Juked
Esports for Everyone
Role
Lead Product Designer
Studio
Cully.co
Products
iOS and Android
(TL;DR)
Too Long; Didn’t Read
Juked is a news and entertainment site that offers a better way to discover, watch, and engage with likeminded esports fans.
I led the design for the iOS and Android apps where we introduced news, live chat, user posting, profiles and much more.
4.9-star rating
Juked maintained a 4.9 star rating across both app stores with over 100 reviews
10x Growth
Users have 10x'd to 16,000 since the app launched to the public in March
(01)
Project Overview
Esports audience size has grown year-over-year between 2019 and 2021.
By 2024, there are expected to be 285.7 million esports enthusiasts. And an additional 291.6 million occasional viewers. With new communities being created with each game release, these audiences are fragmented and are forced to use multiple social platforms to stay in the loop.
(FULL DETAILS)
Live match details page and live chat component
(02)
Challenge
Build an esports focused social app to capture the ever growing audience.
We set out to address existing problems within the community while providing fans with a rich feature set that combines the core functionality of many of their most used apps.
How might we create a seamless posting and commenting experience similar to reddit/twitter.
How might we make viewing live matches and following upcoming events as easy as possible.
How might we combat toxicity and promote deep-analysis and rich discussion within the community.
How might we create an experience that feels like home for the wide range of esports fans.
(03)
Outcomes
Industry insiders and gaming enthusiasts have rallied behind Juked.
They, like the founders believe in the mission of making esports more accessible. Investors have joined in too, including Eros Resmini, former CMO of Discord, Kevin Lin, former COO and co-founder of Twitch, Mike and Amy Morhaime, CEO/Cofounder and VP of Esports, Blizzard and 500 Startups.
Combating
toxicity
Combating
toxicity
Combating
toxicity
(04)
Authentication
Using phone number authentication to detour trolls and toxicity.
After deep discussion with the client it was decided that we should make a point of requiring phone number verification to create an account on Juked. Asking for it up-front, we were transparent about the goals we had set-out on.
Once an account is created, fans select their favorite games and teams. We highlight fans interests on their profiles through custom banners, badges and team cards. These combine to create a unique profile fans can rally behind.
Account creation and authentication steps for new users
(05)
The Fans
Connecting with fans to present a unified front.
We invited beta testers and esports influencers to a photo shoot to be apart of a marketing campaign promoting the app launch. Each attendee received branded profile photos to use on the app and other social platforms to promote Juked. The high contrast backgrounds stood out across social platforms while introducing the brand to new fans through a trusted individual.
(06)
Core Experience
One place for discussion, live match updates, and news.
We focused on creating a streamlined viewing experience highlighting content based on your following and interests. We gave the power to the users allowing multiple sort and filter options.
Discovering content organically still happens but we know a faction of our hardcore users* want to be the ones finding and promoting new posts.
*This type of audience group is referred to on reddit as the “new-knights” and they often dictate what casual viewers see when scrolling through the “hot” feed.
Simplified feed showcasing news, user posts and match updates
Promoting deeper-analysis by giving users long format posting.
Combatting low effort posts is tough. Who knew? You can nudge, encourage and spotlight ideal posts but the community has to do the heavy lifting. Once the tools are provided through rich-posting options and smart tagging it is on the fans to use them to create value for the community at large.
Through the early stages of Juked’s Beta and launch the community has embraced deeper-analysis. They've created daily trivia posts to test each others knowledge in all things esports, event rundowns so newbs can easily dive into new esports scenes and so much more.
Walkthrough of how to create a new post and a post featuring game tags
(07)
Future Proof
A library of components was needed to let us quickly test features, push updates and react to fan feedback.
While it is nice to be needed, creating a system where everyone on the team feels empowered to create and maintain features is ideal for future success. The Juked team was all about this and by the end of our engagement developers were actively maintaining a componentized system that matched what had been created in Figma.
Post launch I’ve continued to help support the team with new feature launches and focused improvements. We've pushed updates that include live chat, updated match streaming and improved user profiles.
Small sample of components within the Juked design system used for both iOS and Android apps
(08)
Adoption
Numbers are great but fan feedback is what matters most.
After its launch, Juked maintained a 4.9 star rating across both app stores with over 100 reviews. The app was well received and garnered a lot of support from fans, influencers and industry veterans within the esports community.
Along with the app launch, a successful crowd-funding campaign was run raising $1,070,000 from 2,385 investors within the esports scene.
5/5
Excellent for Esports and Gaming news. Also a good place to make new connections.
Devin K
Let’s be real. Juked is the best thing that’s happened to esports. I have met so many amazing people within this app that which I am now proud to call my friends! Feels amazing to finally feel safe within a esports community
@akssej
5/5
Very informative app, chill conversations and a clean interface. I hope we see some traction for other games like Apex in the future!
Emmanuel
Juked is a breath of fresh air away from other social platforms where we can just discuss esports and leave the drama out of it 💪
@shink
5/5
This app is amazing if you're a big esports fan. Spoiler free mode, having the ability to track multiple tournaments in one app, everything is just really nice. I would definitely recommend giving it a try
Sam M.
5/5
This is the best place for all things esports! I've only been using it for 2 months and the app keeps improving [...] Speaking of the community, on Juked it's full of passionate people like me that are obsessed with esport. Can't recommend enough.
@Captnbeanz
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(END)
Results
A better way to discover, watch, and engage with like minded esports fans.
After nearly two years of collaboration crafting Juked’s mobile experiences, the company is now primed to engage the rapidly expanding esports audience.
10x
User growth to 16,000 since launch
1.5m
Raised in less than 4 months through crowdfunding
135%
Month over month growth
8.3k
Monthly active users with a D30 of over 25%
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