PlayVS
PlayVS.com is North America's leading amateur esports platform, connecting thousands of schools where students compete in popular esports titles. Through a blend of traditional sports structure and esports excitement, we empower students to build critical life and career skills, paving the way for the future of competitive gaming.
Redesigning the Match Day Experience
Overview
As the lead designer for the Matches Team at PlayVS, I focused on improving the match day experience for coaches and students at participating high schools and middle schools. The project revolved around the Match Assistant, a comprehensive redesign of the match lobby to reduce forfeits, decrease support tickets, and increase check-ins. These changes addressed critical pain points, making match day smoother, more intuitive, and enjoyable for everyone involved.
The Challenge
The original match lobby was cumbersome and disjointed, forcing coaches to juggle multiple tools and platforms to manage matches. Coaches had to:
Use an external check-in feature before starting matches.
Navigate separate tools for team management, match schedules, and score reporting.
Rely on external communication methods like email, SMS, and Discord to coordinate with opposing coaches.
Manage multiple matches and teams, often leading to confusion, delays, and forfeits.
These inefficiencies frustrated users, resulted in high forfeiture rates, and generated a significant number of support tickets. Worse, the poor experience discouraged schools from returning for subsequent seasons.
My Role
As the primary designer for Match Assistant and its supporting features, I led the end-to-end design process:
User Research: Guided our UX researcher to conduct usability testing, card sorting, and affinity mapping to validate designs and gather insights.
Workshops & Collaboration: Ran workshops with cross-functional teams to align on goals and user needs. Worked closely with publishers to adhere to brand guidelines.
Prototyping & Testing: Designed and tested mobile-first prototypes to ensure the platform was intuitive and functional across devices.
Design System Contributions: Leveraged and expanded the design system by contributing over a dozen reusable components that other teams could implement.
Iterative Improvements: Conducted frequent health checks to ensure continuous iteration and the addition of thoughtful, impactful features.
Leadership: Delegated tasks within the design team, mentored junior designers, and collaborated with stakeholders across the organization to deliver a cohesive vision.
The Solution
The Match Assistant was designed as an all-in-one solution to streamline and centralize the match day experience. The redesigned match lobby was entirely game-agnostic, allowing coaches to manage matches and teams seamlessly. Key features included:
A Wizard-Like Flow: Consolidated check-in, player management, match management, and score reporting into a single, cohesive experience on the same page.
Integrated Match Chat: Enabled coaches to communicate directly within the platform, eliminating the need for external tools like Discord or email.
Improved UI: Simplified navigation and workflows to reduce confusion and friction.
Mobile-First Design: Optimized for quick, on-the-fly match management.
Team Captain Roles: Allowed coaches to delegate responsibilities to players, reducing their workload and fostering leadership skills among students.
Self-Serve Tools: Added resources like game rules, FAQs, and management tools to reduce the reliance on support.
These features were thoughtfully designed to enhance usability, reduce friction, and delight users. Supporting elements, like animations and interactions, were included to celebrate wins, improve sentiment, and provide rewarding experiences.
The Impact
The Match Assistant delivered significant results:
74% Reduction in Forfeits: Streamlined workflows dramatically decreased missed matches.
36% Reduction in Support Tickets: Improved self-serve tools and usability reduced reliance on support teams.
97% Check-Ins in 2024: Up from just 62% in 2023, making the process near frictionless.
1.5 Million Chats in 2024: The integrated chat feature kept communication within the platform, improving engagement and efficiency.
These changes not only improved user satisfaction but also retained more schools season after season. By making the match day experience more intuitive and rewarding, we fostered a sense of accomplishment and connection among users.
Conclusion
The Match Assistant is one of PlayVS's highest-value features. Its game-agnostic design allows it to scale across any title, providing a robust foundation for the platform's future. Through thoughtful design, collaboration, and attention to user needs, this project transformed how coaches and players engage with competitive gaming, ensuring PlayVS continues to lead the way in amateur esports.
Platform Select & Match Reset
Loadouts & Stages
Product Shots
Getting started as a new coach can feel overwhelming, so my team and I put together walkthrough videos for all the key features. They’re here to lend a hand whenever users need extra guidance