Designing Shared Behaviours
Client
Sky Games / Infinity Works
Overview
In 2017 Sky Bet launched its first CoLab incubator programme, investing in start-ups while also using the same process to explore internal innovation. One of the most promising ideas to emerge was Social Betting — or Group Bets.
Our initial discovery revealed a strong behavioural pattern. Customers were already betting together with friends, either in person or more often through digital channels such as WhatsApp or Messenger. This was not a new behaviour, but one happening outside our ecosystem. We saw an opportunity to simplify that experience, reduce pain points and bring it into the product in a way that felt natural.
Discovery
Through research and testing we confirmed the scale of the behaviour: 30% of our base were already “group betting” in some form. That validation gave confidence that we could design an experience around something customers were already doing, rather than trying to introduce something entirely new.
As lead designer, my role in the discovery phase was to shape how we translated those insights into a tangible product vision. This included competitor analysis, mapping the end-to-end journey, creating low-fidelity concepts for rapid feedback, and validating prototypes with both stakeholders and customers.
Core Responsibilities
As part of a small core team led by the Principal Product Owner, I worked alongside a solutions architect, analyst, product manager and third-party developers (Infinity Works). My role was not just to design, but to act as the direct link between disciplines — translating customer insight into design direction, and design decisions into clear requirements for development.
I led the discovery work, combining research, data and competitor analysis to build journey maps and early concepts that could be tested quickly with both customers and stakeholders. From there I shaped prototypes and presented them internally, gathering feedback that helped refine the product vision.
Throughout delivery, I stayed close to development, providing annotated designs, detailed component breakdowns and interactive prototypes. Daily stand-ups and Slack support ensured questions were answered in real time and that the intent behind design decisions was carried through into the build. By holding that connective role, I helped keep the team aligned and the experience consistent from insight to execution.
Early Progress:
June 2018 first release was launched
Full launch August 2018 via Infinity works
Tech limitations meant we couldn’t sync the wallet.
Progressed without syndication for MVP
Social Reaction:
The first release quickly gained traction and generated buzz within the betting community. The social element, combined with the ability to compare form and share experiences, proved to be a strong driver of engagement. It validated our assumption that gamifying a behaviour people were already doing would encourage them to interact more frequently and stay active longer.
A big part of this success was how the experience connected end-to-end with Sky Sports. Customers were already discovering form, stats and commentary through Sky’s sports content. Group Bets became a natural extension of that journey — allowing users to move seamlessly from following the action with their friends to placing a collective bet together. It meant that the conversations already happening on WhatsApp or around live coverage now had a dedicated product touchpoint.
This validated the assumption that gamifying the experience would increase engagement in the product
Impact/Development Pause
After initial release the product was well received, delivering positive revenue impact, but not meeting all customer needs / expectations:
Commercial impact was positive. Average incremental margin impact of £2.36M on existing customers
Customers active since 1st Jan scored product 7.8 / 10 via feedback / sentiment reports
240,000 users visited Group Bets since 1st Jan, but only 70,000 active since 1st March
Struggled to fulfil all customer requests within 3 month development period
Fun, socialisation and competitiveness are stand out reasons for enjoying the product
Difficulty organising the Bet, lack of markets, lack of form, no syndication were the biggest customer frustrations
Project paused due to lack of reinvestment with a view to pick back up and address pain points and opportunities at a later date.
Phase 2
Since the initial development pause, SBG decided to pick back up the Group Bets initiative in early 2022. It has the potential to be both unique in the Betting industry, but also to provide a standout user experience that becomes wholly relevant to the groups, their communities and conversations.
Part of that is delivering what the customers want:
User form and stats
More markets
Syndicate betting
More sports
Simplified architecture
Create a unique experience
A key psychological driver is community and collaboration
We’re all social animals. We love multi-player games, group activities and gamified experiences
Ecosystem of the product fits with users behaviours
Put the users conversation at the heart of Group Bets, use gamification tools to drive engagement and build that sense of fun, banter etc.
Simplify the user journeys with appropriate level of on boarding and in product support
More deeply integrated in to the Bet and FTP products (and vice versa)