Big Game Golf
Redesigning Big Game Golf to deliver an intuitive, fast, and engaging experience—bringing the fun and strategy of golf to players of all levels.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
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BeCurious Studio is a NYC private innovation & design agency.
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Lead UX Designer.
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January 2022—June 2022
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Starting Point — Design sprint + research.
End Point — Full re-design of entire app > design delivery to dev team.
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UI Design & Branding — Mafaza April
Head of Product — Vlad Golosiy
Founder & Head of Design — Stanley Vaganov
THE CHALLENGE
Opportunity
Big Game was built with hardcore golfers in mind — but the real opportunity was to open it up for new players, people coming from simulators, driving ranges, or who just wanted to have a good time.
The Goal
Make it fast, intuitive, and fun for everyone — whether you can name every club in your bag or you’ve never touched a putter.
DESIGN SPRINT
The design sprint (a.k.a let’s get everyone on the same page) was essential — it gave us the blueprint for what mattered most.
What We Wanted
Make Big Game the go-to app for golf scoring, betting, and socializing.
Target: 20k-50k users with a frictionless, good-times-first experience.
How We Got There
Remote design sprint — one intense week.
50+ user interviews and usability tests.
Focused hard on the "Create New Game" flow — it was clear this was our make-or-break moment.
Big Takeaways
People wanted a way faster setup process.
Betting was HUGE — but it had to feel effortless.
Contests needed clearer explanations (turns out golf has a lot of weird betting games).
A Quick Start option was non-negotiable.
EMPATHY & LEARNING GOLF . . . FAST
Obstacle 1
I didn’t know much about golf.
Solution
Dove headfirst into interviews, client convos... even watched golf movies. My goal was to stay in the shoes of a newcomer.
Obstacle 2
Golf betting rules are wild.
Solution
Worked closely with the client to break down the logic, map dependencies, and find clarity where there wasn’t any.
SIIMPLIFYING COMPLEXITY
Key Approach
Break down each user journey into individual flows, starting with the keystone “Create New Game” flow.
Why It Worked
Focused design efforts on the most critical flow first, setting the tone for the entire design system.
Organized new ideas into MVP features versus icebox items for future iterations.
Collaboration
Streamlined client feedback by introducing structured meetings, shared prototype files, and a progress tracking system.
Impact: Turned client input from overwhelming firehose into actionable insights, improving efficiency and speed.
BRINGING THE VISION TO LIFE
Home Screen Widgets
Overview — Designed the Home screen as a widget-based interface for simplicity and clarity.
Features
Access to the main menu and quick-play actions.
Prominent CTA button for creating games, quick play, or managing rosters.
Future-Proofing — The widget structure ensures scalability for adding features like other sports or expanded betting options with minimal disruption.
Create New Game Flow
Why It Matters — This was the most critical flow, validated during the design sprint and central to the app’s success.
Features
Flexible setup starting at any widget (date, location, players, contests) with the ability to return to other steps seamlessly.
Favorites for faster setup based on user preferences.
Impact — Streamlined and intuitive, this flow reduced setup time by 40% and boosted user confidence.
Quick Play (E-Scorecard)
Purpose — Provide the fastest way to start a game with minimal setup.
How It Works
Users select a location, and the game begins immediately.
Scoring and results are handled the same way as standard games.
Value — Ideal for casual players or users short on time, enhancing inclusivity.
Virtual Games
Players can participate remotely, with scores submitted by a deadline.
Encourages broader engagement, even for non-players.
Create new game and menu options.
Golf, Game Management Made Simple
Overview — Centralized hub for managing and viewing games.
Features
Ongoing games and scheduled games listed at the top.
Invitations and past game summaries easily accessible.
Flexibility — Allows users to prepare for games and view all relevant details in one place.
Stats, Turning Data into Friendly Competition
Purpose — Provide performance insights and historical data in an engaging format.
Features
Timeline filters (30 days, 3 months, 1 year, YTD) for granular data exploration.
Ability to compare stats with friends for bragging rights.
Impact — Encourages engagement and fosters friendly competition among users.
Friends, Connecting Players
Overview — Social hub for managing player connections and game history.
Features
Create and edit custom rosters.
View betting and gameplay history with friends.
Compare stats for added fun and competitiveness.
Value — Strengthens community within the app, enhancing user retention.
Wallet, Tracking Bets and Engagement
Purpose — Serve as a record of all bets (paid/unpaid) to track winnings and losses.
Features
Historical data filters for bets.
Clear distinction between bet tracking and actual monetary transactions.
Impact — Keeps users engaged and incentivized without requiring in-app financial transactions.
Chat + Betting, The Social Core
Why It’s Fun — Chat groups are created automatically for every scheduled game, enabling trash talk and creative betting.
Features
Flexible, user-defined bets sent to individuals or groups.
Seamless integration with the leaderboard for fluid transitions between gameplay and chat.
Chat bets allow users to define terms, settlement methods, and deadlines, enhancing creativity.
Impact — Gamifies social interactions, making betting a core part of the app’s charm.
USABILITY & TESTING
Insights That Shaped the Design
Conducted iterative testing on prototypes with 50+ users.
Key Findings
“Favorites” reduced setup time by 40%.
Clearer contest descriptions increased user confidence in selecting betting games.
Chat betting feature was a standout, driving enthusiasm and engagement.
Adjustments Made
Improved descriptions and onboarding for contests.
Enhanced flexibility in game setup to accommodate varying user preferences.
RESULTS & IMPACT
Streamlined Experience
Redesigned flows were intuitive and fast, validating user goals from the design sprint.
Increased Engagement
Testing revealed excitement for betting and social features, addressing core user motivations.
Scalable Design System
Created a modular system using widgets, ensuring adaptability for future iterations or new sports.
Client Feedback
“The new design brings the fun and strategy of golf to life. It’s everything we hoped for.”
REFLECTION & KEY TAKEAWAYS
What Worked
Prioritizing user feedback (always the north star).
Simplifying a really complicated experience without losing the essence.
Strong client collaboration — made the project flow like butter.
Lessons Learned
Structured collaboration = Less chaos, more progress.
Balancing power-user features with newcomer-friendly flows is the sweet spot.
What’s Next
Prepping the design for multi-sport expansion.
Dialing in even more social + betting features.
Final Thoughts
This project taught me that even the most complicated product can feel easy (and fun) if you listen to users, build clean systems, and stay focused on what really matters.