PlayMate

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7 findings and what I changed

• Didn’t know when or how to rate teammates after a game

  The rating screen now opens automatically when a game ends

• Cost-splitting was unclear before joining a paid game

  Costs split automatically and show up front; cash or PayPal

• Missed the Create action in the tab bar

  Create button enlarged and raised above the bar

• Unclear whether a game needed a minimum headcount

  Creators can set a minimum and maximum player count

• Expected some consequence for a no-show

  Automatic 1-star reliability penalty, shown on the profile

• Wanted to book the venue, not just see its name

  Tapping a venue opens its own booking app

• Asked for a back-up plan for last-minute cancellations

  Waitlist added; extra players fill cancellations automatically

The loudest signal of round one: nobody had a clear moment to rate a teammate, so the rating screen now finds the player.

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11 findings and what I changed

• Landed on Home with no first-time context

  Onboarding flow designed and added

• Cards blended into the background

  Contrast between cards and background increased

• The map scrolled away with the list

  Map stays fixed while the list scrolls

• Couldn’t find where a no-show would appear

  Clear entry point added; incident log recoloured from yellow to red

• Map pins were hard to read at a glance

  Pins redrawn for readability

• Wanted actions when tapping another player

  Add friend, message and invite in one menu

• Button sizes were inconsistent

  Button heights standardised across the app

• The hot pink read as visual noise

  Palette reduced for consistency

• Square corners felt dated and off-brand

  Rounded corners across components

• Expected Settings inside Profile

  Settings moved into a profile overlay

• Confused by “Shooter”-style position tags

  Position tags removed from player cards

People dropped into Home with zero context. A first-time flow wasn’t optional; it led round three.

11 findings and what I changed

• Bright background caused visible eye strain

  Background toned down across all screens

• Couldn’t tell past games from active ones

  Past game cards restyled in greyscale

• Wanted to try the app before signing up

  “Continue as guest” added to onboarding

• Create Game felt like a jarring full-page jump

  Create Game now opens as an overlay

• Couldn’t go back to a previous onboarding step

  Circular pagination to move freely between steps

• The “Welcome” text felt repetitive and oversized

  Welcome text scaled down

• Missed the social-proof number on sign-up

  Social-proof number enlarged

• Scanned onboarding copy without reading it

  Copy cut to short, slogan-style lines

• Bright yellow was tiring over a longer session

  After a colour-accessibility test, the yellow was softened

• Assumed an empty input was already active

  Inactive inputs now use a very light grey stroke

• Grouped “Past Games” with the wrong card

  Spacing corrected so Past Games sits with its section

People asked to try the app before signing up. Sign-up was blocking discovery, so guests can now look around first.

The last round paired task-based testing with a structured heuristic review across four themes. These are the final screens.

Onboarding

Home and game flow

Friends, ratings and profile