Breaking UX  Molds for Online Lottery

Delving deep into online lottery dynamics with a user-centric lens, embracing firsthand user insights and the gold standards of UX practices.

2023

In depth interview - usability testing - heuristic evaluation

Challenge:

A leading regional online lottery platform in the Middle East suffered from declining user sign-ups and slow retention rates. Despite the in-house product team identifying potential friction points, they were uncertain if these challenges were the real culprits behind the stagnant conversion metrics. One critical observation was evident: the platform was created as a pre-defined model, without incorporating direct user feedback or any form of research prior to this point. This top-down approach, while efficient, may have overlooked the actual user needs and expectations.

Approach:

Since no prior research was performed for this product, I had to develop a research method that combined both users voices and UX designers expertise. I decided on a two fold research approach:

1. In depth interview; usability test

To explore how the users interact with the product through a task they were asked to complete and gain insights on their behaviors and motivations. 15 existing users and non-users were interviewed remotely to complete 1 lottery ticket purchase task.

2. Heuristic evaluation

To ensure the product follows industry standard design heuristics and best practices of UX design. The evaluation investigated the lottery ticket purchase flow, reviewing the interface against Nielsen Norman’s usability heuristics, to identify potential issues from a user perspective.

My Role:

I was the lead researcher and project manager. My team consisted of 2 user experience designers who supported the user interview and the heuristic evaluation activities in light of a set of criteria that we determined at the beginning of the project.

Outcomes:

The research delivered much needed insights to the product team and the c-level management and investors by:

  • Winning leadership buy-in for a website and app revamp as the current experience corresponded to design molds rather than genuine user needs

  • Shedding the light on the lottery users behaviors for the first time ever, leading to higher user retention and satisfaction

  • Improved brand outlook by highlighting improvements for consistency of the user experience across the desktop and mobile interfaces; following industry standards and latest trends in the field