Racenet: Enhancing Gamer Engagement Through Intuitive Data and Social Sharing

  

Organisational Challenges

Racenet, Codemasters’ web platform, was designed to give users access to their performance scores and challenges across all Codemasters racing games. However, the challenge was not only to make this data available but to present it in a way that was engaging, easy to understand, and shareable on social platforms like Facebook.

Gamers wanted to showcase their achievements and racing stats in a way that felt meaningful and could be easily shared with friends. The platform needed to display a significant amount of data - from scores and rankings to completed challenges—while ensuring it remained intuitive and visually appealing. Additionally, we needed to make it easy for players to share their progress and achievements on social media without leaving the platform.

  

Initiatives & Approach

1. Simplified Data Visualization:
   • We focused on simplifying the presentation of complex gaming data. By using clean, intuitive visuals, we ensured that players could quickly understand their performance metrics, such as race times, leaderboards, and challenges completed.
   • Data was presented through progress bars, graphs, and achievement icons, which were easier to comprehend at a glance. This made it easier for players to track their progress over time and compare their achievements with others.
2. Focus on Social Sharing:
   • Social integration was key to the platform’s success. We wanted to make it easy for users to share their accomplishments with friends and the broader gaming community, specifically on Facebook.
   • We designed shareable content cards that summarized a player's recent achievements, stats, and rankings in a visually appealing format. These cards were automatically populated with relevant data and provided a clear, attractive visual snapshot that could be shared directly to Facebook.
   • The aim was to make the process as frictionless as possible, allowing users to share their successes with minimal effort while encouraging others to engage with the platform.
3. Gamification & Engagement:
   • We incorporated gamified elements such as badges, leaderboards, and milestone trackers to keep users engaged. These elements encouraged competition and social interaction among players.
   • The leaderboards were designed to not only show where a player ranked in comparison to others but also highlighted specific achievements (like completing a challenge or achieving a personal best). This gamification helped increase engagement by motivating players to compete and share their scores.
4. Responsive & Accessible Design:
   • Recognizing the diversity of devices players use to access Racenet, we ensured that the platform was responsive and accessible across various screen sizes and devices. Whether users were on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device, they had a consistent experience.
   • The data visualisations and social sharing features were optimized for performance, ensuring fast loading times and smooth functionality, even on lower-end devices.
5. Personalisation:
   • We introduced personalized dashboards where players could see their specific achievements and racing stats. This personalized approach made the platform feel more tailored and engaging for each individual user.
   • By allowing users to customise what they saw on their dashboard, such as their preferred games, challenges, or leaderboards, we gave them greater control over the content they interacted with.

  

Outcome & Results

• Increased User Engagement: By providing users with an easy-to-read and interactive platform to view and share their gaming stats, Racenet became an engaging experience that encouraged repeat visits. The social sharing functionality was particularly popular, leading to increased visibility and word-of-mouth engagement.
• Enhanced Social Sharing: The shareable content cards that were optimized for Facebook helped players easily broadcast their achievements to their friends, increasing platform visibility and player interaction. This functionality contributed to growing the Racenet community and keeping users engaged with the Codemasters brand.
• Better Data Presentation: By simplifying complex game data into clear, digestible formats, we helped users better understand their progress, leading to higher satisfaction and longer session times on the platform.
• Increased Competitiveness: The leaderboards, milestone trackers, and badges created a competitive environment where users could compare themselves with others, adding an element of fun and challenge that kept players coming back to check their rankings and achievements.

  

Conclusion

The redesign of Racenet transformed the platform into an intuitive, engaging experience for players, focusing on easy access to performance data and seamless social sharing. By addressing the challenges of presenting complex data in a digestible way and integrating social media features, we increased user engagement and solidified the platform’s role in the Codemasters ecosystem.