Stryda

• Transformed an esports platform into a social hub with AI-powered highlight videos
• Drove multiple design initiatives: social feed, video editor, battle pass, missions, and more
• Led cross-functional collaboration between design, engineering, and business teams

Overview

Spring 2023 marked the beginning of an exhilarating journey for Stryda (formerly known as G-Loot). Our mission? To transform this esports platform into a vibrant social hub where gamers could connect and share like never before.

At the heart of this transformation was our groundbreaking AI technology, 'Recap'. This feature could automatically create personalized highlight videos from gamers' matches, revolutionizing how players could showcase their achievements and engage with their community.

Our vision was clear: Stryda would become more than just a platform - it would be a thriving ecosystem where every epic play and hard-earned victory could be celebrated and discovered by fellow gamers, fostering a new level of social connectivity in the gaming world.

Embarking on a gaming revolution

When we kicked off this ambitious project, we were buzzing with excitement. Our AI-powered 'Recap' feature wasn't just a cool add-on - we believed it would completely reshape how gamers interact with the platform and each other. It was like giving every player their own highlight reel, automatically curated and ready to share.

Our first big challenge was reimagining Stryda as a social gaming hub. We wanted to create a space where gamers' recap videos would take center stage, while still keeping the competitive spirit that our users loved. The cornerstone of this new Stryda was a dynamic social feed - a place where gamers could show off their best plays, celebrate their achievements, and discover awesome content from other players.

We drew inspiration from popular platforms like Strava, Instagram, and Facebook, incorporating familiar social features like likes, shares, and comments. But we didn't stop there - we designed the feed to be smart, automatically curating content based on each user's interests and behavior. Imagine logging in to see personalized match recaps, suggestions for new gamers to follow, and seamless ways to explore other parts of the platform. It was all about creating a tailored, engaging experience for every user.

But we didn't forget Stryda's competitive roots. We designed smart widgets to keep users updated on their Battle Pass progress, ongoing missions, and competition standings. We even created a special widget to give gamers insights into how their peers perceive them - because in the gaming world, reputation can be everything!

Another exciting challenge was perfecting the AI recap generation. We wanted to make it seamless and intuitive, regardless of a user's tech setup or content creation skills. It was like solving a complex puzzle, ensuring our feature would work smoothly across a wide range of PC hardware.

Working hand-in-hand with our brilliant engineering team, we fine-tuned the workflow for recording, analyzing, and sharing gaming moments. We tackled tricky issues like handling multi-match sessions, managing storage efficiently, and ensuring our AI could reliably capture those epic gaming moments. It was a balancing act of technology and user experience, and every breakthrough felt like leveling up!

Our secret weapon throughout this process was our supercharged CSS framework. It allowed us to prototype every screen of the new platform, iterating week after week until we hit that sweet spot in November. The timing couldn't have been better - we were all set for a real-world test at one of Stockholm's biggest gaming centers. It was our chance to see our hard work in action and identify any final tweaks needed.

As we were gearing up to release the beta version of our platform to the world, fate threw us a curveball. On December 16, we received the shocking news that the board had decided to discontinue Stryda's activities and declare bankruptcy. It was a heartbreaking moment for all of us who had poured our passion into this project.

Leading the charge

As the Director of Product Design, I had the incredible opportunity to shape the future of Stryda:

• Product strategy and vision: I was at the forefront of conceptualizing and driving our product strategy, always keeping our vision of a unique social gaming platform at the heart of every decision.
• Team coordination and mentorship: I had the privilege of working alongside a dream team of Product Managers, Engineers, UX and UI Designers. Guiding and learning from this talented group was a highlight of the project.
• Collaboration and process optimization: One of my key roles was fostering seamless collaboration between our design, engineering, and business teams. By establishing effective communication channels and streamlined workflows, we were able to meet our ambitious goals with both precision and creativity.

Reflecting on an unforgettable journey

While Stryda's journey was cut short due to bankruptcy, the experience was invaluable. We pushed boundaries, worked at an impressive pace, and achieved truly groundbreaking results. Designing for an AI-based feature with constantly evolving technical specifications was both challenging and exhilarating.

I couldn't be more proud of my team and everyone at Stryda for their incredible adaptability and resilience. Despite the unexpected ending, we created something special - a platform that could have redefined social gaming. The skills we honed, the challenges we overcame, and the innovations we created will undoubtedly shape our future projects and the gaming industry as a whole.