Socios
Expertise applied: Product Design, Prototyping,
Design System
Socios is an all-in-one engagement app for sports and crypto fans, allowing users to connect with their favourite teams while earning rewards and exclusive benefits.
Challenge
The previous version of the app suffered from slow performance, frequent bugs, and an inconsistent user interface, with notable accessibility challenges. Several user flows were also confusing, creating friction in key interactions.
The primary goal of the redesign was to migrate the app to a React Native framework to significantly improve performance and stability. Alongside this, the UI was updated with a strong focus on accessibility, and new features were introduced to increase user engagement and enhance the Fan Rewards experience.
Design System
The project began with the creation of a new design system built to meet WCAG accessibility guidelines. Research included analysing established design systems from companies such as Adobe and Google to inform best practices. Guidelines were created to support the new components, giving the design team a single source of truth to reference when needed.
Design tokens were also created to improve consistency and streamline better collaboration with developers. These tokens, along with detailed annotations, were integrated directly into the design system to support a smooth handoff and efficient implementation.
Feature Teams
I was the lead designer across two feature teams: Gamification and KYC. I had the responsibility for improving and refining key user flows within each area. In addition, I contributed to Back Office design, enhancing internal tools used by QA and Customer Service teams to improve efficiency.
I also implemented the new design system components across multiple regulatory markets, including Italy, Turkey, and Malaysia. I also redesigned the KYC and Settings flows to make them more intuitive and easier to complete. When UK regulations were introduced, I led the end-to-end design process from defining the flow and building interactive prototypes, to helping with user testing with existing app users.
Insights from testing were used to address concerns and refine the experience before release.
Within the Gamification team, I updated leaderboard and achievement screens using the new component library. I also designed new engagement-driven features, such as local leaderboards, to make the experience more competitive and rewarding. To reduce cognitive overload, I streamlined system feedback by minimising excessive toasts. The search experience was also redesigned improving usability for users.
Outcome
User feedback was extremely positive, with many highlighting the significantly improved performance and smoother experience across the app. Users also noted the improvement of the UI, describing the interface as more polished, accessible, and easier to use.