my brief on Facebook sports betting application including links to all research.

1. Interactive brief
Facebook sports and betting application
Title
Let’s make some money
Summary
This brief is about creating a new application for Facebook users. Based on information gathered
from users the concept is a Sport app/betting app. The aim of this app will hopefully entice new
users to join Facebook with the hope of earning some winnings. It will be available men and women
over the age of 18, with a Facebook account, who enjoy sports or just enjoy gambling.The design of
the app will fall into two parts, the first being the sports section with details of games and leagues
and the second being the betting section. The app will have a desktop version and mobile siteso
itsfits in with peoples lifestyles.
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2. Rationale
Why are we doing this?
Well in the beginning I began my research by looking into to Facebook users. I recorded in two
essays what kind of lifestyle these two users had, how a typical week went in their lives. The point
of this character summary was to determine how they use Facebook and how it fits in around their
lives. The users were from different age groups and both used Facebook very differently.
The first character was a 23 year old woman whose use of Facebook mainly evolved around her love
of Kickboxing. Being a fighter for 6years she had acquired quite a lot of photos, videos and even
friends within the world of full contact fighting. In the beginning it was for social reasons but it soon
became a free way of storing her files, sharing them and keeping in touch with people all around the
world. As it is free it was a great way of adverting shows and events and a quick way of spreading
the word.http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/my-profile-10649665
The second character was a 41 year old woman whose life was kept exceedingly busy by her 5year
old son with T.O.F (Trachea oesophagealfistula). This character was a Facebook user only because
of a teacher from her degree asking the class to make a profile. Unimpressed for the first few uses
she kept her posts to a minimal, but after graduating and becoming a master’s student she soon
found Facebook a lot more useful. It became a way of chatting with other families with a TOF child,
keeping up with classmates, and even post photos of rugby games and scores, but her main use
evolved around raising awareness of the condition. http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/catrina
After completing my character summary I created a short presentation based on my findings. I put
together four slides for each character showing what I believed was their motivation for using
Facebook, their interface, of what they used, their interaction which was what they did whilst online,
and the visual, which what they seen.http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/facebook-10649466
These essays and this presentation was printed off and placed on a display board for 18people to
read. Once read different coloured stickers were used to leave comments on the print offs. The
comments were broke into the four groups of motivation, interface, interaction and visual like I had
done myself, only these comments were design ideas. The point of the exercise was to write down
quickly the first thought that came to mind to help me determine where I could find the opportunity
to change Facebook to suit the users; even it was just to change the colour.
Once these comments were gather I was able to complete a spread sheet of my findings and again
present them in PowerPoint.http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/facebook-data-10649500 .
This exercise proved more useful to others than it did me. From my first findings I received no
comments for interaction, and very little for others. I had to take my characters to outside sources
to gather more ideas.
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3. This was more productive and I was able to make another spreadsheet that was a lot fuller in
opportunities than the first. I wrote comments next to the ones I received to show my own
thoughts, even if the comment was reporting ‘I do not understand’ it was still important to record
my thoughts.http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/finalspreadsheet2 . From here I was able to
build a filter spread sheet, and start scoring these ideas. I used 10 filters to determine good ideas
from bad, for example, what mobile app opportunities were there, what was hi-tech and what
would make money. http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/veyfinalfilterspread . This was the
most useful piece of information I completed as it now allowed me to move forward and create and
bar graph visually showing the popularity of ideas and a scatter chart of them. The bar graph was
scored on the filter spread, by simply counting any good scores the idea got, some scored nothing
and were left out. http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/bargraph-10649586 . The scatter graph
was created using the yes/no and mobile/not mobile filter. I was able to put the ideas into
categories using this simple method and cut my ideas down either further getting me closer to my
final result. http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/scattergraph-10649557 .
Now it was time to present all the findings and determine the clear winner. I put together a final
presentation of all this analysis. http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/final-anaylsis-pres . After
completing all this this clear choice seemed to be the sports application with the betting options.
The reason being wasthat both users had used Facebook, if even in a small way, for sport related
posts. Creating file backup and storage would have made Facebook money also but there is quite a
lot of competition and some even for free. Majority of people are already using Icloud and even
external hard drives. Design opportunities such as changing the layout of the mobile app and adding
customisable options online would there already if it was an issue that affected Facebook’s number
of user. I believe Facebook’s crisp clean white and blue layout is a fresh look welcomed by users
after such social networks such as Bebo that look extremely busy. Ideas like these won’t encourage
more users, but the thought of maybe a little making money in one visit to Facebook might.
Betting is something that has been around for a long time and something that most people
participate in at some point in their life, even if it is something friendly between friends. Having an
app on Facebook makes sense as almost everyone has a Facebook account and most follow some
sort of sport. It can be used to find sport information, buts gives the option of placing a bet which is
what is important. It’s the user’s choice to spend or not spend.
http://www.slideshare.net/charmaine22/sports-and-betting-application-for-facebook
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4. Vision and scope
Impression of the design
The concept is a Sport’s betting app based around all the popular sports such as Tennis, Horse
racing, Rugby and Football. Having multiple sports means that the app isn’t a seasonal thing, it’s
available all year round. It’s aimed at men and women over 18years of age that use Facebook
regularly with a passion for any sport or who just enjoys the fun a gambling.
It is important that the application doesn’t just have to betting side but provides up to date
information for the user too. For example, if you wanted to bet on a six nation’s game you can log in
to the app find your sport, find your league table and check the leader board and all the points that
each team have. As well as this you can see when, where and what time each game is being played
for this league. It is also important that the odds for each individual game are included into the app
too.
As the app will be versatile, it is very important that the app will have not only an amazing desktop
version but a user friendly mobile site too. Each version will have to have similarities so the user
recognises it immediately as well as being easy to use. It should be neatly set up, possibly like a web
page within Facebook, although as its part of Facebook, user’s will access it from their homepage,
sae as other apps. Maybe the app will give the opportunity to change your name or create an avatar
like in the gaming apps.
If it is to become successful the app needs to fit into peoples busy lifestyles. For example, you
forgot to place a bet on this evenings football match but you’re in work and have offered to work
through your lunch. No problem, in five minutes you can have logged in and bet on your team all on
your mobile! This app will allow users to place bets on any game they like, whenever, and where
ever they like with no more queues at the local bookmakers.
This application is a fantastic opportunity for Facebook to, not just expand the amount of users it
has, but to make a little money and have fun doing so. Daily give away and spot prizes could the kind
of thing Facebook has the opportunity to create in order to encourage its users into spending more.
Most people watch some sort of sport, and let’s face it, almost everyone is on Facebook, this could
be the leg up needed to promote use of the app over competitors, and as Facebook knows it users, it
would be able to send emails and have relative adverts on profiles. Facebook could give user’s the
chance daily to win credit by simply inviting friends to use the app. This app is aboutFacebook giving
its users the chance to make a little money and have some fun.
It is very important that the users that are betting on this app are over 18. As the sports section
dose not require an age restriction it should be made available to everyone. So how when designing
this do we check I.D’s and ages to make sure we don’t have underage gambling? Maybe ask for
photocopy of photographic I.D or does this make it too easy to use a fake account to match a fake
I.D? Ask for the national insurance number? Whatever the solution,this is very important to the
design as underage gambling is illegal!
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5. Another problem that may occur in the design of this application is how to we get the users to
actually pay? Well one thing that has worked in the past for other apps, such a Farmville or The Sims
social, is buying a bundle of their virtual cash. It’s a simple transaction using any visa card or debit
card. It is a different price for different bundles and they come in a set amount of virtual money.
Once you place a bet you know that any virtually cash left stays in your account for next use, and any
cash won is credited to your account. But even withthis design comes the issue of how dose the
user get it his or hers winnings? Dose the virtual cash just get refunded back into the bank account
at it real cash equivalent? It is the most important feature of the application in a way as the user will
want to know the application isn’t just safe for online bank transactions, but that they won’t be
ripped off, and will receive their full winnings. This is something that will need resolved quickly in
the design process.
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6. Deliverables
What are you expected to produce?
First on the list of deliverables is a high quality finished design of the ‘home page’ or the design of
what the user first sees when they log in and begin. This layout is important as it sets up all
important information for the user. This design will include the app name, indication of where the
user’s information will be place and an example of any other information included. This will be
mounted on A4 black card.
The next thing in this list of deliverables is a storyboard. This will be a step by step account of a user
logging in, using the sports app for gathering their information and finally showing how the user
would place the bet. Each slide in the story board will be an illustrated screen shot of the application
in use and can be completed in any media.E.g. Drawing, Photoshop. There is no limit to the amount
of slides produced, so long as each indicates the actions mentioned above. The finished storyboard
should be completed to a high quality and mounted on Black card.
Following this story broad will be a flow chart of functionality. This flow chart will show how the
money transaction is completed. It should start at the beginning when the user pays in and end to
show how the winnings are received. This can be hand drawn or an excel spread sheet, just as long
as the information is provided.
Next include all designs for the mobile application, noting any features that has been simplified or
discarded in order to make it work as a mobile app. This is important as the mobile version and the
desktop version will have some differences, these designs will show how these problems were
resolved. No story board is necessary for this; just high quality final images presented A4 on black
card.
The design of this app should include a logo and a running theme should be recognisable. The logo
will be preferably be finished in illustrator, but a Photoshop version will be acceptable. Again this
will be mounted on A4 black card.
All back up design work, sketches and research will be presented in an A4 Sketch book;this will
include any problems that occurred during the designing and clear indication on how it was resolved.
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7. Deliverables
6 deliverables
1. Homepage design
2. Storyboard
3. Flow chart
4. Mobile application design
5. Logo
6. All back up design work and research
All deliverables to be completed to a high quality finished and mounted on A4 black card.
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