B2C Casino Redesign
Increasing Player Trust & Retention for a £1M Platform
End-to-end redesign project, within the constraints of a regulated, high-value platform.
Pinnacle Sports is an online gambling and gaming platform.
The Casino Redesign project aimed to modernize the online casino experience as part of a larger company-wide website overhaul.
TEAM: UX designer, UI designer, Product manager, Engineering team, Casino manager.
The Project
Tasked with leading the redesign, I worked closely with the UX and UI teams as well as key stakeholders including the casino manager, project manager, and product team. Entering a domain that was new to me, I approached the challenge with curiosity - using user research, competitor analysis, and player observation to deeply understand the online gambling landscape.
This groundwork allowed me to identify four core opportunity areas: game discovery, social visibility, seamless gameplay, and relevant content recommendations - all of which shaped the strategic direction of the redesign.
↑ Mobile web experience.
Process
As the UX lead, I guided the project from initial discovery through to validated, high-fidelity prototypes. I began with extensive desk research and competitor analysis, followed by developing proto-personas and conducting user interviews to capture authentic user behaviors and motivations.
To ideate solutions, I facilitated design studio workshops (Crazy 8s) with stakeholders, integrating multiple perspectives into creative problem-solving. I collaborated closely with the casino manager to refine the information architecture, using card sorting exercises to optimize the game catalog and hierarchy.
Once key user flows were mapped, I created mid-fidelity prototypes in Sketch and InVision, running multiple rounds of usability testing to validate and iterate on core interactions - such as game tiles, money transfer, and gameplay navigation. As fidelity increased, I worked with the UI team to bring designs to life in Principle and continued iterative testing to refine details like micro-animations and visual hierarchy.
↑ Card sorting, affinity mapping, paper prototypes, personas
Outcomes & Impact
Over 14 iterations, the casino design evolved into an experience that was fast, engaging, and easy to navigate - appealing to both new and returning players. The final product introduced streamlined search and navigation, dynamic carousels for seamless gameplay, live indicators showing real-time wins, and contextual game recommendations driven by tags. These improvements enhanced discoverability, encouraged continued play, and supported personalization over time.
Beyond delivering a more polished and efficient user experience, the project showcased the power of user-centered design to drive innovation in an unfamiliar and highly regulated domain - demonstrating that empathy, research, and iteration can outmatch subject-matter expertise alone.
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