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© 2026 Daniel PARISI. All Rights Reserved
Board Game Arena
Board Game Arena
Making Online Board Games
easy to Discover and Play
Making Online Board Games easy to Discover and Play
0:00/1:34
0:00/1:34
0:00/1:34
Overview
Overview
Overview
Overview
Overview
Overview
Board Game Arena is one of the world’s largest online hubs for learning and playing board games, with over 10 million players discovering new titles every day. But behind that global activity, something wasn’t working: new players arrived excited, explored a bit, and quietly disappeared before ever completing a game.
Endless choice, rich mechanics, a loyal community, yet newcomers struggled to make a single meaningful first choice.
I was brought in to rethink that invisible space between curiosity and commitment, the first few minutes where discovery, learning, and long-term retention are won or lost. What I found reframed everything about how players choose, learn, and return… and pointed to one surprisingly simple shift that changed the entire journey.
Board Game Arena is one of the world’s largest online hubs for learning and playing board games, with over 10 million players discovering new titles every day. But behind that global activity, something wasn’t working: new players arrived excited, explored a bit, and quietly disappeared before ever completing a game.
Endless choice, rich mechanics, a loyal community, yet newcomers struggled to make a single meaningful first choice.
I was brought in to rethink that invisible space between curiosity and commitment, the first few minutes where discovery, learning, and long-term retention are won or lost. What I found reframed everything about how players choose, learn, and return… and pointed to one surprisingly simple shift that changed the entire journey.
Board Game Arena is one of the world’s largest online hubs for learning and playing board games, with over 10 million players discovering new titles every day. But behind that global activity, something wasn’t working: new players arrived excited, explored a bit, and quietly disappeared before ever completing a game.
Endless choice, rich mechanics, a loyal community, yet newcomers struggled to make a single meaningful first choice.
I was brought in to rethink that invisible space between curiosity and commitment, the first few minutes where discovery, learning, and long-term retention are won or lost. What I found reframed everything about how players choose, learn, and return… and pointed to one surprisingly simple shift that changed the entire journey.
Role
Role
Role
Research & Design
Research & Design
Research & Design
Team
Team
Team
1 product designer,
2 software engineers
1 product designer,
2 software engineers
1 product designer,
2 software engineers
Timeline
Timeline
Timeline
2 months
2 months
2 months
Insights
Insights
Insights
You can’t enjoy a game you never get to play.
You can’t enjoy a game you never get to play.
You can’t enjoy a game you never get to play.
To understand why players left so early, I interviewed five users (casual to competitive) and paired the insights with a full product audit. A clear pattern emerged:
• (4/10) Discovery failed to build excitement
• (3/10) Choosing a game triggered confusion
• 60% of players left before ever learning how to play
They weren’t quitting because they disliked the games, they were quitting before they ever reached them. The real friction lived earlier: a static homepage and a missing onboarding flow that failed to guide players toward a confident first choice.
To understand why players left so early, I interviewed five users (casual to competitive) and paired the insights with a full product audit. A clear pattern emerged:
• (4/10) Discovery failed to build excitement
• (3/10) Choosing a game triggered confusion
• 60% of players left before ever learning how to play
They weren’t quitting because they disliked the games, they were quitting before they ever reached them. The real friction lived earlier: a static homepage and a missing onboarding flow that failed to guide players toward a confident first choice.
To understand why players left so early, I interviewed five users (casual to competitive) and paired the insights with a full product audit. A clear pattern emerged:
• (4/10) Discovery failed to build excitement
• (3/10) Choosing a game triggered confusion
• 60% of players left before ever learning how to play
They weren’t quitting because they disliked the games, they were quitting before they ever reached them. The real friction lived earlier: a static homepage and a missing onboarding flow that failed to guide players toward a confident first choice.
Solution 1
Solution 1
Solution 1
Let them play before you ask them to stay.
Let them play before you ask them to stay.
Let them play before you ask them to stay.
To turn newcomers into confident players, I redesigned the homepage so users could experience value immediately.
Instead of a static game list, the hero section now lets users:
• Preview games through dynamic cards
• Scroll new additions
• Explore categories
• Try a game before creating an account
This flips the old experience: instead of “sign up before playing,” it becomes “play, then sign up.” The platform earns commitment instead of demanding it turning curious visitors into qualified, motivated users.
To turn newcomers into confident players, I redesigned the homepage so users could experience value immediately.
Instead of a static game list, the hero section now lets users:
• Preview games through dynamic cards
• Scroll new additions
• Explore categories
• Try a game before creating an account
This flips the old experience: instead of “sign up before playing,” it becomes “play, then sign up.” The platform earns commitment instead of demanding it turning curious visitors into qualified, motivated users.
To turn newcomers into confident players, I redesigned the homepage so users could experience value immediately.
Instead of a static game list, the hero section now lets users:
• Preview games through dynamic cards
• Scroll new additions
• Explore categories
• Try a game before creating an account
This flips the old experience: instead of “sign up before playing,” it becomes “play, then sign up.” The platform earns commitment instead of demanding it turning curious visitors into qualified, motivated users.
Solution 2
Solution 2
Solution 2
A 3-Question Flow That Quietly Fixed the Biggest Drop-Off
A 3-Question Flow That Quietly Fixed the Biggest Drop-Off
A 3-Question Flow That Quietly Fixed the Biggest Drop-Off
One insight kept repeating in interviews:
Players were not against onboarding, they just wanted it to matter.
So I introduced a short, 3-question preference flow.
It activates a Match Score toggle in the catalogue, showing games that meet at least a 70% match based on the user’s profile.
Suddenly, the massive catalogue feels curated, human, and approachable. It wasn’t the number of questions that helped, it was how quickly the catalogue started feeling personal.
One insight kept repeating in interviews:
Players were not against onboarding, they just wanted it to matter.
So I introduced a short, 3-question preference flow.
It activates a Match Score toggle in the catalogue, showing games that meet at least a 70% match based on the user’s profile.
Suddenly, the massive catalogue feels curated, human, and approachable. It wasn’t the number of questions that helped, it was how quickly the catalogue started feeling personal.
One insight kept repeating in interviews:
Players were not against onboarding, they just wanted it to matter.
So I introduced a short, 3-question preference flow.
It activates a Match Score toggle in the catalogue, showing games that meet at least a 70% match based on the user’s profile.
Suddenly, the massive catalogue feels curated, human, and approachable. It wasn’t the number of questions that helped, it was how quickly the catalogue started feeling personal.
Solution 3
Solution 3
Solution 3
Choosing a game shouldn’t feel harder than playing one.
Choosing a game shouldn’t feel harder than playing one.
Choosing a game shouldn’t feel harder than playing one.
Even with personalisation, one problem remained:
Players spent more time choosing a game than playing one.
To break that decision paralysis, I designed Roll the Dice, a lightweight feature placed exactly where hesitation peaks.
One tap reveals:
• Two curated options based on player preferences
• The ability to pick one, reroll, or let the platform decide
A tiny interaction that transforms overwhelm into action, and gets players into a game faster, without friction or second-guessing.
Even with personalisation, one problem remained:
Players spent more time choosing a game than playing one.
To break that decision paralysis, I designed Roll the Dice, a lightweight feature placed exactly where hesitation peaks.
One tap reveals:
• Two curated options based on player preferences
• The ability to pick one, reroll, or let the platform decide
A tiny interaction that transforms overwhelm into action, and gets players into a game faster, without friction or second-guessing.
Even with personalisation, one problem remained:
Players spent more time choosing a game than playing one.
To break that decision paralysis, I designed Roll the Dice, a lightweight feature placed exactly where hesitation peaks.
One tap reveals:
• Two curated options based on player preferences
• The ability to pick one, reroll, or let the platform decide
A tiny interaction that transforms overwhelm into action, and gets players into a game faster, without friction or second-guessing.
Results
Results
Results
Fixing the first choice changed everything, but learning remains the next challenge.
Fixing the first choice changed everything, but learning remains the next challenge.
Fixing the first choice changed everything, but learning remains the next challenge.
By redesigning the homepage to deliver value before sign-up, adding a short preference onboarding, and reducing choice overload, player behaviour shifted noticeably:
• (7/10) Discovery sparked excitement (previously 4/10)
• (8/10) satisfied with the selection (previously 3/10)
• 10% drop-off at selection (previously 60%)
The takeaway was simple: players didn’t need more options, they needed fewer decisions at the right moment. When friction was reduced and guidance increased, motivation translated into action.
Yet 30% still left during tutorials, where learning disrupted momentum, making onboarding complete, but behaviour unfinished.
By redesigning the homepage to deliver value before sign-up, adding a short preference onboarding, and reducing choice overload, player behaviour shifted noticeably:
• (7/10) Discovery sparked excitement (previously 4/10)
• (8/10) satisfied with the selection (previously 3/10)
• 10% drop-off at selection (previously 60%)
The takeaway was simple: players didn’t need more options, they needed fewer decisions at the right moment. When friction was reduced and guidance increased, motivation translated into action.
Yet 30% still left during tutorials, where learning disrupted momentum, making onboarding complete, but behaviour unfinished.
By redesigning the homepage to deliver value before sign-up, adding a short preference onboarding, and reducing choice overload, player behaviour shifted noticeably:
• (7/10) Discovery sparked excitement (previously 4/10)
• (8/10) satisfied with the selection (previously 3/10)
• 10% drop-off at selection (previously 60%)
The takeaway was simple: players didn’t need more options, they needed fewer decisions at the right moment. When friction was reduced and guidance increased, motivation translated into action.
Yet 30% still left during tutorials, where learning disrupted momentum, making onboarding complete, but behaviour unfinished.
Want more?
Want more?
Want more?