7 useful tips for leading an online Casino product in an Agile framework
Although Casino industry is already huge, both offline and online, it looks like it hasn’t reached its full potential yet; according to the Business Research Company analysis, the global gaming market is expected to reach a value of around $565.4 billion, growing at an annual rate of 5.9% through 2022.
One industry, two directions -Online Casino service VS Onsite Casino service- with different paths and considerations in terms of online casino product design, such as:
(a) bonuses, (b) availability of games, c) different odds (d) accessibility, (e) game diversity, (f) freedom to choose your game pace and (g) multiple games at once.
In order to be able to reap the benefits from the above, the development of new web applications was introduced in the industry. Regardless of the different methodologies, terminologies and processes used along the organisation’s product development framework, (from Agile, to the good-old Waterfall), there must always be a playbook of the key leadership skills that will act as a compass to define a product’s characteristics and best fits to this fast-paced industry as a whole.
1. The reasoning behind
Understanding customer needs and responding to those, ought to be the base of your competitive analysis when designing and developing products and services.
For a top-notch Online Casino operator, this is not just a prerequisite but it is / should be mirrored by the business operation itself as, in this domain, ensuring reliability, security, responsiveness and innovation are vital for developing a product on a sound base. Providing a clear vision and direction to the development team and the stakeholders throughout any task are also important; Project/product stakeholders must speak on behalf of the customer and by providing constant feedback on the work completed, to sustain aligned expectations across all the interested bodies.
2. Shed light on those grey areas
As you embrace the span of your development efforts, take a step back and invite everyone who is involved to work in finalising the requirements analysis process. Focus on timely updating, engaging and digging into conversations that will create a meaningful MVP (Minimum Viable Product) for your customers; revert to the same question several times in case you have doubts. Achieving 100% transparency on decisions and alignment on the requirements should be your main goal, since these details will define your end product. In the online Casino where each spin can occur in less than 2 seconds, service availability, uninterrupted playing, great graphics, security and variety in in-play choices, define a user-friendly gaming experience.
3. Communication is key
As complexity increases -and trust me, it will increase as you dig deeper- the need for clear, concise and continuous communication becomes non-negotiable. Take for instance an online casino technical integration for a remote-based scrum team: Leave no assumption unchecked; remember: a criterion that seems completely transparent to you may have been misinterpreted by a proxy. Resort to effective communication methods, ie. direct call, and avoid other means that could potentially increase the complexity and provide room for wrong conclusions. It is OK if more questions arise; plan ahead and start connecting the pieces of the puzzle.
4. Get technical
Make sure that all Business intelligence is conveyed to the development team and offer fast and seamless solutions in a prompt and cost-effective manner. Story mapping is also a great weapon on a Product Owner’s arsenal.
When talking about online Casino, there are several different game types and mechanics (video slots, Blackjack, Roulette, Barracat, etc.) that offer different experiences and “environments” to different types of players. It is thus important to remember that each game type demands a different approach during the technical implementation.
5. Eyes on the customer
Make sure that you keep ensuring the integrity and fairness of the company’s operations, what is known as Responsible Gaming (RG) while offering the most practical, straightforward human-computer interaction; that famous “User Experience”, that should always be at the top of your priority list. Sophisticated tools that are monitoring customer behaviour, reality check mechanisms, educational sources like on-site videos and tv spots, can be your allies here, making sure that this experience stays fun and safe.
6. Find those metrics
Be proactive, how will you measure the success? Are there any impediments blocking or stalling your way? Are these transparent across the organisation? Have you developed a list with criteria that will indicate a successful product launch like KPIs and quantifiable pay-offs? If not, then you will be putting yourself in real trouble in the days to come.
7. Reflect
Embrace all the work that is “extracted”, acknowledge all the corrective actions and review on your past experiences before jumping onto the next piece of work. Online tools can easily ask for a player’s feedback without being disruptive.
All in all, product management has evolved a lot in the last two decades. With a plethora of methodologies and tools available in order to address the increasing level of product expectations and systems complexity, how we select and build our development team is also changing respectively (how many software engineers do you need? In what seniority level? How many testers? Will you need a system admin? An so on and so on)
In any case, whatever the tool or the team format might be, the above seven guidelines should not be overlooked when developing an online casino product or service. Follow these steps, onboard the right people, guide them into the right path and trust them to act as an entrepreneurial team and you will set yourself on the path of success.
References
- https://www.businessfirstonline.co.uk/other-articles/online-vs-offline-gambling-which-is-better/
- Casinonomics: The Socioeconomic Impacts of the Casino Industry
- https://www.marketresearch.com/Business-Research-Company-v4006/Gambling-Global-Opportunities-Strategies-12413709/?progid=91619
