Win Sporting
Prizes

Win Sporting Prizes is a prize-draw platform that allows sports fans to enter competitions for the chance to win sporting memorabilia, experiences, and merchandise. The platform needed to be designed from the ground up — from initial research and brand identity through to final UI and CMS configuration.

I led the UX and UI design across the entire project, working closely with stakeholders and developers to deliver a product that was both engaging for users and easy for the team to manage.

The sports merchandise and experience market lacks accessible, digital-first competition platforms aimed at everyday fans. Existing solutions are either tied to newspaper promotions, social media giveaways, or expensive third-party platforms that don't cater to the experience of sports fandom.

The brief was to design a platform that felt trustworthy, simple to use, and exciting — one that sports fans would return to regularly and recommend to others.

• Design a clear, frictionless entry flow for prize draws
• Build trust through transparent competition mechanics
• Create a brand identity that resonates with sports fans
• Enable the internal team to manage competitions without developer involvement
• Ensure the platform was accessible and performant on mobile

The primary users were sports fans aged 18–45 who are comfortable with mobile browsing and social media, but who may not engage deeply with complex digital products. They needed a platform that was immediately legible — clear prizes, obvious entry steps, and visible fairness.

Secondary users were the internal editorial and marketing team who needed to create, schedule, and update competitions through a CMS without technical expertise.

I was the sole designer across the project, responsible for:

• User research, competitive analysis, and persona development
• Information architecture and user flow mapping
• Wireframing, prototyping, and user testing
• Visual design and brand identity
• High-fidelity UI design and design system creation
• CMS architecture and content modelling
• Handoff and developer collaboration

The project began with a discovery phase to understand the competitive landscape, identify user needs, and define the core value proposition. Key competitors were audited for their entry flows, trust signals, and content strategies.

From discovery, I moved into structure — mapping out key user journeys (browsing competitions, entering a draw, viewing past wins), defining the information architecture, and building low-fidelity wireframes for the primary screens.

Once the structure was validated with stakeholders, I moved into high-fidelity design and brand development in parallel, ensuring the visual language reinforced the goals of the product — energy, sport, trust.

Working Through Ambiguity

Several key decisions were underspecified at the start of the project — particularly around competition mechanics and how winners would be drawn. I facilitated workshops with stakeholders to define these rules clearly, then translated them directly into UX patterns that communicated fairness and transparency to users.

The entry flow was the most critical user journey on the platform.

Reducing Friction at Entry

Entry required minimal steps — users could browse, understand the prize and odds, and enter in three taps. Registration was deferred until after intent was established, reducing drop-off at the top of the funnel.

Trust at Every Step

Clear prize images, draw dates, ticket availability, and T&Cs were surfaced at the point of entry rather than hidden in separate pages. Visual progress indicators were used throughout the purchase flow.

Post-Entry State

The post-entry confirmation screen was designed to reinforce excitement — showing ticket number, draw date, and surfacing related competitions to encourage repeat engagement.

Competition tickets had variable pricing based on entry quantity — a common mechanic in prize draws. I designed a ticket selector that clearly communicated value tiers, highlighted the most popular option, and prevented user confusion around total cost vs. odds.

CMS Architecture

The CMS was structured around a Competition content type with modular fields for prize details, entry mechanics, draw dates, ticket tiers, and winner announcements. The architecture allowed the editorial team to launch, manage, and close competitions entirely without developer support.

• Modular prize detail blocks (image, description, estimated value)
• Configurable ticket tier pricing and quantity limits
• Scheduled draw dates with automated status transitions
• Winner announcement fields linked to competition records

The brand needed to feel energetic and sports-native while communicating the legitimacy of a regulated prize platform. I developed a visual identity system using bold typography, a sports-inspired colour palette, and photography guidelines that prioritised authenticity over stock imagery.

Trust signals were embedded throughout the design — regulatory badges, clear T&Cs access, winner histories, and transparent draw mechanics — to address the inherent scepticism users bring to prize-draw platforms.

• Full design system delivered and handed off to development
• CMS architecture enabled editorial team to self-manage all competitions
• Entry flow reduced to three core steps from initial eight-step audit benchmark
• Stakeholder validation passed at every design review stage
• Platform launched on schedule with zero post-handoff design rework