Case Study 04
Cricket Betting — Conversion Redesign
Reducing Cognitive Load at the Decision Moment
Role
Principal Product Designer
Scope
Betting funnel, conversion optimization
Collaborators
PM, Data, Engineering
Platform
Real Money Gaming — Cricket Betting
01 — Problem Statement
Problem Statement
Conversion was low not because users didn't want to bet — but because the decision moment was cognitively expensive. In a real-money context, ambiguity amplifies hesitation.
The biggest drop-off in the cricket betting funnel occurred at the match selection stage — before users committed to any betting option.
Analytics revealed the cause: users struggled to understand match clarity and odds meaning. The information hierarchy buried the primary decision variable. Too many elements competed for attention at the critical moment.
02 — My Role vs. Team Contribution
My Role vs. Team Contribution
03 — The Hardest Decision
The Hardest Decision
Decision
Reworked information hierarchy with match clarity first, simplified odds framing
In real-money contexts, the cost of a wrong decision is felt immediately. Reducing ambiguity at the decision moment is more valuable than visual richness or information completeness.
| Factor | Option A | Option B — Chosen |
|---|---|---|
| Information priority | Feature-rich layout — all info visible | Match clarity first — progressive disclosure |
| Odds presentation | Raw odds — complete but high interpretation load | Framed odds — reduced cognitive cost |
| Visual density | High density — power user optimized | Reduced density — guides scanning toward decision |
04 — Rollout Strategy & Learning
Rollout Strategy & Learning
Controlled A/B test with 5% traffic split over 2 weeks. The experiment ran during IPL season — acknowledged as a confounder, but traffic volume remained stable across control and variant groups during the test window.
What Went Wrong
Some micro-interactions initially underperformed and required mid-test iteration on feedback states and transition cues.
How It Was Corrected
Iterated on feedback states after reviewing interim data jointly with PM and data team. Every variant call was a joint decision.
The IPL season context is acknowledged. The metric is directional validation of the cognitive load reduction principle — not an unqualified 2× claim.
05 — Org-Level Impact
Org-Level Impact
- Established the principle: in high-stakes transactional contexts, information hierarchy matters more than information completeness.
- The funnel audit methodology — mapping drop-off to cognitive friction points — became reusable for other betting products.
Reduce the cognitive cost of the decision moment before optimizing anything else in the funnel.
06 — What I'd Do Differently
What I'd Do Differently
- Run the test outside IPL season for a cleaner baseline.
- Instrument match selection time as a leading indicator of cognitive load, not just conversion rate.
- Test a larger traffic split earlier to reach statistical significance faster.
07 — Design Principles Demonstrated