Senior Product Designer, User Research, Visual Design, Illustration
Bowlero
2022-2023
SUMMARY
Bowlero is the largest owner and operator of bowling centers worldwide, overseeing a wide network of entertainment venues throughout the U.S.
Initially, the MoneyBowl app aimed to enhance the Bowlero bowling experience but faced issues with user engagement. My role was to turn things around by refocusing the app’s feature set to increase engagement and get more customers into their bowling alleys.
THE PROBLEM
I took over an app that used a "game within a game" concept, where users could check in, bowl, and wager with friends. However, this approach wasn’t resonating with the target audience. The app aimed to boost foot traffic, spending, and customer loyalty, but it was falling short of these business goals.
UX RESEARCH
To gather real insights, I first engaged with current users to collect data on their experiences with the app. I initiated this process by designing a comprehensive online survey with over 76 participants, followed by conducting in-person usability studies with 12 individuals who used the app regularly.
CONCLUSIONS
- People didn't feel comfortable adding a credit card to an app they didn't trust.
- It wasn't clear what the point/value of the app was.
- 33% of participants were not interested in betting on their own bowling experience.
- User perceptions of the bowling experience vary, from a low-cost weekend activity to a higher-priced, modern experience.
- Users would appreciate discounts on items, especially food and beverages.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Given that all participants showed interest in winning rewards, but only 33% were inclined to bet money on a bowling game, it became evident that the app should focus on features offering savings through rewards and services, particularly food and beverage incentives.
Providing exclusive perks for members through loyalty programs could foster a sense of exclusivity, encouraging repeat visits.
Finally, it became clear that we needed to better articulate the app’s value proposition and provide clear, concise instructions for basic tasks like entering challenges and connecting to a lane.
DESIGN + IDEATION
Collaboratively, we met and identified the core features that would tackle these challenges. They included:
- Led a design sprint, where we pivoted to a loyalty-based rewards system where users could scan in their QR code and scan receipts to earn points based on spending
- Help set up context on the core app features. Because many users didn’t know what the app was about or next steps
- Introduce the "Points Play" feature for users to earn points by spending, entering, and winning challenges.
- Enable point redemption for items such as food, rental shoes, reservations, and more.
- Developed a comprehensive homepage displaying bowling statistics, app value propositions, and marketing events.
ADDITIONAL TESTING
Moving forward I made lo-fidelity mockups of these new features and did a 2nd round of testing with 8 users of the app to get additional feedback. Some of the key take aways were:
- People wanted to see their historical bowling scores along with high score
- Earning points for challenges as well as spending in the center
- Giving away a free reward right away would help users see the value of the app quickly
- The app should be more vibrant that reflected the brand at each center.
- Redemption of rewards should be easy and immediate.
HOMEPAGE
During user interviews, we discovered that users wanted to see game stats and have a place for more context, as well as receive important, timely messages about promotions and the core features of the app. Instead of starting with a challenge screen, I introduced a homepage that reminds users of the app's value propositions every time they log in.
This initial messaging card was contextual, changing based on user behavior, and introduced a marketing channel to communicate directly with our users.
CHALLENGES
The next challenge was to create engaging non-monetary challenges that would engage our users. We received feedback that some of our current challenges were too difficult, so we focused on a series of challenges that were easy to obtain and gave a larger payout. Hooking users with an easy-to-get reward on the first install was essential to getting dedicated users. I also took the time to update the challenge art.
REWARDS
Our research highlighted a preference for bowling-related rewards, particularly those that help reduce users' bills. To ensure consistency across all Bowlero locations, we conducted a comprehensive inventory of available food, arcade options, and features, selecting items common to all venues. Our priority was to offer rewards with minimal or no cost to the company.
Upon accumulating sufficient points, users can easily redeem them for rewards. We provide a barcode for redemption, allowing seamless integration with each location's POS system. To encourage prompt visits, we've included an expiration date.
RESULTS
In six months, we transformed the app from a platform for betting against friends while bowling into a full-fledged loyalty app that effectively brought customers back through successful gamification and targeted push notifications.
We also shipped many behind the scene features like Improved onboarding, Refer a friend feature, a new reward widget, and improved stats on the homepage.
- Grew user base from 40k to 355k in less than a year with a 4.7-star rating.
- After pivot from challenges to the loyatly feature was rolled out app churn was reduced by 19% down from 38%
- We also created and maintained comprehensive design system in Figma that streamlined design and production.
- Retargeting push campaigns, supported by location data, effectively reengaged disengaged users and brought them back to Bowlero's locations.
- We built a admin console to enable push notifications that could be segmented by engagement, location, and time.
- We also were sure to address usability concerns by implementing font scaling across the app. This was especially important because many locations were low light conditions.
“As someone who takes bowling seriously, this app makes it easy to keep track of my scores and now I can earn rewards for something I love doing. Bowling's a total win-win for me now!”
-MONEYBOWL USER
