FanDuel Sportsbook
Designing Odds Boost reward redemption flows, projected to generate $40M
FanDuel Sportsbook is a leading sports betting platform. I had ownership over designing how the Odds Boost reward would work in multiple scenarios — a key growth initiative for Q3 2024 involving complex flows and close cross-functional collaboration.
Timeline
Jun–Aug 2024
Team
PMs, UXR, Content Design, Product Design
Industry
Sportsbetting
Outcomes
$40M in reinvestable funds
Based on commercial projections
80% satisfaction rate
On core use case, and 100% user appetite for future use case
8 weeks
Designed and delivered MVP, research findings, and recommendations in 8 weeks
Process
To start, I led a team meeting to align on scope, designed 4 high-fidelity prototypes, and tested those with 10 participants via UserTesting.com. I sought frequent feedback from and collaborated with PMs, UXR, content design, and product design. I iterated based on research findings, and by the end of my internship, validated designs and delivered specs for handoff.
Problem Statement
User
"I want to be rewarded for my loyalty and receive personalized betting options."
Business
"The manual implementation is tedious and we want to increase retention rates"
Thus How Might We…
Scale the Odds Boost across multiple use cases so that it drives engagement and becomes more easy to implement?
Designs & Prototypes
Straight Bet with Auto-Applied Reward
Straight bets on the homepage are the easiest to find– this is the core flow. The bright yellow sign-posting with original odds crossed out highlights the benefit of the Odds Boost reward. Since the boost is already on the button itself, it made sense for it to auto-apply on click.
Several Reward Options on a Nested Page
Another kind of reward would apply to multiple bets in a competition (e.g. MLB, NFL, NBA…etc.) meaning it would appear several times on a nested page. This requires more indicators that guide the user to that page, and further consideration of reducing clutter, should there be too many on a page at once.
Info Modals & Drawers
One variation of the Odds Boost could be restricted between -280 to -240 odds, and another would apply more generally across all MLB "To record a hit". It was important to communicate those restrictions to users, and where they would find the options so they can place bets quickly.
Design Decision
Workshop messaging with content design and make sure users can access them in user testing
Testing Question:
Will users understand how to user the reward and what the reward does?
Complex Parlays & Error Messaging
In early meetings, we defined parlays as out of scope because of the many edge cases they create. However, I had to anticipate users placing parlays–thinking about how/whether to remove the boost if it gets combined in a parlay, if actions need to be disabled, and where error messages make sense. Below
Design Decision
Draft error message and ideate on error message placement.
Testing Question:
Will users understand the why they can't apply the odds boost to a parlay?
User Testing
10 Unmoderated Tests
Bet on sports within the past month
Bet on sports for at least 3 months
Experience with straight bets
4 Prototypes
Core flow with info modal
Two versions of competition level reward with info drawer
Complex flow with parlay error and multiple eligible rewards
Iterations and Prototypes
Core flows for auto-applied straight bets on homepage and competition pages
Straight bet on homepage
Straightforward, less friction
Straight bets on competition pages
PMs concern of too many yellow boxes being overwhelming
Test Result: Core Flow Validated
No errors, confusion, or misclicks. 8/10 users said they preferred auto-apply instead of applying it themselves.
Displaying multiple Odds Boost options
Version A Rationale
Straightforward, less friction
Version B Rationale
Reduces potentially overwhelming yellow boxes
Final Design
Users wanted the reward description (helpful context) but preferred auto-application (reduced friction). I kept the descriptive text and removed the toggle, which also opened up character limits for clearer messaging.
Test Result: Mixed Preferences
Version A saves a step
Version B details reward restrictions
Design Decision: Combine Both
Default state is toggled "on"
Show restrictions in detail
Error Handling for Out of Scope Use Cases
Iterations
Iteration 1
Disables the bet completely. Adds confusion because it shows it applied but asks user to remove.
Iteration 2
Clearer signal of where the error is, but adds friction and breaks current patterns.
Iteration 3
Removes the reward one step earlier, reducing friction and development complexity
Iteration 4
Specific wording signals future parlay availability; link provides guidance and prevents drop-off
Final Design
Test Result: Varied Interpretations
Tried to place parlay despite the error message saying they could only place straights
Tried to remove the ineligible leg
Design Decision: Continue in Phase 2
Parlay use cases are complex and will take more time to develop, making it a better fit for the next phase
Developer Handoff
After incorporating research findings into the designs, I prepared specifications so developers could understand interactions and build it out.
Wrap-up
Balance business and user goals: This project is a great example of designing at the intersection of user and business goals. On the surface, it's a more engaging, rewarding experience for users — but underneath, the initiative was driven by business needs: retention, scalability, and revenue.
Complex workflows: What I took from this project applies beyond sports betting — the core work was about reasoning through complex journeys, mapping every state change on a screen, and thinking through edge cases before they became problems. I enjoyed the product thinking it required — less about how it looks, more about whether the logic holds.
A note from my manager:
