Discovery and Product Strategy

FanDuel Casino Reels Discovery Strategy

A zero-to-one discovery story about reframing a dense game lobby as an inspiration problem, testing a content-led concept, and sequencing the idea into smaller product bets.

Leadership Question

Could short-form game content create better starting points for players without committing the product to a full Reels experience?

0 to 1 StrategyDiscoveryConcept Testing

Case at a glance

Leadership scope and evidence

Lead zero-to-one work by reframing the problem, making the evidence legible, and sequencing a large concept into decisions the organization can learn from.

Leadership role: Senior Product Design Manager and zero-to-one design workstream lead
Timeframe: 6+ week accelerated discovery initiative
Team: 3 Product Designers, 2 UX Researchers, 1 Content Designer, and cross-functional partners
Scope: Game discovery, short-form content, trailer modules, and a possible Reels and Explore experience

Concept-test participants

10

Tested the prototype with 10 selected FanDuel Casino customers.

Discovery initiative

6+ weeks

Compressed problem framing, sprinting, prototyping, testing, and roadmap work into one focused effort.

Trailer iterations

2

An Animated Trailer released in July 2023, followed by a carousel iteration in December 2023.

Executive summary

Project Reels began with a choice: optimize browsing or test whether players needed more inspiring starting points. I led the 6+ week workstream with 3 product designers, 2 UX researchers, 1 content designer, and cross-functional partners.

Research shifted the frame from inventory to motivation. The team tested the concept with 10 selected customers, then used roadmap workshops to choose smaller bets. The documented outcome is narrower: Animated Trailer modules launched in July and December 2023, while engagement results remained qualitative.

Challenge

The strategic question was inventory or inspiration.

The team needed to know whether a new content model addressed a real discovery need before committing to a full Reels experience.

Traditional casino lobbies made games available through shelves, categories, and search. Player interviews indicated that availability was not the only problem. People also needed a compelling place to start and enough information to understand why a game might be worth trying.

That distinction changed the concept. The work explored trailers, familiar short-form interaction cues, game education, and community signals as possible sources of motivation rather than simply adding another browse surface.

Leadership role

What John led

The design workstream moved from an ambiguous behavior shift to a tested direction and sequenced roadmap.

Led 3 product designers, 2 UX researchers, and 1 content designer through the accelerated initiative.
Reframed discovery from lobby navigation to motivation, game education, and entertainment.
Aligned product, engineering, research, program, marketing, content, and commercial partners around a testable question.
Used customer evidence and roadmap workshops to select smaller experiments before the broader experience.

Approach

Discovery decisions

Each phase reduced a different uncertainty: the problem, the concept, the customer response, and the first product commitment.

Research

Distinguish availability from motivation

Used player interviews to examine how short-form video, streaming, and social proof were changing expectations for discovery.

Reframe

Move from inventory to starting points

Defined the need as inspiration and game education, giving the team a sharper question than lobby optimization.

Sprint

Make the direction testable

Used a 3-day sprint to turn research signals into short-form concepts that cross-functional partners could compare.

Test

Examine comprehension and motivation

Tested the prototype with 10 selected customers to understand game education, visual familiarity, community cues, and concept clarity.

Sequence

Choose the smallest useful bet

Prioritized trailers, then a carousel iteration, before any broader product commitment.

Outcome

A tested direction and a sequenced roadmap

The work narrowed a broad vision into two documented releases and a clearer next learning question.

The concept work reframed discovery, aligned the intended Average Games Played behavior, and produced customer evidence about short-form game education. Roadmap workshops translated that direction into smaller options with different value, effort, and learning potential.

An Animated Trailer released in July 2023, followed by a carousel iteration in December 2023. Those are the documented product outcomes; engagement, browse-to-play, and Average Games Played results remain unconfirmed.

What We Learned

The leadership lessons that carried forward

The strongest case studies leave behind more than shipped work. They sharpen the operating principles behind future decisions.

01

Test the reframe

A zero-to-one concept becomes useful when evidence distinguishes the new problem from a more familiar one.

02

Commit to the question before the feature

A shared strategic question lets cross-functional partners compare concepts without treating one solution as inevitable.

03

What I would do differently

I would define the learning threshold for each release before concept testing so interest in the vision and evidence for a product commitment stayed easier to separate.