Shipped 2020 · Live mobile game
Letting players feel the match in real time, mid-game
In a fast 1v1 football match, emotions change in seconds, but there was no lightweight way to show that feeling inside the match. This in-match reaction feature gave players a quick, football-specific way to express emotion in real time without interrupting live play.
Role
Behavioral research · Interaction design · Emotes
Timeline
Approximately 3 months
Team
UX designer · Game designer · Devs
Methods
Usability test · Playtest
Outcome
Emotional expression moved into the match
The game
A real opponent. A shared pitch. Real emotion
Football Stars isn’t a classic football simulation. Players arrange football pieces, aim, and shoot to score against another real player in a live 1v1 match. Matches are short, direct, and emotionally charged: every shot carries pressure because the opponent is right there on the same pitch.
Arrange
Position your pieces on the pitch
Aim
Line up the shot under pressure
Shoot
Score before your rival answers
My role
What I owned and what I contributed to
The football emote set built from real match moments, not generic stickers.
The in-match reaction interaction: fast, low-effort, and designed not to break focus.
The user flow for the feature.
Tap-to-report: an in-context safety action players could reach without leaving the match.
The final in-game reaction UI and screen design.
Quick Messages and Lobby Interaction as wider social additions around the match.
Playtest observation with the UX Lead, noting key player reactions.
Usability testing with 6 players.
Post-launch moderation response; word filtering and ban logic were handled by the team.
Observation
The emotion was there. The game could not hold it.
The idea started with a simple team question: if football is naturally emotional and competitive, why did a live 1v1 match have no way for players to communicate?
To explore this, we ran internal play sessions with teammates and observed how they reacted during real matches.
In-the-moment reactions
Players were very emotionally reactive during the match. Goals, misses, and saves quickly triggered visible reactions like clenching fists, saying “yes!”, putting hands on the head, or talking trash.
Energy stayed outside the game
None of that energy reached the game. It stayed in the room, around the screen, without a way to become part of the match experience inside the game.experience inside the game.
The need for expression was clear. The hard part was the context:
In a live 1v1 match, players needed a way to express emotion instantly and visibly, without losing focus, blocking the pitch, or turning the game into a chat app.
Constraints
Designing inside a live match
A player mid-match need a way to react without taking attention off the pitch.
Continuous gameplay
Matches demand constant attention and uninterrupted control.
→ The UI couldn’t block the pitch or break the flow.
Speed of moments
Goals, misses, and saves happen instantly.
→ A reaction had to be reachable in one quick tap.
Gameplay focus
Players are already deep in gameplay decisions.
→ No thinking, no searching, no selection effort.
Real-time system
Live matches are sensitive to delay and interruption.
→ Avoid heavy features that could slow down or disrupt play.
Exploration
Three ways to communicate, only one fit live play
The reaction had to fit inside live play: quick enough to catch the moment, small enough to stay out of the way.
Voice
Voice was expressive, but too heavy for live play. Players needed a quick reaction, not an ongoing conversation that pulled focus.
Emotes
Emotes fit the moment. One tap was enough to react quickly and visually, without leaving the match or covering the pitch.
Typing
Typing didn't fit a live match. Between aiming, watching the pitch, and reacting in real time, there's no moment to stop and write.
Open chat wasn't dropped; it moved to the lobby, for banter between and after matches, where players actually have room to talk.”
The emote set
Designed from football moments
In-match reaction
Built to disappear the moment it's used
The in-match reaction had to disappear as fast as it appeared. It sat at the edge of the screen, asked for almost nothing, and got the player straight back to the ball. Three rules kept it out of the way:
Edge placement
Self-dismissing
Two taps, max
Usability testing
Did it bring the emotion into the game?
Before launch, we ran a small playtest with six players in live 1v1 matches. The new social tools were available, but not explained upfront. We wanted to see whether players would use them at the right moments, without losing the rhythm of the match.
Would players notice the reactions?
Would they use them during real match moments?
Would it add emotion to the match?
5 of 6 players discovered the reactions and used them without prompting. Reaction use clustered around clear football beats: goals, missed chances, saves, and the pressure before a big shot.
Emotes became the strongest in-match layer. 4 of 6 players relied on them most, saying they carried the feeling faster because they matched the exact moment it happened.
The lobby served a different moment. 4 of 6 players used it between games for banter, teasing, and longer back-and-forth.
Because reactions appeared around real match moments instead of firing constantly, they read as emotion.
Launch and moderation
Banter exposed a safety gap
We shipped the feature and received positive feedback from players, but support tickets soon revealed a new problem: the same lobby that gave players room for banter between games was also being used for insults and offensive language.
The wider social layer
Different moments needed different interactions
Emotes solved the hardest moment: reacting during live play, where players had no room to do more than tap. But the social energy observed outside the game didn’t only live in that split second.
To support that wider need, the feature expanded into two supporting layers:
Quick Messages
Football-specific preset lines for match moments quick enough to tease or respond without typing during play.
Lobby Interaction
Open chat outside live play, giving players room for rivalry, banter, and trash talk between games.trash talk between games.