Overview

ESPN Bet, currently holding the rank of #9 on the App Store, is a sports betting app where users can wager on live sporting events to win real money. As the lead designer for the Featured Bets carousel, I played a pivotal role in crafting an engaging feature that highlights attractive bets strategically within the app. This initiative has successfully led to higher bet conversion rates and new user retention rates, contributing positively to the overall business performance.

Context

Featured Bets are special bets curated by the sportsbook that are tied to popular events or tournaments, with the most common being Parlays and Odds Boosts. Parlays are a combined bet consisting of 2 or more single bets, providing a chance for an exponentially higher payout. Odds Boosts are bets where the sportsbook temporarily increases the odds of a bet, providing a similar function to putting a retail item on sale.

Usage data from our app indicates first time users who place these types of bets as their first few are up to 28% more likely to place at least 10 additional bets. Furthermore, a recent survey of existing users found that 73% wanted to see Featured Bets offered on the homepage, as prior to this feature, Featured Bets were scattered around the app rather than collected in a single place.

Solution

A primary design objective for the cards in the carousel was to visually capture user attention, which was achieved by leaning heavily into team branding and fan ethos. Additionally, the design aimed to boost Featured Bet conversion rates with the inclusion of supplementary bet details and clear CTAs, compelling users to place bets with confidence.

Results

Within the first week following the feature release, there was an impressive 4x increase in Featured Bets placed. Notably, 60% of the promoted bets selected by users were successfully converted into placed bets. Furthermore, a promising 9.8% of new users engaged with an Featured Bet within their initial 10 bets, indicating a positive trend for user retention.

Next Steps

While the data from this feature is encouraging, there are still avenues of improvement for future iterations. One such opportunity could be enhancing user engagement by tailoring specific bet types to individual users based on their usage behavior, such as showing bets related to users' favorite teams. This personalized approach could contribute to a more tailored and enriched betting experience, further optimizing the impact of the feature.