Poker UX research, built from zero
A small team inside Gaming, out-researching Sports, Casino and Core.
- Role
- Product Design Manager
- Team
- 9 designers reporting to me, 1 researcher, 1 UX writer
- Players
- Testing panel, pros, high stakes, streamers
- When
- 2021 to 2023
The problem
No testing, no personas, no trust
No user testing. No real personas.
Decisions ran on assumptions.
Product didn't trust UX.
The goal: win casual players, without knowing who they were.
What I led
1 · Brought product into the room
Product doubted research. So I sat them in live sessions with real players.
2 · Made research routine
Stakeholder interviews in week one. A standing player panel. Tests before the sprint, not after.
3 · Changed an industry default
Poker avatars meant hypersexualised women and childlike cartoons. Casual players wanted better.
Product pushed back. Players won. The realistic set shipped.
Then I wrote an internal piece on inequality in gaming, for teams beyond Poker.
Traded off: the look the industry knew.
Before
Industry default: hypersexualised women and childlike cartoon characters.
The result
20 of 24
chose realistic, diverse avatars
In their words
“I use a man (avatar). I think you can be looked down upon as a woman.”
Results
Product started asking for research
Research requests came from product, not design.
Example: installation. Are we slower than competitors, and does it feel slower?
Research also shaped: hand history and installation.
Next time
What I'd do next
I proved players preferred the avatars, not that engagement moved.
Next time: a business metric from day one, and stronger art resourcing up front.