Introduction

Hattrick, an iconic online football management game, has enthralled over 14 million users since 1997, peaking at 1 million concurrent players. Today, Hattrick is still the world's largest football management game, with it engages over 200 thousand users globally.

Players in Hattrick act as football club managers, navigating a complex strategic landscape of player transfers, training decisions, match tactics, and finances. The game's complexity demands thoughtful, long-term decision-making.

From a UX perspective, Hattrick poses a unique challenge in balancing depth with accessibility. Designing an interface that guides players through club management intricacies while maintaining engagement is key.

Market Research & Platform analysis

I've searched for games that have similarities with Hattrick or focuses on managing platforms , complex systems, and related football news & clubs websites
‍Research focus: interior design platforms, Individual design platforms & Furniture companies
‍Main competitors: FM 24, top eleven, soccer manager, Sokker Manager, OSM, FC24, We are Football 24
‍games comparison: Identify design patterns, strengths, weaknesses, and potential opportunities for differentiation.

During my research on Hattrick's platform and its current design, as well as on competing games, I identified significant gaps in design accessibility, the high cognitive and visual load on users, and a lack of clarity and direction in executing tasks and assignments. It became clear that the design should be simplified, with reduced text to enhance accessibility and create a more engaging and immersive gaming experience. Additionally, I evaluated existing features and potential options in other games, proposing new elements that could add another layer of value to the game.

Key takeaways:

Reduce visual load

Reduce cognative load

provide quick info about actions

Create a platform for team management

• The current design of Hattrick is cluttered with numerous visual elements and excessive text, which creates a heavy cognitive load for users. Simplifying the interface will help reduce this burden, allowing users to make decisions more easily and guiding them toward actions more effectively.
• It is essential to simplify actions within the game, enabling users to clearly understand the purpose of their activities. This approach will reduce the need for extensive memory recall and complex thinking, especially for new users joining the game.
• Using icons for guidance or memory refresh alongside actions or elements requiring clarification can significantly influence quick decision-making. This approach provides a better user experience and prevents frustration by eliminating the need for in-depth manual searches for each action. Additionally, providing alerts for important cases enhances user awareness and responsiveness.
• To enhance the user experience and align with the modern essence of a football management game, the interface should adopt a more "gamey" visual appearance. This involves creating an immersive design that evokes the feeling of managing a football team and handling tasks on the platform, thereby offering a contemporary and engaging gaming experience.

User Research

Active users over the last few years (peaks represent campaigns to bring back old users)

Main pain points:

Since I was still in the selection process to be hired by Hattrick, I conducted most of my user research through responses gathered from Hattrick forums and communities of other games. I aimed to understand why many new users do not stay engaged for long and the reasons behind the high abandonment rate. I investigated what users liked and disliked about the game, what features led subscribers to purchase subscriptions, and what motivated them. I also explored which features they desired, what made former users consider returning, and the level of activity and commitment of active users.

Additionally, I sought to uncover the concerns of new users, such as whether they felt they could keep up with the game's demands and progress. This comprehensive approach aimed to identify key pain points and opportunities for enhancing user retention and engagement.

• Non watching live matches: During live broadcasts, there is a lack of interest due to repetitive and predictable texts, along with limited events and statistical information.
• Lack of instant gratification: matches occur too infrequently, with official matches happening only once a week. New users, particularly those from Generation Z, crave the instant excitement of frequent and quickly-paced competitions.
• Users are burdened with a high memory requirement: They must remember a significant amount of information, impacting their ability to perform actions efficiently due to the lack of immediate access to necessary information.
• Lack of error prevention: Leaving users without indications or feedback for missed actions or those with negative effects on the team. This includes failing to give match orders or properly place players. Such oversights can be critical to the player's season progression and competitiveness.
• Competitiveness and achievement curve is too slow: Most new users find it difficult to be competitive immediately, as they need to save in-game currency for a long time to purchase players that can enhance their team. This often compromises their initial competitiveness, creating a disconnect between the need to accumulate resources for future competitiveness and the desire to be competitive from the start.

Goal & opportunities

I initiated a characterization process by identifying tasks and definitions based on research to address user challenges and pain points, ensuring a comprehensive user experience. By understanding user interface interactions, I evaluated ways to improve the product, identified goals and opportunities, and addressed gaps and overlooked aspects that emerged from user analysis.

Artificial intelligence integration

Increased activity and actions

Advanced data, info & stats

Reorganize sections and actions

• Integrating artificial intelligence technologies to generate dynamic and unique texts during game broadcasts can significantly enhance user engagement by creating more emotion and tension. Additionally, expanding the game with more interesting options, such as a platform for journalism, interviews, and press conferences, will offer users additional avenues for interaction and immersion. These enhancements not only add variety to the gameplay but also cater to users' interests and preferences, ultimately enriching their overall experience.
• Increased activity and actions on the platform are essential to engage users and keep them invested in the game. By fostering a more interactive and dynamic environment, users are more likely to remain active and participate in various tasks, enhancing their overall experience.
• Incorporating advanced data, information, and statistics within the platform enriches the user experience by providing comprehensive insights and analysis. By leveraging sophisticated data visualization techniques and offering in-depth statistical breakdowns, users gain valuable understanding and strategic intelligence, enhancing their decision-making capabilities and overall engagement with the platform.
• Reorganize sections and actions: To optimize user experience, reorganizing sections and actions within the platform is crucial. This involves restructuring the layout and workflow to streamline navigation and improve accessibility. By prioritizing and grouping related sections and actions logically, users can more easily find what they need and accomplish tasks efficiently.

User Interface

To address these challenges, Hattrick redesign focused on improving clarity, ease of use, and engagement. By simplifying tasks and providing intuitive interfaces, the aim is to revitalize Hattrick's appeal and attract a new generation of dedicated users, and make the old user's life simple.

My involvement with Hattrick began with a rigorous selection process, emerging as the chosen designer from a pool of 300 candidates. Since then, I have collaborated closely with the company, spearheading the redesign initiative.

This endeavor aims not only to refresh the website's aesthetics but also to address existing usability issues and enhance user engagement. Working hand-in-hand with Hattrick's team, I am committed to guiding user interactions on the platform, gradually integrating the updated design for a seamless transition and improved user experience.