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After fixing issues found during the iteration of the 3rd Prototype, we did small tweaks and generated what we called version 3.1. This version can be seen in the videos below:

All Onboarding, Play Draw and Check Tickets screens are available in PDF format.

From the first screens to the last prototype we could see an evolution with every iteration. Design assumptions made on the first iteration were not embraced by the users, and even tweaks made from iterations had to go back a few times until we arrived at this final version.

The final prototype delivers on the goals we had designed for our Personas, mainly when it comes to playing the Lotto without too many hurdles, we removed the process of having to top-up a wallet that exists in the current Lotto app.

For the login, we took a different approach, with a 4 digit PIN number or a Touch ID login system, instead of the desktop version using email/password combination, once the users understood it, they quickly learned how to use the Touch ID login feature.

We also decided to have a more real-world approach to the design of the numbers selection screens as some users felt there was a disconnection between the Lotto app in the experience playing in the shop. Of course, the ultimate goal of our users are to win the Lotto, and we found that a Fun Fact in the checkout screen would be a nice touch and a good piece of conversation, we imagine phrases like “you could buy the most expensive bottle of Champagne for every resident of Carlow” or “you could buy 120 Porsche 911, enough to fill the 3 football pitches” would give the users a feel of what crazy dream they could do with the prize in case they win it.

This assignment was a fulfilling experience, true, it was tiring and frustrating at times but what is left now is a deep sense of achievement for me and I believe for the others in the group. When our first iteration failed with the users, our heart sunk; back to brainstorm and drawing sessions again, and again, and again, and again, but progress was being made, we saw that evolution coming every time. Every click in the right button was a cause of celebration.

I consider myself lucky with my group, I believe we had a good balance. We worked a lot but we had some fun in the process. Rachel moved the team forward, her passion to learn motivated us all to keep going further, she organised our meetings, set goals and deadlines. Richard is very curious, he questioned everything (and I mean everything), he is extremely patient, his research was meticulous, even when we were told we had enough, he wasn’t satisfied. In the middle of the process he had a baby girl, and even then he was a key contributor to create the screens for each iteration.

For my part, during the data gathering part (problem identification, user research and personas) there was a big learning curve. I felt overwhelmed at times to navigate these areas. Sewing together these sections was not very clear for me at the time (I often asked what I would do with all the data we had gathered). Now at the end, I understand the flow and data requirements between each part of this blog. On the second part (sketches, brainstorming and iteration) I felt more at ease, these tasks are part of my current role in the company I work for. This reflected on my largest contributions: user tests, analysis and brainstorming sessions for the new designs.

I would like to thank my wife and best friend, Marie. She had the energy and patience to keep everything under control even with projects of her own. Thanks for taking the time to review my texts, without you I wouldn’t be able to finish this project on time. Love you!

Note: the header image comes from the movie “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”, that’s how we felt at times during this project: connecting items, sketching, looking at the wilderness of data in front of us.