01
ABC ↔ AB Switching
ProblemUsers could accidentally lose selections when switching modes.
DecisionA confirmation modal before switching.
ResultLess accidental data loss, more confidence.
All case studies7 min read
UX Case Study · Horse Racing · Sports BettingReimagining Ticket Builder
Simplifying Advanced Horse Racing Wagers for Experienced Bettors
RoleLead UX Designer
Duration4 Months
PlatformResponsive Web
DomainSports Betting / Horse Racing
Approved & Validated
01 / 12
Executive Approval Secured · Full Build Greenlit
A proprietary Ticket Builder replaced a licensed third-party tool.
30+Mobile ScreensEvery state, edge case, and interaction delivered
15+Major IterationsValidated with experienced bettors
100%Workflow CoverageBet Pad → My Bets, end-to-end
1Design SystemDevelopment-ready, with responsive desktop adaptation
The workflow felt simpler than expected despite supporting sophisticated wagering strategies.
A Powerful Tool That Didn't Belong to the Platform
A leading U.S. horse racing platform wanted to bring an advanced Ticket Builder (TB) directly into its betting ecosystem — a best-in-class wagering tool that lets users construct complex multi-race (Pick-N) wagers with greater precision and control by weighing their selections against their own confidence levels.
The existing solution was licensed from a third-party provider and lacked a distinct product identity. It was powerful — but it felt disconnected from the platform and didn't reflect the modern experience the organization wanted to provide.
The goal
Create a proprietary Ticket Builder — accessible directly from the bet pad inside the existing mobile and desktop apps, never a separate site or standalone product — that supported sophisticated Pick-N wagering while staying approachable for experienced bettors.
Why It Mattered to the Business
Empower BettorsLet serious players translate handicapping opinions into structured, weighted wagers, while introducing newer players to more lucrative wager types.
Drive Higher Wagering ValueEasier construction of complex tickets, plus budget fine-tuning, encourages more confident, substantial play.
Competitive AdvantageA seamlessly integrated, user-friendly builder differentiates the platform from competitors.
Engagement & RetentionTurns wagering from a simple transaction into an engaging, personalized, strategic experience.
The Challenge Wasn't Teaching People to Bet
Most users were veteran horse racing bettors — long-time platform users, fluent in multi-race Pick-N wagers (Pick 3, 4, 5, and 6). The real task: help them adopt the new A-B-C Tiering System without disrupting habits built over years of betting.
The A-B-C Tiering System
The A-B-C Tiering System lets a bettor categorize their horse selections in each leg of a Pick-N wager by confidence.
In effect, it translates a bettor's handicapping opinions into structured, weighted wagers — the tactical edge serious players want, and a teachable on-ramp for newer ones.
Five Constraints That Defined the Work
1
Adopt A-B-C Without Alienating VeteransA new confidence-based tiering model layered onto habits built over years.
2
Cognitive LoadReduce mental overhead while supporting sophisticated ticket-generation logic.
3
Multi-PlatformConsistent behavior across mobile and desktop.
4
Dynamic UpdatesHandle live race changes, scratches, and real-time data without breaking the workflow.
5
Trust & TransparencyMaintain confidence through clear cost visibility and error prevention.
AStrongest opinion
BSecondary contenders
CLongshot possibilities
The Insight That Framed Everything
The primary users were veteran bettors. They already understood betting fundamentals, race strategy, and wagering risk. What they needed to learn was the A-B-C Tiering System, the Ticket Builder workflow, and the new platform tools.
The product shouldn't teach betting.
The product should teach Ticket Builder.
That single insight became the north star for every design decision that followed.
My Role — Lead UX Designer, End-to-End Ownership
I owned experience strategy and interaction design for the entire project, from discovery through final stakeholder approval.
Deliverables
- UX Roadmap
- User-Story Map
- User Flows
- Wireframes
- Figma Prototype
- Mobile + desktop responsive behaviours
UX Strategy — Four Principles
1
Reduce Cognitive LoadComplex betting logic shouldn't feel complex. Simplify the interface without simplifying the capability.
2
Preserve User ControlUsers always understand cost, selections, and consequences at every step.
3
Prevent ErrorsConfirmation gates and smart defaults protect user progress; no work is lost by accident.
4
Make Learning OptionalHelp is always available but never forced. Progressive disclosure respects expert users.
Phases
01Discovery
02Architecture
03Design
04Delivery
Mapping the Journey
I mapped the complete end-to-end flow so every stage felt like a natural progression — never a dead end:
Bet Pad
Ticket Builder
Race Select
A-B-C Select
Generated Tickets
This backbone drove all subsequent story mapping, wireframing, and interaction decisions.
Core Capabilities
The MVP centered on a tightly scoped feature set:
A-B-C Tiering SystemTier each selection, per leg, as A, B, or C.
Dynamic Ticket CreationAuto-generates the full set of ticket combinations from tiered selections (e.g. "All A's," "A's with one B"); users review and remove any generated ticket before placing the wager.
Real-Time Cost & BudgetingTotal wager cost updates live as selections change; users set a budget and build to stay within it.
Flexible Bet SizingEach generated ticket defaults to the wager's minimum stake; users adjust per ticket via a multiplier or a custom amount.
Comprehensive Race InfoRace conditions, program numbers, horse names, and jockey/trainer data, with scratches and track-condition changes reflected in real time.
Robust Error HandlingClear messaging for late scratches, canceled races, and anything that would block a successful submission.
Designing for Veteran Bettors
Every visual and interaction decision was grounded in the mental models and domain fluency of experienced horse racing bettors.
Familiar Mental ModelsRounded A-B-C selectors echo answer-selection patterns familiar to American users, favoring recognition over recall.
Domain RecognitionRace indicators use horse-saddle visuals instead of generic tabs, reinforcing the racing context and staying instantly legible to veterans.
Card-Based Horse SelectionEach horse is a self-contained card; saddle color and number stay visible, so selections read through familiar racing conventions.
Strategic White SpaceAn older, highly experienced audience benefits from generous spacing that improves readability and decision-making without sacrificing information density.
Key Design Decisions
Five pivotal decisions shaped the final interaction model — each one driven by a real problem uncovered during iteration and validation.
02
Dynamic Betting Amounts
ProblemUsers saw betting denominations they couldn't use.
DecisionHide invalid denominations dynamically.
ResultCleaner decisions with fewer distractions.
03
Persistent Tutorial
ProblemFirst-time-only onboarding creates forgetfulness over time.
DecisionKeep the tutorial always available on demand.
ResultOn-demand learning that respects expert users.
04
Swipe Race Navigation
ProblemUsers frequently switched between races in a sequence.
DecisionIntroduce swipe navigation between races.
ResultFaster, more natural movement across wager sequences.
05
Flexible Ticket Review
ProblemUsers needed budget control late in the process.
DecisionAllow selective ticket removal in review.
ResultUsers optimize cost without rebuilding wagers from scratch.
Iteration & Validation
The project ran through 15+ major iterations, each round sharpening the interaction model and refining the visual hierarchy.
Stakeholder ReviewsAt key milestones throughout the project lifecycle.
Internal TestingWith Design and engineering teams.
Bettor Feedback SessionsDirect feedback from experienced horse racing bettors.
Executive ReviewsPresentations and approvals at the leadership level.
Feedback from experienced bettors consistently validated the core philosophy:
Complexity made understandable, not complexity removed.
15+
Major IterationsEach round sharpening the interaction model100%
Stakeholder ApprovalExecutive sign-off securedThe Final Solution
Four interconnected views form the complete Ticket Builder experience — each one purpose-built for a distinct phase of the wagering workflow.
Program ViewThe primary workspace for wager construction. Select horses across races via A-B-C tiering with full cost visibility at all times.
Ticket ReviewThe command center for optimization. Review all generated tickets, remove individual selections, and control total cost before submission.
My BetsTicket Builder wagers grouped for easy management. Track active wagers and review past tickets in one view.
TutorialGuided onboarding and on-demand learning. Always accessible, never intrusive.
Outcomes
Business
- A proprietary Ticket Builder experience created
- Reduced dependency on third-party tooling
- A foundation for advanced wagering established
- A scalable responsive framework delivered
Product
- Executive approval secured
- Internal validation completed
- Positive feedback from experienced bettors
- A development-ready design system
Design
- 30+ mobile screens delivered
- Responsive desktop adaptation
- Comprehensive edge-case handling
- Full workflow coverage documented
The Roadmap — Built to Extend
Explicitly out of scope for this phase, but the framework was built to extend into:
1
Product Analytics DashboardAdoption, retention, and funnel performance.
2
AI-Assisted AutofillBuild tickets from keys, budget, and risk tolerance.
3
Natural-Language Ticket BuildingPrompt-driven wager construction.
4
+EV ScenariosSurface carryovers, jackpots, and mandatory payouts.
5
Post-Wager ProgressionTrack results and prompt follow-on bets.
6
Social & Cost-Sharing ToolsGroup play to drive viral usage.
Reflection
Designing for experts is not about removing complexity. It's about making complexity understandable.
By focusing on transparency, familiar mental models, progressive learning, and error prevention, I helped transform a sophisticated wagering workflow into an experience that felt approachable without sacrificing power.
The deepest UX challenge here wasn't simplification — it was translation: turning complex domain logic into an interface language expert users can immediately trust, adopt, and rely on.
TransparencyCost, selections, and consequences always visible.
FamiliarityMental models veterans already trust.
Progressive LearningHelp available, never forced.
Error PreventionNo work lost by accident.
User Interface
Selected screens from the delivered mobile design system.
Like how I work? Let's build the next one.
You've just read how I think — the research, the trade-offs, the decisions I defended and the ones I'd make differently. I'm open to Lead and Senior Product Designer roles, remote, hybrid or in-office. Tell me what you're building and I'll tell you where I'd start.