FUT 18 Companion App

Unifying the web and mobile experiences into one responsive app for FIFA Ultimate Team players.

Electronic Arts · 2017Product Design · Responsive Design · Interaction Design

Problem

Two apps. Two experiences. Twice the complexity.

FUT 17 had separate web and mobile apps with different interfaces, features, and codebases. At the same time, declining Web App usage and a growing mobile audience created an opportunity to rethink the experience.

The goal was to move toward one responsive experience and one codebase, reducing maintenance while creating a more consistent experience for players.

Reduce maintenance

Replace separate web and mobile experiences with one responsive app.

Create consistency

Let players manage their FUT club across devices without relearning the experience.

Goals

One experience, built to work everywhere.

One responsive app

Reduce the cost of maintaining separate experiences.

Increase downloads

Achieve higher YoY downloads at launch.

Manage anywhere

Give players access to their FUT club away from their console.

Unifying the UI wasn't enough.

An audit of the existing experience revealed another problem: FUT could be difficult for new players to understand.

Game-specific terminology, complex features, and a lack of empty states meant players received little guidance once they entered the app.

That created two experience opportunities:

Educate

Help new players understand FUT without overwhelming them.

Delight

Give returning players more of the excitement and personality of the console experience.

Helping new players learn as they go.

I adapted the console team's new onboarding experience for the Companion App, then extended that thinking beyond initial setup with contextual empty states throughout the product.

Onboarding

Introduce players to their FUT identity and core concepts.

Empty states

Explain features at the moment players encounter them.

This gave new players more context without adding unnecessary friction for returning players.

Bringing the excitement of FUT beyond the console.

For returning players, I looked for opportunities to strengthen their connection to their club.

Opening a pack could reveal a rare and valuable item, but the existing Companion App experience didn't reflect the excitement of that moment.

I redesigned the pack-opening animation to better capture the anticipation and celebration of the console experience, prototyping the interaction in After Effects before translating it for development.

3x

the downloads
at launch

+200% YoYCompanion App downloads at launch
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