with stats like views and votes, fostering a sense of accomplishment.
feel my value
Acknowledges the impact of plays to encourage continued contributions.
why it matters
Users engage more when they see the value and impact of their feedback.
Ready to game carousels
Streamlined navigation reduces friction, encouraging more plays.
Make handoff precise
Provide clear and intuitive entry points for different game categories.
why it matters
Reduces friction by placing game options front and center, guiding users seamlessly into the game flow.
Top categories
Fun insights into user behavior encourage participation and set the stage for future gamification.
make it fun
Users enjoy discovering patterns in their gameing habits.
why it matters
It fosters a deeper sense of investment and encourages repeat engagement.
Ready to game pages
Dedicated pages for game categories simplify the process of rating or writing feedback.
create transparency
Users can view all gameable items and sellers in one place.
why it matters
Reduces friction, making it simple and more appealing for users to game.
All plays
Users have easy access to all their plays in one centralized location.
Highlight thumbs up on plays and provide a "Pending" tab for plays awaiting moderation.
why it matters
Visible impact and transparency motivate users to engage more often and leave better plays.
Player Profile
The profile centralizes activity, offering users clarity, easy access, and a sense of accomplishment through visible contributions.
entry point
Dashboard
dashboard cont.
all incentivized
all items
all sellers
posted plays
pending plays
Communications
Push notifications and email updates ensure users stay engaged by highlighting their game impact, fostering a sense of contribution and trust.
e-mail update
Push notification
app msg
monthly e-mail
monthly app msg
monitoring
impact
The results
The Player Profile exceeded expectations, delivering strong results without promotional campaigns.
The initial plan included an impact module, but to avoid delays, I advocated for launching the core experience first, ensuring a centralized game hub was available before holiday shopping. This allowed us to gather early insights, refine iterations, and drive engagement, validating the need for a centralized game space while enabling future enhancements.
What I learned from this project
recenter
The centralized profile addressed unmet user needs, driving organic engagement and reinforcing the value of simplified access.
handshake
Cross-team collaboration unified the Player Profile and Sampling Program, aligning goals to create cohesive and impactful designs.
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Engaging leadership earlier could have aligned expectations and prevented last-minute pivots, emphasizing stakeholder involvement.
alt_route
Removing features enabled a faster launch, generating impact and valuable data while emphasizing prioritization under time constraints.
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