LEGIONFARM
B2C Esports platform
Overview
Legionfarm - is The Best Gaming Coaching Service.
It is a B2C matchmaking platform for professional players that coaches and guides amateur players who are looking to improve their skills.
LF Raised $1.7 million from Y Combinator and TMT Investments.
The company's mission is to monetize Pro-Player's skills by turning their hobbies into real careers.
It is a B2C matchmaking platform for professional players that coaches and guides amateur players who are looking to improve their skills.
LF Raised $1.7 million from Y Combinator and TMT Investments.
The company's mission is to monetize Pro-Player's skills by turning their hobbies into real careers.
Michael Seibel - Y Combinator's CEO
"I think that so far esports and streaming haven't provided enough opportunities for great gamers to quit their jobs and have a career playing video games. I believe LegionFarm will help tens of thousands gamers finally be able to make a living doing the thing they love."
Team:
1 Product Manager
2 UX/UI Designers
1 Backend Developers
2 Front-end web developers
1 Content writer
1 Product Manager
2 UX/UI Designers
1 Backend Developers
2 Front-end web developers
1 Content writer
My Role:
UX/UI Designer
UX/UI Designer
Timeline:
6 months
6 months
Tools & Methods:
Workshop Facilitation, Design Thinking, Wireframing, Rapid Prototyping, Usability Testing, Visual Design, Product Design, Figma
Workshop Facilitation, Design Thinking, Wireframing, Rapid Prototyping, Usability Testing, Visual Design, Product Design, Figma
The problem
Some Pro-Players use specialty bots that automatically accept the orders as soon as they appear on the order boards. The Player's bot accepts several orders simultaneously, then the Player completes them one by one. Because of that, the service was sometimes more than two hours delayed.
Below are some honest reviews from Trustpilot that point out the Client's problem: they wait too long for the game to start.
Below are some honest reviews from Trustpilot that point out the Client's problem: they wait too long for the game to start.
Trustpilot negative reviews:
The pro that eventually did my order was great! The service got 2 stars for the obvious reason. It took over 24 hrs to START my order when I was told it would be finished under 24.
To long waiting and very expensive
EXTREME WAIT TIMES
Twice now I have waited for a pro to be available to play for a total of 4 hours on 2 separate occasions. I hate that I have paid money to load onto a balance I cannot use...
Need better coverage.
Twice now I have waited for a pro to be available to play for a total of 4 hours on 2 separate occasions. I hate that I have paid money to load onto a balance I cannot use...
Need better coverage.
Goal
The goals of the project are:
- To help to fight the scripts (bots)
- To motivate the executors (Pro-Players)
- To improve the quality of communication between Pro-Players and Clients
- To improve SLA* indicators
To achieve the goals, we created a system of rules and responsibilities (SLA*) and rewards and penalties for following or breaking the new rules. This system should foresee and eliminate the possibility of taking multiple orders and delaying the service.
Technically, this task should be easy to implement. It should be testable and easy to change.
*SLA - A service-level agreement defines the level of service you expect from a vendor, laying out the metrics by which service is measured, as well as remedies or penalties should agreed-on service levels not be achieved.
- To help to fight the scripts (bots)
- To motivate the executors (Pro-Players)
- To improve the quality of communication between Pro-Players and Clients
- To improve SLA* indicators
To achieve the goals, we created a system of rules and responsibilities (SLA*) and rewards and penalties for following or breaking the new rules. This system should foresee and eliminate the possibility of taking multiple orders and delaying the service.
Technically, this task should be easy to implement. It should be testable and easy to change.
*SLA - A service-level agreement defines the level of service you expect from a vendor, laying out the metrics by which service is measured, as well as remedies or penalties should agreed-on service levels not be achieved.
SOLUTIONS
Timers
The first solution was implementing timers for Pro-Players and Clients. The timers help to navigate the available time and start new orders in 25 minutes or less. When the time is up, the order returns to the dashboard so another Player could take it.
Learn more
Rating System
Another solution to the problem was creating the Pro-Players rating system. It would allow Clients to see the info rating cards that show the number of completed orders, and the amount of time the Pro-Player has worked on the LFC platform.
The ratings depend on:
The ratings depend on:
- Clients' reviews
- A number of delayed orders
- Amount of orders taken, and other reasons
Learn more
Our hypothesis was that the problem of long wait times could be eliminated completely
Research
First, I had to follow the UX Flows of both a Pro-Player and a Client, so I could understand what steps those two types of users go through.
User Types
There are two types of personas in Legion Farm: Pro-players and Clients. Each of those types of users has a unique experience on the platform, as well as their own problems and tasks to complete. In this task, we worked on communication between Pro-Players and Clients.
We wanted to make sure they could communicate in a constructive and optimistic manner.
We wanted to make sure they could communicate in a constructive and optimistic manner.
UX Flow Before:
This stage of the process was all about the UX Flows of Pro-players and Clients. We saw where the communication was interconnected and where it was lost. We noticed new problems that are described below.
Conclusions
When a Pro-Player opens an order, a chat window appears for a Client and a Pro-Player to exchange the login and start of the game information.
Problems:
All that influences when the Pro-Player starts working on the order.
We also noticed that:
Problems:
- After the Pro-Player opens up the chat window, he/she can access other web pages as well. That way the Pro-Player can get distracted and miss a message from the Client, or forget about the order at all.
- The starting time of the chat is not recorded. Pro-Player does not know how much time passes.
- The time available for the Client to send his/her code is not known as well. The Client can take too much time answering and the Pro-Player might take another order.
All that influences when the Pro-Player starts working on the order.
We also noticed that:
- Unless the Client favors any particular Pro-Players, he/she can't choose a Pro-Player that they want to complete their order.
- After the end of the game, there's no possibility to upsell since all the communication is gone.
Anonymus question
Pro Players were asked how and why they use the Bots. Here are the best answers:
- 1Pro-gamer 1I use it because others use, if you don't adapt, you'll die, 1 year ago, all was good, orders were taken in an honest way, orders enough, I did them gradually and earning but after some time, there are people who take all the orders to themselves and also gradually doing them, not giving the other perspective of the player to do their job, I want to note that on this soil and there is your problem with communication and work about players with clients outside of the area, to have dummy clients if you can solve the problem - (Fucking bots and scripters and a small percentage for the order)
- 2Pro-gamer 2I only used auto-refresh chrome extention because whenever I see a order that match perfectly it always get taked first with no time to response that.
- 3Pro gamer 3I only developed my own notification system. It was telegram bot that gave me all order info as soon as it appeared in shared pool. It also allowed me to claim order using only telegram (without opening site in web browser). This way I could use my time effectively, claiming orders using my phone if I am away from pc. I started working less with you long time ago.
- 4Pro-gamer 4Because using soft is not a privilege, it is a necessity. In the middle of the summer it became impossible to manually accept the orders, they were gone in a matter of seconds. Now the story is repeating itself. Soft allows me to stop refreshing the page every second and just take breaks between the orders instead. Questions for soft still exist: why limit everyone? Let's say I started completing the orders chosen by soft within an hour (command search takes time as well), and the buyer was aware of that and agreed to that. Why are the conditions the same for everyone? If soft has the data about the order completion speed, as well as when the order was accepted, why can't the players that pick 10 orders at a time and ignore their clients be taken care of?
UX Flow After:
This stage was devoted to creation of the UX flow with the solutions that were discussed earlier. Blue marks new pages. Next, we will discuss every solution in detail:
New Solutions:
1. The timer
We introduced a system of timers that helps to stay focused on the task. The timer starts as soon as the match between the Client and the Pro-Players is established: the Client chose the Pro-Player and the Player began the chat.
The timer pauses when the Player is waiting for the login information from the Client, and when the Player is requesting the 2FA code.
If the Player does not begin the session in 20 minutes, the order returns to the New Deals Page.
To avoid orders going back to the New Deals Page, a system of measures was introduced. If the timer goes off, the Player will be obligated to take a test to prove he/she knows and understands the rules.
The timer pauses when the Player is waiting for the login information from the Client, and when the Player is requesting the 2FA code.
If the Player does not begin the session in 20 minutes, the order returns to the New Deals Page.
To avoid orders going back to the New Deals Page, a system of measures was introduced. If the timer goes off, the Player will be obligated to take a test to prove he/she knows and understands the rules.
How does the Timer work?
1 step: Client
The Client places an order that appears on the Order Dashboard. When the order is accepted by a potential Pro-Player, Pro-Player's card appears in the Client's chat with two buttons: "Decline" and "Accept". The Client has 5 minutes to decide. There can be several cards of different Players in the chat.
2 step: Pro-player
Simultaneously, when the Pro-Player has requested an order, he/she sees a popped-up timer and waits for the Client to approve the order.
3 step: Pro-player
After the Client has approved the card, Pro-Player joins the chat page. On top of it there's a timer for 20:00 min, and the countdown begins. The Player hits the button 'Start Conversation'. Pressing it automatically sends a full message with a password & login request.
4 step: Pro-player
If the Player tries to move to another page, a pop-up window will come up with the remainder of the time with no possibility to click on anything. The pop-up just follows the Player.
5 step: Pro-player
When the Player sends the request for login & password, the timer is paused.
6 step: Pro-player
When the Player has received the password and login information from the Client, he/she might also need the 2FA code to begin the game. The Player sends a request for the code and while he/she is waiting for the reply, the timer is paused.
UX FLOW DESKTOP:
UX FLOW MOBILE
Client:
Pro-player:
2. The rating system
The rating system was introduced to reward and help Pro-Players follow new rules, for example:
- The better the Player follows the new SLA, the higher rating he/she receives. That means more Clients and more earnings.
- "Golden cards" and First Priority Button are introduced.
This is what influences the ratings:
- How well the Player respects the timer boundariesWhen the order is accepted, the Player sees the timer countdown. The rating increases when the Player starts the game on time and does not lose orders.
- Client's ratings after the order is completedPositive feedback from Clients gives higher ratings to a Player.
- Amount of experience with the platformMore experience with the platform leads to higher ratings
- How accurate the time estimation for order completion was doneBefore requesting an order, the Pro-Player answers a question: "How long it will take to complete the entire order?" It usually takes 2-4 hours. The more exact the estimates are - the higher the rating.
How does a Client choose the Pro-Player for a job?
Client's decision depends on the Player's rating, time frame offered, and his/her experience. They can see this information on the Pro-players cards in the chat.
First priority card
Gold cards (or First Priority cards) stand out with their color. They appear in the chat along with all the other cards, but since they are different, Clients tend to choose them. This is a way for the platform to help and promote their best Pro-Players.
How do I receive a gold card?
A new "First Priority" button appeared in the Pro-Players' account. The button may or may not be available for activation. If the button is not available, go to the info-box and request more information, it should appear as soon as the Player has a high enough rating.
As soon as the Pro-player enables the option (clicks the button "First Priority"), the system adds him/her to the list of available top Players and suggests orders that are hidden from other performers.
How to take orders?
When the Pro-Player clicks the button, one of the Clients chooses his/her card and sees a pop-up with the info about the order along with a timer for 120 seconds. The Client can agree to send the order in 120 seconds or the order goes to another Pro-Player.
How to take orders?
When the Pro-Player clicks the button, one of the Clients chooses his/her card and sees a pop-up with the info about the order along with a timer for 120 seconds. The Client can agree to send the order in 120 seconds or the order goes to another Pro-Player.
First Priority UX-Flow Desktop
First Priority UX-Flow Mobile
Conclusions
I faced quite a few challenges working on this project: from finding a new solution to fight the Bots to educating users about those solutions. Later we have done more testing along with more iteration that helped us accomplish our goal: the amount of unhappy about the long waiting times customers went down from 15% to 0.5%.
Working on this task helped me understand that:
Working on this task helped me understand that:
- I have to pay more attention and set more time aside for brainstorming.
- I have to not only think through the solution, but also consider the onboarding process for the users. Educating users can be done in multiple steps.
- Before starting to work on a problem, it's important to test the solution manually with a small group of users to predict how it will work with everybody else.