Rally
Timeline
Timeline
Timeline
Role
Role
Role
Skills
Skills
Skills
Designing a digital product to increase esports fans' loyalty and engagement, ultimately to drive monetization
Designing a digital product to increase esports fans' loyalty and engagement, ultimately to drive monetization
Designing a digital product to increase esports fans' loyalty and engagement, ultimately to drive monetization
Sept 2025 -Dec 2025
Sept 2025 -Dec 2025
Sept 2025 -Dec 2025
Product Designer & Graphic Designer
Product Designer & Graphic Designer
Product Designer & Graphic Designer
UI/UX Design
Pitch Decks
Visual Storytelling
UI/UX Design
Pitch Decks
Visual Storytelling
UI/UX Design
Pitch Decks
Visual Storytelling
Rally
Rally
Rally
Rally
Background & Context
Riot Games challenged our team to deepen gamers' emotional connection to esports players.
Riot Games challenged our team to deepen gamers' emotional connection to esports players.
Please view this case study on desktop for a better experience!
One of my favorite pastimes has always been playing Riot Games—few studios build worlds the way Riot does. Their champions feel alive, their events feel cinematic, and the universe of Runeterra pulls you in without ever asking.
When challenged to create a product that would deepen emotional connections from esports fans to teams and players, I wondered what formula could connect players to esports, in the same way players connected to the champions of the game.
I was a product designer for ProductSC's client services, working in a team of 3 (one PM and one dev).
As someone who has had first-hand experience falling in love with Runeterra, I wondered what formula could connect players to esports, in the same way players connected to in-game characters.
Solution Preview
Solution Preview
Rally is an in-client identity experience that matches players with esports teams and pros based on playstyle, personality, and values, then builds engagement through a progression system and
Rally is an in-client identity experience that matches players with esports teams and pros based on playstyle, personality, and values, then builds engagement through a progression system and
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Research
Research
I conducted a comparative analysis of viewership data, revealing that fans show up for Worlds and championship games but disappear in the middle of the split.
I conducted a comparative analysis of viewership data, revealing that fans show up for Worlds and championship games but disappear in the middle of the split.
6.9M
Worlds
Viewership Dropoff
6.9M
Worlds
Viewership Dropoff
I conducted 12 user interviews between casual League players, lapsed esports viewers, and traditional sports fans and discovered:
I conducted 12 user interviews between casual League players, lapsed esports viewers, and traditional sports fans and discovered:
There's no onboarding into esports…
There's no onboarding into esports…
Esports Lacks Jersey Markers: Traditional sports fans told us teams "stand for something," but Esports teams felt mechanical and interchangeable.
Esports Lacks Jersey Markers: Traditional sports fans told us teams "stand for something," but Esports teams felt mechanical and interchangeable.
No Onboarding Into Fandom: Users are expected to research teams, learn rosters, and self-select, creating high friction and decision paralysis.
No Onboarding Into Fandom: Users are expected to research teams, learn rosters, and self-select, creating high friction and decision paralysis.
Mid-Season Narrative Collapse: Championship moments create temporary attention spikes, but between tournaments, there's no story scaffolding.
Mid-Season Narrative Collapse: Championship moments create temporary attention spikes, but between tournaments, there's no story scaffolding.
Players > Orgs: TenZ (Valorant pro) has 4.5M+ followers; Valorant Esports account has 4.8M. Fans attach to individuals, but most pros have no presence.
Players > Orgs: TenZ (Valorant pro) has 4.5M+ followers; Valorant Esports account has 4.8M. Fans attach to individuals, but most pros have no presence.
Understanding the Funnel
Ideation
Through our conversations with fans who understood what made the game so sticky, we concluded how Riot already builds emotional attachment with in-game characters through event ecosystems:
Ideation
Understanding the Funnel
Through our conversations with fans who understood what made the game so sticky, we concluded how Riot already builds emotional attachment with in-game characters through event ecosystems:
DISCOVERY
DISCOVERY
what happens: champion teasers, skin reveals, cinematic drops
what happens: champion teasers, skin reveals, cinematic drops
IDENTITY
IDENTITY
what happens: players discover champions that reflect their playstyle and personality
what happens: players discover champions that reflect their playstyle and personality
NARRATIVE IMMERSION
NARRATIVE IMMERSION
what happens: event passes, lore, and content deepen the relationship
what happens: event passes, lore, and content deepen the relationship
COSMETIC EXPRESSION
COSMETIC EXPRESSION
what happens: skins and emotes let players broadcast their identity to others
what happens: skins and emotes let players broadcast their identity to others
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
what happens: champion teasers, skin reveals, cinematic drops
what happens: champion teasers, skin reveals, cinematic drops
This funnel works because it transforms choice into an identity. The gap exists between curiosity and attachment. Riot's fandom funnel solves this through designed identity moments; Esports has none.
How might we... transform the esports experience from passive viewing to identity-driven fandom by adapting Riot's proven storytelling systems for real players and teams?
Solution
Solution
01. The Match Quiz
A 8-question personality and playstyle assessment. Instead of telling players to just "Pick a team," we ask "Who are you inside the game?" in order to connect players to esports pro players.
01. The Match Quiz
A 8-question personality and playstyle assessment. Instead of telling players to just "Pick a team," we ask "Who are you inside the game?" in order to connect players to esports pro players.
02. The Rally Pass & Community Leaderboard
We designed two complementary progression systems to reinforce team identity through low-friction engagement.
[1] The Rally Pass provides a lightweight, individual progression loop that rewards core behaviors—playing matches, watching live games, and team wins—without introducing grind-heavy tasks. Milestones unlock team-specific cosmetics, anchoring rewards to identity rather than performance.
02. The Rally Pass & Community Leaderboard
We designed two complementary progression systems to reinforce team identity through low-friction engagement.
[1] The Rally Pass provides a lightweight, individual progression loop that rewards core behaviors—playing matches, watching live games, and team wins—without introducing grind-heavy tasks. Milestones unlock team-specific cosmetics, anchoring rewards to identity rather than performance.
[2] At the community level, the Community Leaderboard Pass aggregates individual participation into a shared progression bar, visually represented as an evolving team jersey (a banner). Each tier enhances cosmetics visually for all supporters.
Takeaways
Takeaways
01.
01.
Empathy and transparency is key. Creative solutions can be fun, but must also
be feasible. Practicing empathy with your devs is key.
Empathy and transparency is key. Creative solutions can be fun, but must also
be feasible. Practicing empathy with your devs is key.
02.
02.
Fans don't just become fans. Properly designing and scaffolding a fandom pipeline is necessary for any product built in entertainment.
Fans don't just become fans. Properly designing and scaffolding a fandom pipeline is necessary for any product built in entertainment.
Highlight monetization. A product's greatest justification is it's ability to generate profit—clarify that pipeline.
Highlight monetization. A product's greatest justification is it's ability to generate profit—clarify that pipeline.
03.
03.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Shout out to my amazing team, Sky and Sania, for such a busy semester, filled with learning and laughs! Go team Riot Red!
Shout out to my amazing team, Sky and Sania, ProductSC, and Riot Games for such a busy semester, filled with learning and laughs! Go team Riot Red!
This funnel works because it transforms choice into an identity. The gap exists between curiosity and attachment. Riot's fandom funnel solves this through designed identity moments; Esports has none.
Thanks for scrolling all the way!