Summary
‍As Product Manager and Creative Director, I designed a mobile app to streamline local e-gaming tournaments for gamers, organizers, merchants, and fans. We launched the initial version, receiving actionable feedback. Ongoing research highlighted that the app felt inactive due to a limited number of tournaments and that the bracketing system should be prioritized. Additionally, personalizing gamer profiles was crucial for engagement. The project is ongoing, with continued user testing guiding further enhancements.

Leveling Up Our Strategy: Break into a Market with Industry Giant Pioneers

E-gaming is rapidly expanding and remains young, with major players making significant waves but not yet capturing the entire market. To effectively enter this dynamic field, we need to leverage a grassroots approach that focuses on innovative and user-centric design. Our goal is to differentiate ourselves by offering a superior experience tailored to our audience's needs. By emphasizing community-driven features and enhancing user engagement, we aim to carve out a unique position and provide a compelling alternative to the dominant players, setting the stage for growth and market presence.
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My Role
As both Product Manager and Creative Director, I was responsible for helping to define the product vision, overseeing design, and guiding the development process from concept to completion. I led team meetings, aligning developers, designers, and stakeholders on the project’s goals. I also worked closely with the design team to create wireframes, mockups, testing, and user flows while ensuring the visual design reflected the energy of competitive gaming.
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Phase One: Research and Ideation
‍In the first phase, we dove into market research, identifying the shortcomings of existing tournament platforms. After interviews with gamers, venue owners, and organizers, we pinpointed key user frustrations, such as difficult registration processes and disjointed communication tools.
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‍Phase Two: Wireframes and User Flows
‍By the second phase, we developed wireframes and rough user flows. Testing these with a small group helped us refine the app’s navigation and structure. We discovered the need for features like customizable dashboards for organizers, making the app easier to use from both a player and admin perspective.

‍Phase Three: High-Fidelity Prototypes
‍The focus during this phase was on visual design and high-fidelity mockups. I ensured the app’s aesthetic appealed to the gaming community, emphasizing bold graphics and intuitive layouts. We finalized the design language, ensuring consistency and ease of interaction.

‍Phase Four: Usability Testing and Final Adjustments
‍We wrapped up the project by testing the app with a broader audience. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, but we made final adjustments to improve notifications and communication between players and organizers.

‍Current Status
‍Through ongoing user research, I identified a need to shift our strategy to address three key problems.

First, I realized that starting with a low number of tournaments on the system created a poor user experience. To put it simply, users felt like they had walked into a massive store with empty shelves, leading to disappointment and a sense of inactivity. This lack of viewing immediate content gave the app a stagnant feel, which was detrimental to engagement. I call this a dormant experience.

Second, I learned that our focus should shift toward positioning the bracketing system as the app's standout feature. This tool, designed to simplify tournament management, had the potential to drive increased usage and differentiate our app from competitors. By leading with bracketing as the premiere function, we could draw in more organizers and gamers alike. Basically, we want our bracketing system to be the premiere choice amongst the other available tools. This will continually bring our audience back and we can slowly expose them to new features we have to offer that define the entire ecosystem we want to build.

Lastly, I recognized the importance of making the experience more personal. Gamers want to build their online personas, and we needed to create features that allow them to showcase their identities in a fun, dynamic, and visually appealing way. By focusing on personal engagement, we could transform the app into a platform for gamers to not only compete but also express themselves.

‍IT'S STILL GAME ON!