SMART REWARDS PROGRAM

A UX DESIGN CASE STUDY

Company/CLient

Entain is a global sports betting, gaming, and interactive entertainment company operating across multiple brands and markets, including Ladbrokes, Coral, Bwin, Foxy Bingo, Galabingo, BetMGM, and Betboo

PROJECT BRIEF

THE CHALLENGE

Data analysis revealed that 55% of users did not opt-in to activate their smart rewards, and 30% who opted in did not use their rewards. This indicated both a lack of awareness or motivation to engage with the rewards program and significant missed opportunity to increase user engagement and loyalty.

MY ROLE

As the UX designer, my task was to identify barriers to activation and usage of the Smart Rewards feature and design a solution that would improve opt-ins and engagement.

KICKOFF

During the project kickoff, I discussed the project goals, timelines, and requirements with the project team. Based on the problem, we formulated a mission statement: "How can we improve user engagement with the Smart Rewards program?"

RESEARCH

To gain a deeper understanding of the user’s pain points and needs, I aimed to empathize with them and decided to adopt three research methodologies.

SURVEYS

To understand the barriers preventing users from opting into or redeeming their rewards, I worked with the customer support team to create targeted surveys for two key user segments: those who did not opt into the program and those who opted in but did not redeem their rewards. The goal was to empathize with the users, identify their pain points, and uncover opportunities for improvement.

The surveys were distributed to a representative sample of users from both segments, and the findings revealed several critical insights:

  1. Lack of Awareness: Many users were unaware of the Smart Rewards program and its benefits, suggesting gaps in communication and visibility.
  2. Cumbersome Navigation: Users reported that the process of engaging with the program was tedious, as they had to navigate to the promo page and then to the detailed promotion page to track their progress. This added friction discouraged participation.
  3. Limited Appeal: Some users indicated that the program lacked sufficient appeal or value to motivate them to opt in or redeem rewards, suggesting that the perceived benefits were not compelling enough.

These insights provided a clear direction for addressing user pain points.

USABILITY TEST

I conducted usability tests to identify friction points in the opt-in and rewards redemption process. During these tests, participants were assigned specific tasks, including:

  1. Finding the Smart Rewards program.
  2. Opting into the program.
  3. Tracking their progress.
  4. Redeeming rewards.

To gather qualitative insights, we asked participants questions after completing the tasks, such as:

  • How easy was it to find the program?
  • Would you recommend the program to others?
  • Would you use it again?
  • How do you think the program could be improved?

Findings:
The testing revealed key areas for improvement. Participants reported that the program was difficult to locate via the homepage, creating a barrier to initial engagement. These findings highlighted the need to improve the program’s visibility and simplify access, particularly during the discovery and opt-in stages.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS​

To identify best practices and opportunities for improvement, I conducted a competitive analysis of how both betting and non-betting platforms display their promotion or loyalty programs. This analysis included direct competitors such as SkyBet and PaddyPower, as well as non-betting platforms known for their effective loyalty programs.

Key Insights

  • Visibility and Accessibility: Competitors prominently display promotions and loyalty programs on their homepages or dashboards, making them easy for users to find and engage with.
  • Streamlined Processes: Successful platforms simplify the opt-in and redemption process, minimizing steps and user effort.
  • Engagement Features: Platforms that actively engage users through notifications, gamification, or personalized recommendations tend to drive higher user participation and retention.
  • Clarity of Value: Clearly communicating the benefits of the program increases user motivation to opt-in and use rewards.

IDEATION

BRAINSTORMING SESSION

As part of the project, I facilitated a brainstorming session with the product team to prioritize user pain points identified during research and collaboratively generate solutions. The session focused on addressing the main challenges and exploring innovative ideas to ensure users could easily find and engage with the Smart Rewards program.

Prioritized Pain Points

  1. Difficulty in Finding the Program: Users struggled to locate the Smart Rewards program on the homepage, reducing awareness and engagement.
  2. Tedious Opt-In Process: The multi-step process discouraged users from opting into the program.
  3. Limited Program Appeal: Users found the rewards unappealing and lacked motivation to participate.
  4. Lack of Progress Tracking: Users had difficulty tracking their rewards progress, which diminished their engagement.
  5. Unclear Communication: Insufficient messaging left many users unaware of the program’s existence and benefits.

Proposed Solutions

  1. Visibility on Homepage: Add a prominently placed icon or widget on the homepage to ensure users can easily locate the program.
  2. Simplified Opt-In Process: Introduce a one-click opt-in button on the homepage or within notifications to reduce friction.
  3. Enhanced Rewards Appeal: Introduce personalized and more attractive incentives, such as discounts or exclusive offers.
  4. Progress Tracker Integration: Embed a visually appealing progress tracker in the user dashboard, showing real-time updates and motivational prompts.
  5. Targeted Communication: Implement personalized emails, push notifications, and in-app messages to increase awareness and clearly explain the program’s benefits.
USER JOURNEY

I created a simple user journey that outlines the steps users take to track their promotion progress seamlessly. This flow shows how users progress from one level to the next,  viewing their rewards at each stage.

Key Points:

  1. Opt-in Process: Users begin by opting into the promotion, with a clear and prominent CTA to initiate the journey.
  2. Tracking Progress: Once opted in, the widget displays the user’s progress in real-time, using visual cues like progress bars to indicate their status.
  3. Rewards: As users advance, they can easily see their earned rewards and the remaining steps needed to achieve further rewards, providing motivation to continue engaging with the promotion.

LOW FIDELITY WIREFRAMES

V1: INITIAL WIREFRAMES

In the first iteration, I focused on creating a skeletal structure for the rewards widget, which included the opt-in process, progress tracking, and reward display. Users could access their Smart Reward options by clicking on the reward icon located in the navigation menu. This action triggered a modal popup where users could opt-in and track their rewards directly without leaving the page.

Challenges Faced

  1. Uncertainty Around Icon Placement: Ensuring the icon was prominently visible without obstructing the user’s view posed a design challenge.
  2. Adaptability Across Markets: Adapting the widget to fit different navigation menus, such as Bwin’s limited navigation space, required careful consideration to maintain usability and consistency.
V2: REFINEMENT AND FEEDBACK

After receiving feedback from the product manager, the second iteration aimed to improve the user journey and mobile usability, ensuring better clarity and navigation.

Key Changes:

  1. Improved visual progress tracking with clearer reward milestones.
  2. Emphasized reward details for better user understanding.
  3. Added engaging award notifications for completed levels.
  4. Refined layout for easier navigation and interaction.
V3: REFINEMENT AND FEEDBACK

The third iteration focused on adapting the widget for multiple markets while ensuring consistency across devices. The design also addressed additional feedback on multi-promotion displays.

Key Changes:

  1. Switched from an icon-based widget to an inline banner for improved visibility.
  2. Enabled progress tracking directly within the widget, eliminating extra clicks.
  3. Enhanced adaptability for different markets with customizable branding.
  4. Made reward details more prominent and easily accessible.

PROTOTYPING

The objective at this stage was to transform the wireframes into high-fidelity prototypes while ensuring the design was adaptable across different markets, maintaining consistent branding and layout. To address the varying needs of these markets, I created multiple versions tailored to their unique requirements.

Additionally, I explored alternative design solutions by incorporating a circular progress tracker as a variation. This allowed us to test both linear and circular progress tracker ideas to determine which design resonated better with users in terms of clarity and engagement.

USER TESTING

To evaluate the effectiveness of the two design variations, I conducted user testing sessions focusing on the circular and linear progress trackers. The objective was to gather feedback on usability, visual appeal, and the overall user experience of the widget.

Key Insights

  1. Preference for Circular Version: The majority of users preferred the circular progress tracker due to its engaging and visually appealing design. They found it easier to understand and track their progress at a glance.
  2. Positive Feedback on Both Solutions: Despite the preference for the circular version, users gave positive feedback on both variations, highlighting their clarity and usability.
  3. Clear Objective: Users understood the purpose of the widget and its role in the rewards program, demonstrating that the design successfully communicated its intent.
  4. Ease of Opt-In: The simplified opt-in process in both variations allowed users to enroll in the program seamlessly, reducing friction.
  5. Attractive Incentives: Users found the incentives offered through the widget appealing and motivating, further enhancing engagement with the program.

OUTCOME, CHALLENGES AND NEXT STEPS

SUCESSFUL OUTCOME

The launch of the Smart Rewards Widget resulted in significant improvements in user engagement and program participation, setting multiple records for the Smart Rewards program. The following highlights showcase the impact of the initiative:

Key Achievements

  1. Increased Opt-Ins:

     – During the first week of launch, 4,781 customers opted into Smart Rewards, marking a 78% week-over-week increase and the highest opt-in count of the year.    In subsequent weeks, 4,043 and 3,565 opt-ins were recorded in the next weeks, both significantly higher than the pre-launch weekly average of 1,250 opt-ins.

  2. Record Reward Redemption:

    – A record 46,972 customers were rewarded by the Smart Rewards program for 61% of users.

  3. Increased Engagement:

    – 40,131 customers redeemed rewards, representing an 11% increase compared to the 12-week average prior to the widget launch.

CHALLENGES FACED

During the development and implementation of the EDS widget, several challenges emerged:

  1. Limited Widget Positioning:
    Optimizing the widget placement within the restricted space on both desktop and mobile required careful adjustments to ensure accessibility without overwhelming the user interface.
  2. Market Adaptability:
    Customizing the widget to suit various market branding guidelines and layouts while maintaining functionality and consistency posed significant challenges.
  3. Adapting to Different Game Promo Types:
    The widget needed to be flexible enough to handle a variety of game promo types, requiring a design that could be easily adapted without sacrificing clarity or usability.
  4. Developer Constraints:
    Technical limitations restricted some desired features, requiring close collaboration with developers to balance design goals with what could realistically be implemented.
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NEXT STEPS

The next phase is to enhance the Smart Rewards program by implementing multiple rewards tracking within the opt-in and tracker widget. This update will allow users to view and monitor progress for multiple promotions in one place, creating a more seamless and engaging experience. The goal is to boost participation, simplify navigation, and provide a personalized experience tailored to individual user activity.