What role does UX design play in the success of iGaming platforms? Interview with Martin Calvert

In an interview with Slotegrator, Martin Calvert — Marketing Director at ICS-digital — provides insights on the impact UX design has on player engagement and platform revenue, along with common mistakes made by operators in the iGaming industry.

Slotegrator: In what ways is UX design essential to the sale of digital products and services? How does it impact conversion rates?

Martin Calvert: UX design plays a crucial role in turning a “standard” online experience into a “differentiated” online experience. In some sectors, that can make the difference between turning a modest profit and being a market leader.

Of course, if you want to soar to the heights of the industry, you need a high-value, attention-grabbing product, first and foremost. Blowing past your competitors’ standards to create intuitive experiences reduces friction and smooths the way to a first-visit conversion.

And more than this, customer-first thinking, from the technical and design considerations to the written word and visual/branded elements, helps communicate to audiences that you are right for them, and they are right for you.

In this way, UX design is really part of the wider marketing mix and takes on special importance, particularly when so many brands seem to almost push customers away with poor or undifferentiated user experiences.

S: What are some strategies for designing user experiences (UX) that prevent user disengagement and maintain brand reputation?

MC: One of the key elements we focus on at ICS-digital is empathy for our audience. Being aware of the different types of customers, their priorities, and their preferences is essential — especially if you can ground this insight in real world research with an audience research tool or similar.

Keeping audiences in mind, it’s important to understand that in most cases these ideal customers are keen not to waste their own time — so a lack of intuitive navigation, clear calls to action, fast-loading interfaces, and visually appealing design and so on makes disengagement the most likely outcome - followed by a backwards click.

A commitment to the brand that is reflected in the overall experience and consistent user interface patterns create a sense of familiarity and trust, while regular user testing and feedback loops help refine the experience and prevent churn.

S: Which UX solutions are most effective in the iGaming industry, and what are the key factors contributing to their success?

MC: Trust is paramount in iGaming — it’s not just about how quickly a site will allow a user to deposit money, but how quickly they can expect a withdrawal. Also, once visitors are motivated to play, the onboarding has to be straightforward without being too casual.

Player protection is essential, but again, empathy is key. Having empathy for your customers can help in removing unnecessary steps and avoiding friction.

Once onboarded, personalisation can be very powerful to help prevent the ‘option paralysis’ that can hit players when there are so many games to play or ways to bet.

That said, it’s still important to innovate — personalisation and tailored recommendations based entirely on historical data can go too far if new offers, new games and new experiences haven’t surfaced.

Ultimately, brands need to be mindful of metrics, but also have an affinity for customers that allows them to feel confident about trying new things to expand customer possibilities - and profit.

Increasingly we find that translation and localisation can make a difference not just in terms of the mechanics of a site, but the enjoyment and availability of games and markets. A win-win for players and operators.

S: What factors influence the gaming experience, particularly with regard to ease of navigation and the logical structure of the site? Which navigation errors lead to players leaving the site?

MC: A well-structured layout, fast load times, and logical categorisation of games or bets are just some of the baselines aspects that influence engagement.

Increasingly I take the view that supplementary content is also an important factor - things like relevant game guides, instructions, news/blog sections and so on, not as a distraction from the core of the site, but as a resource to draw upon, particularly for new players.

This needn’t be a burden to implement, and with the right planning, common navigation mistakes like cluttered interfaces, hidden menus, excessive pop-ups, and so on can be avoided.

The goal shouldn’t just be to have as many games possible live at all times — that’s a missed opportunity to support users, build your brand, and improve the wider user experience, while providing new ways for users to land on the site in the first place with rankable SEO content.

For our teams, it’s always interesting to see how audiences differ by country, and how multilingual content can bring them closer to becoming a regular player - again it is all about empathy, and communicating that your platform and your games are genuinely for the customer.

S: What are the key principles of mobile UX design for iGaming platforms to ensure success, and why is it important to optimize design for mobile devices?

MC: One good thing about today’s industry, and I’m sure everyone agrees, is that mobile optimisation is now the default. It wasn’t that long ago that brands would neglect the mobile experience, but today there is widespread acceptance at the highest level that key principles like responsive design, touch-friendly interfaces, fast load times, and straightforward navigation are really just the basic requirements.

The best brands go even further to analyse user journeys using live data and heatmaps, and tie the mobile user experience to wider marketing initiatives that can make a difference.

That can include app store optimisation, search engine marketing, paid media and well-crafted calls-to-action that really emphasize the brand promise that will be fulfilled when mobile customers sign up.

All of us know the frustration and annoyance of installing a game or app that doesn’t live up to expectations — the best brands understand the need to communicate effectively, and take account of the whole mobile marketing journey to, once again, reduce friction.

S: What is the impact of the design of the registration and deposit process on the conversion rate of new users? What mistakes do operators most often make?

MC: A streamlined registration and deposit flow significantly boosts conversion rates but sometimes brands feel “too streamlined” to me if they seem like they’re aggressively funneling customers towards a sign-up before they’re ready.

I think that’s why though clarity and easy navigation is important, having some kind of supporting content that builds interest and excitement and which answers common customer questions/concerns helps boost conversions while building the brand.

At the point of sign-up, there’s no shortage of potential mistakes – mistranslations, typos, lengthy sign-up forms, unclear instructions, lack of relevant payment options and so on…this contributes to practical friction, but also, a lack of trust.

S: How can enhancing the user experience directly contribute to the growth of GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue) and conversions on the platform?

MC: Of course, GGR is the ultimate metric for many in the industry, and UX can help all other marketing channels to perform at their best at the very last stage of the acquisition process.

For those not ready to sign up, thoughtful UX opens up the possibilities that the customer will return rather than be put off for life — which happens with some brands.

Softer metrics than GGR are important to track along the way to assess what is working/not working and if the overall mission is going in the right direction.

These metrics can include session time, repeat visits, click tracking and (more generally) organic rankings and competitive performance.

In all of the above, a technical and detail-focused approach to the user journey can drive UX improvements, but we mustn’t lose track of the brand’s heart and soul — communicating positive difference and USPs in a sector where many brands have similar games and offers is key — so it’s worth thinking about user experience in terms of audiences, brand, helpful content and engagement as well as raw numbers, iterative technical improvements and stats.