Bayes Esports: the importance of user experience in esports trading

Frederico Ribeiro, Senior Product Manager at Bayes Esports, speaks to SBC News to elaborate on the critical dynamics that must be successfully implemented to witness any success within the esports arena.

Over the past year, many different sportsbooks have reported that esports is their fastest-growing betting category. Betting operators that were previously known solely for traditional sports are stepping into the esports space and require a high-quality esports-traded solution.

While the quality and quantity of data remain the backbone of a solid trading strategy, one thing that shouldn’t be overlooked is the user experience of the trading tools, especially when it comes to esports. 

In esports, you can expect dynamic gameplay, quick rounds, and in a matter of moments, the entire game can be flipped on its head. Esports trading teams need to analyse the data in an easily digestible format to make fast and informed decisions. Effective UX design supports this, enhancing odds creation, and benefiting both users and the business.

Easy-to-use interfaces for increased accessibility

For traders with any level of expertise in the esports industry, achieving a great user experience is a surefire way to guarantee the best trading results. If an interface is complicated, includes unclear instructions, or has overly technical jargon, even the most experienced traders will need extra time to understand and interpret the analytics.

The Bayes Live Data Dashboard offers a comprehensive trading experience, featuring a user-friendly interface packed with key analytics powered by official live data. It includes live and historical statistics, a detailed calendar of past and upcoming fixtures, a live video stream, an in-game mini-map tracking player actions in real-time, and much more.

The design of the interface can significantly impact how accessible it is for its users. Whether that’s interchanging between light and dark mode depending on the time of day or having a neutral color scheme to assist the visually impaired. Tailored font sizes and dynamic screen sizing support will provide traders with an optimal experience.

Our user-centered approach to guaranteed success

To enhance the user experience, the Bayes Esports team heavily relied on UX Research techniques to guide the design and development decisions.

One of the major challenges tackled was ensuring that traders could quickly process complex, real-time data without feeling overwhelmed. 

To achieve this, we applied the following principles:

Colour Palette with Purpose:
Colours were chosen not for aesthetics, but to direct focus and improve clarity. Things we used were:

1. 1. Colour palette: Primarily dark tones with blue/green accents, designed to reduce eye strain—a common choice for dashboard interfaces.
   2. Highlighting critical context: Key elements like team names and player names are colour-coded to match their side (e.g., Dire/Radiant, Terrorist/Counter-Terrorist).
   3. Neutral tones for secondary elements: Static or less dynamic elements, such as scoreboards, buttons, and player stats, utilise neutral tones to maintain focus on critical data.

Prioritising Key Information
Through user interviews, we identified the most critical elements the traders needed and implemented them into the interface design. 

1. 1. Emphasis on primary data: Larger fonts and prominent placement are used to highlight the most critical information traders focus on.
   2. Layering secondary information: Subtle contrast and strategic element placement ensure secondary details are accessible without overwhelming the user.

The result is a clean, efficient display of data that allows traders to react faster and focus on the most impactful information.

Optimised navigation and user flow

We aim to support traders with all their relevant workflows, from live trading to historical analysis. We streamlined the user flow to align with traders’ real-world behaviors.

Simplified user journeys

1. 1. Workflow identification: Common workflows were identified through heat map analysis and live demos with traders.
   2. Streamlined actions: Reduced unnecessary clicks by placing high-priority actions front and center.
   3. Navigation design: Designed a consistent and predictable navigation menu to ensure users always know where they are and how to get to where they need to go.

Context-Aware Design
Navigation elements adapt dynamically to meet users’ needs.

1. 1. Live trading: The interface prioritises real-time updates and quick actions to support fast decision-making.
   2. Historical review: Users can seamlessly explore past data in-depth while maintaining contextual awareness.

This streamlined approach reduced friction and helped traders stay focused, enabling them to make confident and timely decisions.

Customisable design for any setup

While it’s important to have a tool that allows traders to follow everything at once, we also understand that each trader is different and has their own approach. Some trade on multiple games simultaneously, while others focus on one specific match. With intuitive customisation, Bayes Esports strives to offer an inclusive solution to fit everyone’s trading preferences.

Firstly, we wanted the Live Data Dashboard to perform reliably across all setups. This required supporting constant context-switching between tabs or screens and managing information fragmentation, which could otherwise lead to slower reactions during critical moments.

Bayes Live Data Dashboard solves this with a dynamic and customisable interface that enables traders to:

View multiple matches at once: The dashboard’s modular layout adjusts to the number of matches selected, ensuring optimal use of screen space – whether on a single laptop or multiple monitors.

Prioritise what matters: Traders can rearrange and personalise the dashboard to what’s most relevant for them. They can meticulously select the data and visuals they want to see.

Scale Across Devices: The Live Data Dashboard was rigorously tested across varying screen sizes to guarantee performance and clarity. On larger setups, traders benefit from expansive grids, while on smaller screens, the layout intelligently collapses into an optimized, scrollable view.

Make more informed decisions with essential trader components

Traders rely on detailed information in order to make the most informed decisions. However, if they received the data in the raw format, it would be impossible to sift through it in a timely fashion. 

Here are the essential trading components to look out for that will help traders adapt to risks quicker and feel more confident in their decisions.

• Powered by live data: Provide traders with data ahead of the public stream, ensuring they stay one step ahead of their audience.
• Historical data: Make more accurate predictions about future match outcomes by analysing extensive historical data and head-to-head matchup records. 
• Play-by-play stats: A detailed overview of every action, as it happens. Additional high-level stats like icons representing how each round ended makes it easy for traders to track patterns quickly.
• Video: Official video from the tournament organiser provides a trustworthy and reliable experience. With undelayed video, which is faster than sportsbooks or broadcasts, traders can be the first to see every move.

Smart tools for happy traders and a stronger business 

Investing in the right tools benefits not only your traders but also your business as a whole. With an easy-to-use user experience, you can streamline betting operations and maximise efficiency for every match. These tools also maximise revenue and protect the business from financial losses.

Whether your goal is to attract new users or retain experienced traders, the right tools will position your business for long-term success in a competitive market.