Designing the Fantasy Finance Game
Timeline
March - December 2019
Organisation
Invstr
Role
Product Designer
Overview
Fantasy Finance is a gamified experience that helps users learn about the financial markets. This project focused on redesigning how the game is played, improving user retention, and exploring new revenue streams without limiting gameplay.
I led the redesign at Invstr, collaborating with product and research teams in London to develop the concept. I traveled to Istanbul regularly over a 4 month period to work directly with the tech team, where we refined and implemented the design. Together, we created a seamless, engaging experience that boosted user retention and set the stage for new revenue opportunities.
> Improved app retention by ~70% after downloading for the first time
> Generated new revenue streams and converted ~15% of players to premium within 2 months of launching
UX research
Workshop facilitation
Gamification
Prototyping
UI Design
Design systems
User testing
The Challenge
How might we enhance the app experience and generate revenue?
The core game required many improvements, as highlighted in user feedback and validated in usage data. Key areas for enhancement included; creating a better understanding of building an investment portfolio, ensuring a realistic trading game experience, and clearer insights into player performance.
Alongside these gameplay improvements, we aimed to introduce revenue generation without compromising the user experience. We wanted to explore ways to add value for users while keeping the core game enjoyable and free to play, ensuring that monetisation felt like a natural extension of a users learning.
Previous app design
Discovery
Learning about the biggest frustrations in the game
I worked closely with the community manager to gather in-depth feedback and identify players’ biggest frustrations with the game. Through user interviews and analysis of app analytics, we pinpointed several areas for improvement. The first issue was the confusion around the setup and rules of gameplay, there was no time limit or objectives when making trades, and players struggled to understand that each instrument showed live real-time prices and most couldn't be traded 24/7.
Additionally, players struggled to understand their performance scores when closing a trade, finding the data-heavy presentation confusing and unclear. This research provided valuable insights that informed our design decisions, helping us prioritise which areas of the user experience to improve.
Identifying opportunities for revenue
To explore potential revenue streams, we spoke directly to players about what they felt was missing from the app, particularly focusing on what they would be willing to pay for. While most expressed that they would stop using the app if the core game required a paid subscription, many were open to paying for additional educational content that could help them learn to invest and gain confidence in real markets.
We further validated this idea through surveys, asking users what type of educational content they would expect to see. This feedback highlighted a clear opportunity to provide value through enhanced educational resources, such as investment guides, tutorials, and market insights, while ensuring the core game experience remained free and accessible.
Ideation sessions with the team
We began exploring ideas to improve the overall game experience and integrate an educational feature into the app. I facilitated ideation workshops where we brainstormed and refined concepts to enhance both gameplay and user learning.
During this phase, I collaborated closely with developers based in Istanbul to test new game features and examine ways to improve performance, particularly with the live price ticker. We also focused on how to better communicate out-of-hours trading, especially when the US stock market was closed. This hands-on collaboration allowed us to quickly iterate on ideas and ensure that the solutions we developed were both technically feasible and aligned with user needs.
Whiteboard ideation in the London office
Working with the development team in Istanbul
Concept design
Revamping Fantasy Finance for smarter investing
The scope of improvements focused on refining the core game mechanics to provide a more engaging and educational experience. As part of a broader shift in how the game is played, we introduced a portfolio-style setup, where players could assemble a team of investments that would contribute to an average performance score each month, this is modelled on similar fantasy sports games - hence the new name "Fantasy Finance". This new setup reshaped the trading experience, giving players a clear objective and aligning the experience with real-world situations of managing a long term portfolio.
The trade screen's performance was improved, making the live price ticker more responsive and the live price easier to read. We also addressed the issue of out-of-hours trading by clearly communicating the status of each market, ensuring players understood when they could or couldn’t trade, particularly with markets like the US stock exchange. These changes not only streamlined the gameplay but also aligned it more closely with real-world investing dynamics, boosting both usability and educational value.
Creating a moment of delight, win or lose
The redesign of the performance score after making a trade simplified data presentation, ensuring players could easily understand their performance without feeling overwhelmed. We integrated core game elements to enhance the learning experience and reinforce the educational value of the game. The new design created a moment of delight for players, making them proud to show off their score – even when they lost.
User testing provided valuable feedback on the new designs, allowing us to make final refinements that optimised both the learning impact and usability. The design captured attention while maintaining clarity, simplified key performance metrics to keep players focused, and aligned with the overall game experience to ensure consistency. Ultimately, the performance score became not just an informational tool but a rewarding and engaging aspect of the game.
Previous trading performance
Sketching new component design for trade performance
New app features
Introducing Invstr Academy
To enhance the educational aspect of Fantasy Finance, we introduced Invstr Academy, a 10-module interactive learning experience designed to teach players about financial markets through engaging content. Each module contains 8-12 lessons, with a mini-game at the end of each lesson to test understanding and reinforce learning. To progress to the next module, players must pass a 10-question quiz, and upon completing each module they earn a new badge, rewarding their progress.
To create a revenue stream, all players had free access to the first two modules, with the remaining eight modules available via a premium subscription to the app. This approach allowed users to 'try before they buy', helping them first see the value before committing their money.
Results
Driving engagement & revenue growth
I worked on a full app redesign, overseeing the end-to-end design process from research to visual design. This included revamping the trading game and developing educational content, enhancing the experience through gamification, rich visuals, and strong UX principles. The redesign significantly improved app retention, with users engaging more consistently after their first download. Additionally, the introduction of premium content successfully converted a substantial portion of existing players to premium subscribers, generating new revenue streams and enhancing the overall value of the app.
After launching the new version of the game, we saw:
> Improved app retention by ~70% after downloading for the first time
> Generated new revenue streams and converted ~15% of players to premium within 2 months of launching
Reflections
This project was particularly challenging due to the fast-paced nature of working in a start-up environment, alongside the vast number of products and features we tackled. I took on many roles throughout, gaining valuable experience in product management, creating project timelines, writing development tickets, content creation, and conducting QA.
One of the biggest benefits of working in a small, agile team was seeing my work come to life quickly. I especially enjoyed traveling to Istanbul regularly to collaborate directly with the developers, where we could refine the gameplay and ensure seamless implementation. This hands-on approach allowed me to contribute meaningfully to both the design and development processes, and I gained a deeper understanding of the entire product lifecycle.