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Moderated Desktop and Mobile User Testing | The Virginia Lottery
Project Type
Moderated User Testing & Behavior Analysis
Date
Dec 2024 - Jan 2025
Summary
After an image-based survey stalled, I proposed and led a pivot to a dual-platform user test to explore how players navigate and interact with the Virginia Lottery website. The study revealed platform-specific usability issues, content clarity challenges, and key player preferences, directly influencing design updates and content strategy.
My Role & Approach
I led the research and moderated all sessions across desktop and mobile. I designed the test, recruited a balanced mix of player types, and guided participants through realistic tasks. Findings were synthesized into a slide-based deck with behavioral insights, quotes, and clear recommendations, presented to the full client team.
Problem
The Lottery team was unable to move forward with an image-based player survey due to content delays. Without user input, they lacked insight into how players made game choices, navigated the site, or interpreted critical content like promotions, jackpots, or second chance play.
Implication
Delaying or designing in the dark risked misaligning the site experience with real user behavior, especially across mobile and desktop platforms, where interaction patterns and motivations differ dramatically by age and player type.
Recommendation
I recommended labeling key game tiles to distinguish between progressive jackpots and instant play options, repositioning jackpot displays for better visibility across platforms, and restructuring how second chance and loyalty rewards information was presented to reduce confusion and improve engagement. I also advised implementing a rotating promotional carousel, despite earlier research that discouraged it, because users expected it and actively used them to discover seasonal games and drawing announcements. My recommendations were delivered in a slide-based report backed by participant behavior, quotes, and peer references. Several changes were implemented as a result, including updated content structure and jackpot visibility improvements.
This project began as an image-based survey to gather feedback on player sentiment and promotional content, but delays in content production stalled the initiative. To avoid losing research momentum, I proposed a pivot: a moderated user test across desktop and mobile platforms focused on uncovering real behavior patterns and content clarity gaps.
I designed the test to explore how players locate and interpret content like jackpot totals, draw times, game labels, and second chance instructions. I also included broader sentiment-based tasks to understand motivation and expectations across platforms.
Participants were selected to reflect a range of player frequency, age, and familiarity with the Virginia Lottery. Desktop participants mirrored current users, while the mobile group skewed younger to capture future player behavior. I moderated 15 sessions total, gathering behavioral data, quotes, and observations.
The study focused on four core areas:
Draw & Instant Game Discovery – Could users find the games they wanted? Did game tiles communicate clearly?
Jackpot Visibility – Were jackpots easy to find and interpret across the site?
Filter & Navigation Clarity – Did users notice or understand the filter tools on draw pages?
Promotions & Rewards – Could players locate second chance play, loyalty program info, or understand limited-time promotions?
One key insight challenged prior assumptions: rotating promotional carousels, previously discouraged based on UX best practices, were actually expected and appreciated by players. Many viewed them as the main way to discover seasonal content, upcoming drawings, and featured games. This directly reversed a prior recommendation I had made, and the client agreed with the revised direction based on the new evidence.
Findings were delivered as a slide deck with platform-specific recommendations, quotes, and supporting rationale. The report led to several design changes, including jackpot placement, label refinements, and reward program content revisions.
This project reinforced the importance of flexible research design and the value of qualitative insights when platform behavior and player types differ. It also sharpened my ability to manage shifting scope while still delivering clear, strategic findings that drive improvements.