The
Background
Group Play worked with paper forms, but captains had to do a lot for the group: to collect money, record participation and write down names, chase down payments, and keep tickets safe. Members often didn’t know if their money was recorded or if tickets were actually bought.
These problems often led to arguments and disputes, and unfortunate consequences e.g. delayed prize payouts , ruined friendships and sometimes even lawsuits.
A CBC article in 2011 reported that a $50M 💰 Lotto Max prize was held back because of a fight among group members. Stakeholders at OLG’s prize claim centers told us they saw disputes time to time, and it impacted not only our player experience but also posed challenges to our business...this was such a long standing issue and it's time for this to GO.
The
Overview
TL;DR: Group Play is one of the most popular ways to play the lottery in Ontario. For many years, it used paper forms and relied on manual work, which caused mistakes, confusion, and even big disputes. We were sent on a mission to create a digital version of Grop Play that would be easy for captains to run and give members full visibility into payments, tickets, and winnings.
The work we created is now live：
The
Responsibility
As the project lead, I led the end-to-end UX research and design for Group Play, a digital solution to modernize one of the nation's most popular ways of playing the lottery. By moving the experience away from paper tool, our goal was to improve trust, transparency, and convenience for both group captains and members.
The
Design
Main Workflow
The Group Playexperience was designed to guide players through the entire lifecycle of participation, from onboarding to prize claiming, while ensuring transparency and trust at every step.
Features prioritized according to the flow:
Registration
Users register with OLG using personal details and verification.
This step ensures secure identity and payment setup.
Create or Join a Group
Captains can create a group, set rules, and invite members.
Members can join via invite links or group codes.
Both flows include ticket purchase setup and contribution tracking.
Before the Draw
Players receive notifications and confirmations of group participation.
Contributions and ticket snapshots are visible for transparency.
Draw Time
Results are communicated through the app.
Group members can instantly see outcomes.
Prize Claiming
Winnings are distributed fairly according to each member’s contribution.
Captains and members receive digital confirmation to avoid disputes.
Retention & Notifications
If the group doesn’t win, members are encouraged to try again with a “Good Luck Next Time!” message.
Retention notifications remind members about upcoming draws and subscription options.
Group Play Subscription (Future Extension)
Designed to support recurring participation with automatic payments and ticket purchases.
Captain Workflow:
Research findings showed captains wanted less burden. With the new tool, their role is now just creating the group and sharing a link. When members join, captains approve them by email. They no longer need to record participation, chase down payment, and the new experience is simple, fast and hassle-free.
Member Workflow:
Transparency is key when money is shared in a group. Without it, in traditional way of playing, members feel uncertain or lose trust due to lack of transparency. To solve this, now members can access see contributions, tickets, results and all of their group play records.
The
Research
Phase I: Qualitative Research
With help of other researchers in the group, we conducted interviews with 20+ captains and members. Explored their motivations, group dynamics, communication tools, and barriers to change. Insights discovered:
Group Play is about luck and camaraderie as much as winning.
Captains face a heavy cognitive and organizational burden.
Members feel out of the loop, relying entirely on captains.
Groups used fragmented tools (e.g.WhatsApp, email, cash), creating friction.
Fears of learning curve, especially among those that are aged 45+
Phase II: Quantitative Research
We also surveyed 100+ Ontario lottery players with a focus on technology adoption.Important Findings included:
71% of groups play at workplaces, with sizes under 15 members.
Motivations split: members value convenience & better odds; captains value fun & bonding.
About 70% expressed interest in a digital solution
High demand features include ticket tracking, payment management and notifications.
Phase III: Iterative Design Testing
Conducted remote sprint-based testing, and tracked custom UX metrics for usability, engagement, and trust.
Key refinements:
Clearer payment statuses (paid/unpaid).
Stronger trust signals (digital receipts, ticket snapshots).
Simplified member views to reduce confusion.
The
Process
Stage I focused on preparation and discovery. We began with stakeholder interviews to understand organizational goals and gather requirements. This included prize claim staff, who provided valuable stories about
disputes and pain points that underscored the need for a digital solution.
Stage II centered on understanding potential users. In-depth interviews with captains and members were conducted alongside a large-scale survey with 100 participants. These efforts uncovered motivations, barriers, and adoption challenges, which were then synthesized into user journeys and flowcharts to align the team.
Stage III involved design iteration and validation. Early prototypes were built and refined through multiple usability testing sprints. Custom UX metrics were applied to track usability, trust, and engagement, ensuring that key design decisions addressed real user needs.
Stage IV delivered the final design. High-fidelity prototypes for both captain and member experiences were created, including dashboards, payment tracking, and notifications. Usability testing and live product reviews ensured design was recreated with code, while a product onboarding video was developed to help ease adoption and reassure players transitioning from paper to digital.
The
Deliverables
By Modernizing how Group Play is experienced, the launch successfully tackled a long-standing challenge for both playing experience and OLG's business.
And today, Group Play is available across app and web, making it easier than ever for Ontarians to play, connect, and share the excitement of the lottery.
In addition to the new digital Group Play tool, we also created a product onboarding video. The goal wasn’t just to show features, but also easing user' worries about moving away from paper and helping them feel confident to adopt something newer and better🤞🤞🤞.