Challenge Overview

Sisal is a leading international gaming operator with 1.8 million online customers and  47,000 retail points of sale. Specializing in lotteries, betting, and gaming machines, Sisal’s core mission is to provide a safe, transparent, and enjoyable entertainment experience rooted in Responsible Gaming. 

For this edition, students were tasked with elevating the UX of online gamers by transforming addictive patterns into positive, engaging, and responsible behaviors even in the face of losses.

Impact

Students learned to navigate the psychological friction of gambling, specifically how to design for users who “switch off their rational belief” while playing. The workshop provided a rigorous environment to apply Master’s-level methodologies including Digital Ethnography, Shadowing, and biometric tools like Face Reading and Shimmer 3 to solve a high-stakes, real-world challenge.

For Sisal, the projects delivered deep behavioral insights that complement their existing scientific research into Responsible Gaming perceptions. These results serve as a strategic foundation for transforming the lottery waiting period into a positive engagement touchpoint.

The gaming sector implies a stronger commitment on critical design and trust mechanisms to avoid addiction and always keep the user in control of the activity in which they are involved. Adopting a UX-driven approach allows the brand to pivot away from old-school, problematic gambling associations and reframe itself as a digital games hub for responsible players.