William Hill Bonusing (Free Bet & Profit Boost) in BetSlip
Project Overview
The primary focus of this project was to augment Bonusing visibility within the Betslip (AKA shopping cart), ensuring that players were informed of their bonusing options before placing a sports bet. William Hill US Sportsbook faced significant hurdles due to restrictive SaaS products in its back-end technology which seriously restricted customer engagement and satisfaction. Chief among them was Bonusing. Initially, the William Hill app lacked the
capability to furnish detailed information to players regarding their accrued Free Bets, Profit Boosts, and other incentives, apart from the Betslip—a feature analogous to a shopping cart. The ability to inform users about full extend of their bonusing option came later as I have helped design build and release back-end products such as Player Account Management (PAM) platform and WH Sportsbook CMS.
My Role / Team
The project team operated within the framework of Agile methodology, common in digital product development. Reporting to the Product Owner and Product Lead, along with input from key stakeholder, the General Manager, our team was structured around Agile principles. Guided by a Product Manager, our multidisciplinary team included front-end and back-end developers, a QA Engineer, a Scrum Master, and myself as the UX Designer.
My role encompassed diverse responsibilities, ranging from conducting competitive analysis, to mapping user flows and presenting a range of design options for the feature's Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Throughout the design phase, I crafted numerous prototypes, spanning from wireframes to fully realized conceptual designs. Additionally, I conducted internal usability testing and provided guidance to the development team leading up to the release.
The Work / Discovery
Throughout the discovery phase, I analyzed how our competitors, DraftKings, FanDuel, Bet MGM, and Pointsbet, communicate accrued bonuses to their users. My investigation revealed a spectrum of approaches, ranging from dedicated web pages explaining bonus options to in-app messaging promptly notifying users of newly acquired Free Bets or Bonus Boosts, complemented by email confirmations.
Additionally, I delved into a non-sports betting product, the Dunkin' Donuts app, which also employs a bonus system. This app rewards users with complimentary drinks for their consistent patronage at Dunkin' Donuts outlets through mobile orders. Points are allocated to each mobile transaction, accruing rewards over time. The discovery provided valuable insights into diverse strategies for bonus communication and engagement.
The Work / Design
Throughout the design phase, I have crafted user flow charts, wireframes, design mockups, and prototypes, encompassing both the wireframing and design mockup stages. I have conceptualized various UI options and conducted internal user testing sessions with several of our sports bettors.
User testing has provided valuable insights, unveiling preferred UI options and highlighting the necessity for certain user flow adjustments. Among the design decisions tested, one has emerged as particularly effective: leveraging iconography to capture users' attention and guide them towards available Bonusing options within the Betslip.
Result
Bonusing within Sportsbook and iCasino space has many challenges as far as both usability for players and implementation constraints for internal operators. With this MVP feature we were able to hit a small milestone of reducing calls and other contacts to our customer support center by 2 percent.
Future projects that allowed Caesars to build and fully own its backend technologies with projects like Player Account Management (PAM) platform and Caesars CMS has allowed Sportsbook and iCasino to enhance Bonusing offering and user satisfaction decreasing Bonusing related Customer Support Canter contacts by 35 percent.