VIP Revamp
Visual Design
Visual Design
Gameberry Labs
Oct 2023
6 months
Overview
An end to end feature design case study with the goal of increasing monetization from the Super whales and Whales (high spenders) in the game using a highly engaging and competitive feature.
Time Line
2 months- Design
2 months- Art
2 month- Dev
My Role
Feature Owner
User Research
Mechanic
System Design
Brainstorming
User flows
Info Architecture
Wire framing
User Experience
Team
2 Product Managers
1 Senior Game Design
1 Associate Game Designer
1 UI/UX Designer
Data Analytics Team
Art Team
Engineering Team
Context
The Company
Gameberry Labs is a bootstrapped game studio based in Bangalore, India which makes gamifies board games. They have various gamified board games with their games a global success in MENA regions, USA Canada and Europe.
The Product
Ludo Star is a Ludo board game hugely popular in the middle east. It has many play modes from classic to Arrow or Quick giving players the options. It has over 200k+ Daily Active users and 1.5M+ Downloads.
Problem
Enhance VIP tier communication to clearly convey the value of VIP subscriptions, motivating users to upgrade from their current tier and driving increased monetization.
Objective
Enhance VIP tier communication to clearly convey the value of VIP subscriptions, motivating users to upgrade from their current tier and driving increased monetization.
solution
Revamping the information Page
Part 2 of the scope included revamping the UX of the VIP comparison page to highlight how premium and better the ‘VIP Sultan’ is compared to other VIP tiers, as well as making the rewards more visual to make the information more digestible.
data
VIP features are underutilized, with low engagement from both VIP and non-VIP players, and the majority of subscriptions favor the cheaper tier.
VIP Player Behavior:
80% of VIP users don’t play VIP Games. Instead, they:
Play Games with Random Players Online or Private Games, both of which are available to non-paying users.
Non-VIP Click Rates:
Only 10% of non-VIP players clicked on the information button when entering the VIP area.
Conversion Rates:
Of the players who clicked on the information button, only 0.1% purchased a VIP subscription.
Subscription Preferences:
Among the 0.1% who subscribed:
90% chose the Knight VIP subscription (the cheaper option).
Only 10% opted for the King VIP subscription (the more expensive tier).
These numbers are ballpark numbers, not exact.
Conclusion
These insights reveal significant gaps in engagement and conversion for the VIP offerings, indicating a need for redesigning the VIP experience to better communicate value and attract more players.
survey
Users don’t understand the benefits, and feel KNIGHT and KING VIP subscriptions don’t seem distinctive
We also conducted a rewarded survey on the game application, where we received 1000+ responses regarding the VIP experience. The cohort was around 50% VIP users and 50% non VIP users. Some of the quotes mentioned:
“I find VIP confusing. I don’t understand what the benefits are”
“I bought VIP so I can show off my badge to everyone else because only few people have it”
“I love the VIP badge, It shows everywhere on my picture. I feel like I’m different from others”
“I don’t think its worth buying. I don’t feel like a ‘KING’ ”
“I’d rather play Ludo Star Clubs games, at least they have cool effects for my profile”
“Why should I buy King VIP when Knight VIP is also the same”
UX Audit
The VIP interface is unclear, visually inconsistent, and lacks tappable elements, differentiation, and key updates.
What We DidAnalyzed the design of the VIP Pass and VIP Room screens to identify usability and visual issues.Highlighted problem areas like wasted space, unclear benefits, non-intuitive layouts, missing CTAs, and inconsistent visuals.
Why We Did It
To understand why players struggled to engage with the VIP tiers and rooms.
To pinpoint design and functional issues that reduced clarity, usability, and player satisfaction.
Result:
Identified key areas for improvement: Clearer benefit display and tier differentiation.
Improved interactivity with tappable elements and prominent CTAs.
Aligning visuals with the revamped color palette for consistency.
Optimized layout to better showcase VIP benefits and meet regulatory requirements.
Does not look tappable
Hard to compare in this layout
Repetition
Need to add renew policy-
(new regulation requirement)
No CTA, does not look tappable
King gets blended in the gold bg
no visible differentiation between Knight and King rooms
Inconsistency in showcasing individual vs team games
Overall colour palette is different from the revamped colour palette
Not enough space to promote VIP subscriptions
Not alot of visual difference in the benefits
the elements do not look tappable
Information is nested making it difficult to communicate benefits
Text based
Wasted Space
Vague words
Main Insight
Players are confused because benefits aren’t clear, its difficult to compare, and descriptions are hard to find and understand.
Identified Reasons for Confusion
Lack of Visibility:
Players cannot see the benefits clearly or understand where to access them.
No Side-by-Side Comparison:
Players struggle to distinguish differences between VIP tiers as they are not presented side by side.
Unclear Descriptions:
Descriptions are not intuitive and difficult to understand.
Conclusion
The primary issue areas are the VIP room screen and the information page, which need to be redesigned to address these challenges.
DESIGN DIRECTION
Redesigning the VIP page to highlight tier differences and showcase premium benefits visually and interactively
Design Improvements:
Explore New Layouts:
Create a layout that clearly shows the differences in offerings between all tiers.
Highlight the most premium tier to emphasize its value and benefits.
Visual and Interactive Elements:
Use visuals to depict features and benefits.
Add interactions to showcase the real value of the premium tier effectively.
Non-Design Suggestions:
Revise Free Trial Logic:
Revisit the free trial campaign, changing its logic to improve user engagement.
Optimize Feature Pop-Up Timing:
Adjust the surfacing logic of the feature pop-up for better visibility and impact.
Goal:
Enhance the user experience and encourage upgrades by clearly communicating the value of the premium tier.
Competitive Analysis
Exploring different ways in which applications showcase multiple subscription packs
Objective: Understand how subscription packages are sold across various applications.
Process:
Analyzed both games and non-gaming applications to gather insights.
Noted that most games offer only one VIP subscription, which limited design ideas.
Exploring other apps proved beneficial for discovering diverse approaches.
Outcome: Gained valuable insights from non-gaming apps to enhance subscription package design.
approach 1
Separate screens for tiers
approach 2
Parallel comparison of multiple features among multiple tiers
approach 3
same screen, separate sections for different tiers
approach 4
Different tabs, with more visual prominence on benefits
iterations
Created and refined subscription pack wireframes, keeping effective elements and removing problematic ones.
Observation and Ideation: Analyzed various ways to present subscription packs in other contexts.Adapted these concepts into wireframes tailored to the game we are building.
Critiques and Deliberation: Collaborated with the product team to review the wireframes.Identified strengths and weaknesses:
Green Highlights: Elements that were effective and solved specific problems.
Red Highlights: Elements that lacked value or had communication issues.
Outcome: The review process clarified which features to retain and refine, ensuring the design aligns with the game’s goals and user needs.
Info
Subscribe now to enjoy Exclusive VIP Privileges
Host VIP Games in VIP Rooms
Play Big Win anytime, any mode
Send special gifts during all games
Voice chat with other VIP players
NEW
Pick your vip pass
King
INR 2499
per month
Exclusive King
badge
Special chat bubble in games
Gain XP with
6x Boost
Unlock chest at
4x speed
Add 75 more gamebuddies
Daily gold & gems rewards
Knight
INR 999
per month
Exclusive Knight
badge
Special chat bubble in games
Gain XP with
4x Boost
Unlock chest at
2x speed
Add 50 more gamebuddies
Daily gold & gems rewards
Info
Subscribe now to enjoy Exclusive VIP Privileges
Host VIP Games in VIP Rooms
Voice chat with other VIP players
Send special gifts during all games
Play Big Win anytime, any mode
VIP benefits
Exclusive VIP Badge
Exclusive Chat Bubble
Get daily rewards
Gain XP with extra boost
Unlock chests faster
Add more gamebuddies
knight
2000
20
4x Boost
2x Speed
+50
king
4000
40
6x Boost
4x Speed
+75
Knight Pass
INR 999
per month
Buy Knight Pass
Host VIP games in VIP rooms
Play Big Win anytime, any mode
Send VIP gifts during game
Exclusive badge everywhere
Appear on top of your friends list
Exclusive chat bubble in games
Voice chat with other players
Exclusive visibility of VIP games
Play VIP games with your friends
knight
king
SULTAN
Info
Subscribe to get the daily benefits
2000
20
INR 999
per month
Subscribe now to enjoy Exclusive
VIP Privileges
sultan
King
knight
Host VIP Games in VIP Rooms
Voice chat with other players
Play Big Win anytime, any mode
VIP PASS
Pick your vip pass
PRO:
focus on the badge- visual
visual prominence to rewards
short description of rewards
can view the rewards further with the eye icon
CON:
really long scroll
by writing common benefits above, they don’t seem like benefits anymore (still)
Apart from badge, all benefits have same prominence
PRO:
tabs to compare side by side
shows things that are not included
separately shown monetary difference
CON:
no visual depiction
no interaction
how do we elaborate on the reward if the player wants to know more
a little text heavy
separately shown gems and coins can be misleading as well
PRO:
parallel comparison, easiest for user to compare
CON:
text heavy
small real estate for rewards
lacking visual depiction
doesn’t seem exciting
how do we elaborate on the reward if the player wants to know more
PRO:
good visual depiction
short description of rewards
CON:
long scroll
the common benefits, make it seem like the most premium VIP tier is not providing enough benefits.
by writing common benefits above, they don’t seem like benefits anymore
Direction 1
Direction 2
Direction 3
Direction 4
Final Designs
New VIP design highlights top perks, adds cool visuals, CTAs, animated badges, and makes rewards easy to scan, with clear policies and better layouts for more impact.
Your VIP Benefits
VIP Badge
Chat Bubble
Unique Board
Super Emojis
VIP Room Promotion
Hello!
Voice Chat
Game Room
Profile Aura
Gift Chest
Big Win
+75
More Buddies
Reward Bonus
6X
6X Booster
Host VIP Games
57
Daily Gems
Fast Chest Unlock
Top Listing
4777
Daily Gold
4
Send Gifts
Invite Spectators
TOP benefits
9
SULTAN
Sultan Pass
INR 9999
per month
Active
Auto Renewal in 29d 22h
VIP Pass is a monthly subscription! Learn More
Clear Call to Action
Increase space for VIP promotion
Increased visual benefits
visual depiction of renewal, upgrade and cancellation
Information regarding VIP subscription policies
to show this is the best of all 3
Rejected Iterations
Animated badge
Button to indicate that the reward has an effect or animation and can be previewed by the user
Common rewards are shown in rows of 3
All the show off rewards are shown in rows of 2 to give them more real estate for prominence
Introducing
New VIP design highlights top perks, adds cool visuals, CTAs, animated badges, and makes rewards easy to scan, with clear policies and better layouts for more impact.
When player clicks on any show off reward
Conclusion
The redesigned VIP tier received positive feedback during A/B testing
The VIP project was focused on creating a more engaging experience and encouraging users to explore the new tier. Using insights from user interviews and personas, we redesigned the flows and visuals to better match what users needed. When we A/B tested the changes, the feedback was really positive, which was a great sign that we were heading in the right direction. This project was a valuable experience that highlighted the importance of research, iteration, and teamwork in creating meaningful designs.
4o
lesson learnt
I learned to let go, understanding that if the effort outweighs the value it is okay to move on.
One key learning from this project was understanding the importance of letting go. Unfortunately, the project was cut short because the development time was too high, and it wouldn’t have delivered enough value to justify the effort. It was tough to see so much hard work not come to fruition, especially after putting so much effort into it. However, this experience taught me an important lesson: at the end of the day, I’m designing for the business, and I need to think like a business too. If a project isn’t worth the time and resources, even the best designs may have to take a backseat. It was a tough but valuable learning moment in balancing creativity with practicality.
THANKS FOR READING!