Case study · Gaming · UX research
MPL — Mobile Premier League · Nov–Dec 2020
Redesigning MPL to Retain 90M+ Gamers
A wildly successful skill-gaming platform that hit a plateau. Users dropped off after just 2–3 sessions despite strong onboarding. A research-led redesign turned early churn into long-term retention.
Academic recognition
Best Project — New-Age Gaming Industry
Symbiosis Institute of Design · B.Des 2021
Supervised by
- Prof. Tanmoy Goswami — SID, internal guide
- Dr. Pranita Ranade — SID, co-guide
- Ms. Shipra Bhutada — User Connect Consultancy
Full blackbook — 88 pages
90M+
Registered users
Platform scale
83
Gamers researched
3 segments · 3 categories
20
Usability participants
60–75 min sessions
4
Personas built
Behavioral archetypes
What is MPL?
A leading skill-gaming platform with over 90 million registered users, offering free and paid competitions across games, fantasy, and poker.
The challenge
Strong top-of-funnel traction, but users weren't staying. Drop-offs after just 2–3 sessions led to a high 30-day churn rate — even with the best game offerings available.
The goal
Reimagine MPL's interface to be less overwhelming, more intuitive, and trustworthy from day one — guiding users throughout their journey to drive long-term engagement.
01 — Research execution
- 01–02
Deep-dive interviews & journey mapping
48 gamers across Low, Mid, and High Roller tiers. Behavioral pattern analysis, emotional journey mapping, and persona building — uncovering the motivations, frustrations, and decision patterns that shaped the redesign strategy.
- 03
Concept validation
Feature desirability testing with non-MPL gamers across three segments, ranking benefits by perceived value.
- 04
Prototype & usability testing
20 active MPL users, 60–75 minute sessions, four exploration tasks across the redesigned flows.
02 — Sample & audience profile
0gamers across three spend segments and three gaming categories
Research console
48
gamers interviewed across Low (19), Mid (18) and High Roller (11) tiers, plus focus groups.
- Low rollers ₹15055%
- Mid rollers ₹50030%
- High rollers ₹1,000+15%
Fig. 01 · Theme × journey
Where each research theme showed up in the journey
- Download
- Onboard
- First game
- Deposit
- Return
40% downloaded purely for cash incentives — the hook was monetary, so the loyalty was too.
- Age
- 18–45 years old
- Gender
- Predominantly male
- Location
- Tier II & III cities across India
- Profile
- Early jobbers seeking supplemental income
- Segments
- Low (19), Mid (18), High Rollers (11) + focus groups
By spend tier
- Low rollers ₹1500%
- Mid rollers ₹5000%
- High rollers ₹1,000+0%
Method split
- In-depth interviews — persona study, active MPL users
- Focus groups — concept validation, non-MPL gamers
- User-value ranking — benefit desirability scoring
Key behavioral patterns (all segments)
- Users need to save time and reduce cognitive load — this dictates feature choices
- Confidence increases with fluid information architecture
- Users don't read instructions — clarity is non-negotiable
- Current mental models gate adoption of new features
03 — Gaming personas
Side Hustler
Uses spare time to earn extra income. Supplement-seeking behavior, plays for utility.
Newbie Gamer
Cautious, new to real money gaming. Low spend, high anxiety around trust and risk.
Mature Gamer
Disposable income, top revenue contributor. Evaluates benefits against price rationally.
E-Sport Athlete
Competitive, leaderboard-driven. Plays to win and stay on top. Wants an edge over others.
04 — Key pain points uncovered
- 01
Steep learning curve
60% abandoned within 24–48 hours due to overwhelming complexity — most never returned.
- 02
Monetary hook only
40% downloaded purely for cash incentives — no deeper engagement loop to retain them.
- 03
Language barrier
App language created confusion, eroding trust and causing loss of critical game information.
- 04
Low platform trust
Gamers did not trust the app enough to deposit money — perceived financial risk was too high.
05 — Usability testing insights
20 participants · 60–75 min · 4 tasks
Home screen
20/20
All 20 participants navigated the redesigned home without confusion. 16 found their preferred games faster than before, and 12 explicitly said the screen felt less cluttered. Colour-coded category buttons matched how they mentally grouped game types.
Special events
17/20
17 gamers appreciated the prominent top placement — they relied on Special Events for quick, high-value earning opportunities. 3 passive, low-frequency players preferred it pushed down. 1 suggested short video clips instead of static images to convey event stakes.
Games for you
20/20
Universally praised. Every participant valued seeing recently played games surfaced immediately — it reduced search time and matched their habit of returning to familiar games to minimise loss risk. 2 wanted the section even higher.
Fantasy screen
15/20
The breadth of money entry brackets (₹2 to ₹1,00,000) removed a key barrier for low-confidence players. 15 appreciated player names and photos over anonymous icons, which increased perceived fairness. 9 requested a visible counter of selected vs remaining slots.
Chat + livestreams
12/20
12 users found value in merging Chats and Livestreams into a single social tab — less navigation fragmentation. 9 said they watch streams passively to learn strategies. 2 noted most streamers broadcast personally rather than play, diluting the educational value.
Wallet screen
17/20
The restructured Wallet resolved confusion between Winning, Deposit and Bonus Cash — all 20 correctly identified each balance type. Bonus Cash remained a universal frustration: non-withdrawable points felt deceptive. A critical redesign input on expectation-setting.
06 — Impact & outcomes
Retention beyond the 2–3 session cliff, and trust enough to spend.
Retention
Users engaged well beyond 2–3 sessions — the critical drop-off milestone was addressed directly in the redesign.
Trust
Simplified language and clearer wallet structure reduced confusion, building the confidence to deposit and return.
Revenue
Millions of rupees in projected monthly revenue impact from improved engagement and reduced churn.