Cooldown
FMCG
Gaming
Esports
Digital Product
Cooldown by AB InBev
A digital esports platform connecting gaming fans through events, communities and real-world experiences.
Role
Product Designer
Client
ABinBev
Location
Praha, CZ
Timeline
2 years
Tools
Figma, Hotjar, Jira, Adobe Suite, Azure
Platform
Web & mobile
2
Distinct user audiences
+15
User Interviews
50+
Design System Components
+30
Wireframes & UI Prototypes
OVERVIEW
THE CHALLENGE
Esports communities thrive online, but fans also seek opportunities to meet, watch competitions together and engage with their favourite games in real life.
Cooldown was created by AB InBev to bridge this gap by connecting gaming fans with esports events hosted by partner bars and venues.
The platform served two distinct audiences: venue owners, who needed to create and manage events, and esports fans, who wanted to discover competitions and participate in local gaming communities.
The problem
These two audiences had different needs. Venue owners needed a straightforward way to organise esports events, while fans needed an easy way to discover nearby competitions, find participating venues and understand how to attend.
Bringing both audiences together required a digital experience that addressed their distinct goals while connecting them through a shared platform.
The goals
The goal was to design an intuitive digital platform that served both venue owners and esports fans.
The experience aimed to simplify event creation and management for venue owners while making event discovery and participation easier for fans.
By creating clear user journeys for each audience, the platform sought to connect online gaming communities with real-world experiences through a consistent experience across web and mobile.
MY ROLE
What I did
As a Product Designer, I contributed to the product experience from early research through interface design and developer handoff.
Responsibilities
UX Research
-
Conducted 15 user interviews.
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Translated user feedback into personas and journey maps.
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Identified opportunities to improve the product experience.
Product & UX Design
-
Structured user flows and information architecture.
-
Designed wireframes and interactive prototypes.
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Worked on 30+ wireframes and UI prototypes.
UI & Design System
-
Created and maintained a design system with 50+ reusable components.
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Ensured consistency across interfaces.
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Prepared high-fidelity designs for implementation.
Testing & Delivery
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Used Maze & Hotjar to support usability testing and design validation.
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Collaborated with 3 developers
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Managed and prioritised a backlog of 50+ items in Azure DevOps.
HOW I WORK
How I approached it
01
Discover
Conducted 15 user interviews to identify user needs and behaviours.
02
Define
Created personas, journey maps and prioritised user flows.
03
Design
Designed wireframes, interactive prototypes and a 50+ component design system.
04
Test
Refined user flows and interfaces through testing and design iterations.
05
Hand off
Collaborated with 3 developers to deliver designs using Figma and Azure DevOps.
RESEARCH
Key insights
The platform served two distinct audiences, requiring different user journeys, information structures and interaction patterns.
Venue Owners
01
Event creation should be straightforward
User need
Venue owners need a simple way to create and manage esports events.
UX opportunity
Make event creation and management intuitive through clear workflows and accessible information.
Design focus
-
Simple event creation process.
-
Clear and structured event forms.
-
Intuitive management interface.
02
Event management requires clarity
User need
Venue owners need to organise event details and manage their activities efficiently.
UX opportunity
Centralise essential event information in a clear and structured interface.
Design focus
-
Centralised event information.
-
Clear event status and details.
-
Easy access to management actions.
Esports Fans
03
Event discovery should be effortless
User need
Fans need an easy way to discover esports competitions and find participating venues.
UX opportunity
Make relevant events easy to find and simplify the journey from discovery to participation.
Design focus
-
Clear event listings.
-
Accessible competition information.
-
Visible venue details.
04
Participation should feel seamless
User need
Fans need to understand where an event takes place and how they can attend.
UX opportunity
Present essential event details clearly and make the next steps easy to understand.
Design focus
-
Clear dates, times and locations.
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Accessible participation information.
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Straightforward navigation to event details.
SOLUTION
UX decisions & design evolution
Decision 01 — Designing for two distinct audiences
Venue Owners
Challenge
Venue owners and esports fans had different goals and interactions with the platform.
Design decision
Structure the experience around two distinct user journeys, addressing event management for venues and event discovery for fans.
UX rationale
Separating user needs helps create more relevant experiences while maintaining a coherent product.
Key interface elements
-
Venue management interface.
-
Event creation workflow.
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Fan-facing event discovery.
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Event details.
Decision 02 — Simplifying event creation
Venue Owners
Challenge
Venue owners needed a straightforward way to organise esports events
Design decision
Structure the event creation workflow around clear steps and essential information.
UX rationale
A clear process helps users understand what information is required and how to complete an action.
Key interface elements
-
Event information.
-
Creation forms.
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Event settings.
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Management actions.
Decision 03 — Improving event discovery
Esport Fans
Challenge
Fans needed to find relevant competitions and discover where they could watch them.
Design decision
Prioritise event visibility and structure the information needed to evaluate and attend an event.
UX rationale
Clear event information helps users move from browsing to deciding which events to attend.
Key interface elements
-
Event listings.
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Competition details.
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Venue information.
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Event schedules
Decision 04 — Making event information accessible
Esport Fans
Challenge
Fans needed essential information to understand the event and plan their attendance.
Design decision
Organise event details into a clear hierarchy, prioritising the information most relevant to participation.
UX rationale
A structured information hierarchy makes important details easier to find and understand.
Key interface elements
-
Event descriptions.
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Dates and times.
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Location details.
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Participation information.
Decision 05 — Maintaining a consistent design system
Owner Venues & Esport Fans
Challenge
The platform needed a consistent visual experience across different user journeys and interfaces.
Design decision
Develop and maintain a reusable component library to support consistent UI patterns.
UX rationale
Reusable components help maintain consistency and facilitate collaboration between design and development.
Key interface elements
-
Buttons and form elements.
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Cards and content modules.
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Typography and colour styles.
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Reusable interface components.
SOLUTION
The final design
Venue Owners
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Esport Fans
UX KPIs
Measuring the effectiveness of the experience
The effectiveness of Cooldown could be evaluated through metrics aligned with the needs of its two audiences: venue owners organising esports events and fans discovering and attending them.
Venue Owners
KPI
Measure
Relevance
Event creation success rate
Measure the proportion of venue owners who successfully create an event.
Shows whether the event creation workflow is clear and easy to complete.
Event management task success
Evaluate whether venue owners can successfully edit and manage event information.
Identifies friction in event management and highlights opportunities to simplify workflows.
Time to create an event
Measure the time required to complete the event creation process.
Reveals unnecessary steps and opportunities to improve efficiency.
Esports Fans
KPI
Measure
Relevance
Event discovery success rate
Measure the proportion of users who successfully find a relevant esports event.
Evaluates the effectiveness of event discovery and information architecture.
Event information findability
Measure how easily users locate essential details such as venue, date and time.
Identifies navigation issues and helps make event information more accessible.
Participation conversion rate
Measure the proportion of users who complete the relevant participation action after discovering an event.
Shows how effectively the experience turns event discovery into participation.
OUTCOME
Results & learnings
Impact
Cooldown brought together two complementary audiences through a shared esports platform.
Venue owners could organise gaming events, while fans could discover competitions and connect with local gaming communities.
My contribution focused on translating the needs of both audiences into distinct user journeys, creating consistent interfaces and collaborating with developers to support product delivery.
Key Takeaway
Designing Cooldown reinforced the importance of balancing the needs of two distinct audiences within one digital product. By connecting event organisers with esports fans, product design can help bridge the gap between online gaming communities and real-world experiences.
What I learned
01 Design for multiple audiences
A two-sided platform requires understanding different user goals and creating experiences that address each audience's needs.
02 Connect both sides of the product
The value of the platform depends on how effectively it connects event organisers with the fans who want to participate.
03 Make complex workflows intuitive
Clear navigation, structured information and purposeful interactions help simplify both event management and event discovery.
04 Build systems, not just screensA reusable design system supports consistency, scalability and more efficient collaboration between design and development.
KPI Cards
+65%
User Satisfaction
+10k
Monthly Active Users
+300
Events around the worls
+500
Partner venues
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