ROLE:
LEAD PRODUCT DESIGNER
TIMELINE:
2 WEEKS
PLATFORM:
ANDROID
YEAR:
2024
IPL Cricket Quiz
Project Overview
During IPL season, user engagement on Zupee historically dipped by ~30% as users migrated to fantasy platforms like Dream11 and MPL. Previous attempts to counter this trend by launching cricket themed games—like Cricket Tambola and Zupee Cricketbaaz (a Dus Ka Dum style format)—were ambitious but fell short.
Both games demanded high user effort and couldn’t compete with the low-friction thrill of watching live cricket. This time, we took a radically different approach:
Build something lightweight, fast, and habit-forming. I led the product design across concept, MVP experiments, and final rollout—focusing on simplicity, attention fit, and a seamless real-money reward loop.
Concept Test: Cricket Skill Quiz as Qualifier
Before experimenting with incentives, we first needed to validate the core idea:
Would users engage with cricket-themed questions during live matches?
We launched a basic 5-10-question skill quiz, where users had to answer X out of Y correctly to qualify for future real-money rewards.
This served a dual purpose:
Validate interest in low-effort cricket content
Establish a skill-based compliance layer
The strong participation rate confirmed product-market fit—and gave us the foundation to build higher-stakes MVP experiments.
Experiment 1: Prediction-Based Multiplier
Users were shown a set of match prediction questions they could answer during the match. After the game ended, their answers were scored and converted into a win multiplier, which was then applied to their total winnings from Zupee games played during the same match window. The final bonus was credited post-match.
While this model encouraged gameplay, it was too complex—many users missed the link between quiz performance and game volume, and the delayed, multi-step reward flow made it hard to retain interest.
Experiment 2: Hourly Quiz with Day-End Rewards
In this version, users received one new match-related question every hour during the match. Each correct answer earned a fixed cash reward, but both the results and the rewards were revealed only at the end of the day, once match outcomes were verified.
This format was simple and saw better engagement than Experiment 1.
Final Solution
After validating the core behavior through MVPs, we doubled down on the quiz format—but layered in product polish, strategic constraints, and visual richness to turn it into a daily ritual during IPL.
We retained the simplicity: 3–5 match-relevant questions, fast answers, and cash rewards per correct answer. But the final experience was elevated through the following additions:
More answer options: Moving beyond binary (Yes/No) to 3–4 choice formats enabled deeper match questions and kept quiz content fresh.
Time-bound answering: Each question had a set response window, introducing urgency and creating space for new hourly drops.
Hourly refresh cycle: A new question appeared every hour during match time—nudging users to return regularly.
Reward collection window: Rewards had to be manually collected within a limited time, creating a return loop and preventing passive farming.Reward history section: Users could view all answered questions, results, and credit status—building trust and transparency.
AI-generated match banners: Each quiz drop came with a match-themed visual, giving the quiz contextual flair and boosting discoverability within the app.
Together, these changes turned the quiz into a low-effort, high-return touchpoint—something users looked forward to every match day. For many, it became their first app interaction during IPL, nudging them back into gameplay while subtly managing reward burn for the business.
Impact & Reflection
The Daily IPL Quiz achieved what two previous years of experimentation couldn’t: it became a sticky, repeatable engagement touchpoint that ran alongside live matches instead of competing with them. For the first time in three years, we sustained user retention throughout the IPL season and avoided the usual performance dip.
Key Outcomes:
✅ Helped sustain overall platform engagement during IPL—averting the typical 30% seasonal dip
🔁 Within the quiz, 35%+ users returned daily, with peak repeat use during prime match slots
⏱️ Average session time on quiz increased by 2.3x after adding the reward collection mechanic
💸 Controlled reward burn through time-gated rewards and hourly drops—keeping costs in check without hurting perceived value
🎯 Drove session initiation among dormant IPL-viewing users who weren’t opening the app otherwise
Beyond metrics, the quiz evolved into a behavioral anchor—something users came back for each day, even if they didn’t play a game afterward.
Looking ahead, we see strong potential to adapt this format to other cultural and seasonal peaks—whether it’s the Cricket World Cup, Diwali, or regional events. If we were to iterate further, we’d explore lightweight team play mechanics, social streaks, or geo-based quiz ladders to add depth without reintroducing friction.
