Problem

During non–game-day moments, customers had little reason to return to Underdog Sportsbook, creating a gap in daily engagement even during the NFL season. Without live games to anchor activity, the product felt episodic rather than habitual. We needed a way to make the experience worth returning to every day, not just on game days.

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The challenge

Designing a daily retention mechanic required balancing fun, clarity, and real money value. Daily return behavior was the primary success metric, and every decision was evaluated against that goal.

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Guiding principles

Design for habit, not efficiency
Reward repeat visits over time, even if that means withholding value upfront.

Anticipation drives engagement
Progress should unfold daily, with each reveal feeling worth returning for.

Interaction over instruction
Gestures and physicality should replace heavy UI, labels, or explanations.

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Decision 1: Optimize for habit over efficiency

I designed Player Reveal to optimize for daily habit, not fast comprehension. Value unfolded once per day to build anticipation rather than front-loading information. An efficiency-first approach would have favored one-session evaluation over repeat engagement. Every decision was judged by whether it gave someone a reason to return tomorrow.

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Decision 2: Use a gesture-first, stacked interaction model

To reinforce habit and ownership, I chose a gesture-first, stacked card model instead of a list or dashboard. Swiping through a physical stack made the roster feel personal and collectible, reducing the need for persistent UI. A traditional layout would have been faster to scan, but it would have framed the experience as information to consume rather than something to own.
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Decision 3: Phase information to validate behavior before enriching

For the MVP, I limited information to validate the habit loop before adding complexity. The experience focused on daily reveal and roster growth, with additional context planned only after repeat behavior was proven.

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Outcome

Player Reveal was ultimately deprioritized as the organization focused on core sportsbook infrastructure. While it was not built, the work reinforced a key design belief: habit-driven experiences succeed when emotional payoff is prioritized over immediate gratification.

By slowing the experience down and exercising restraint, the design centered anticipation, ownership, and repeat behavior. That perspective continues to shape how I approach retention mechanics.