Case Study:
ECB Dynamos

ECB Dynamos: App Rebuild & Rescope for 8–11 Year Olds

The ECB Dynamos app project was a strategic rebuild and rescope of the England and Wales Cricket Board's youth cricket platform. The Dynamos programme is specifically designed for children aged 8–11 to help engage kids with cricket, and the app serves as a key digital component of this initiative. Rather than a complete redesign, the focus was on evolving the existing app to better meet the needs of this age group, introducing new features, and supporting future interactive and gaming enhancements. As Product Owner, I led the project from initial client engagement through to release, ensuring the platform was engaging, age-appropriate, and future-proofed for the ECB's goals.

To ensure a smooth rollout and maximise user engagement, the app was released in carefully planned feature stages. This approach allowed us to gather feedback, iterate on new functionality, and build anticipation among users. One of the most innovative additions was the Topps card collecting mechanic, which not only gamified the experience but also linked digital achievements to real-world cricket training. By collecting and unlocking cards through in-app activities and real-life participation, young players were encouraged to practise their skills and stay engaged with the sport both on and off the field.

Project Overview and Role

The ECB Dynamos app serves as a key platform for engaging young cricket players and their families. The project involved a complete redesign and revamp of the existing application to improve user experience, modernise the interface, and better serve the needs of the cricket community.

My role as Product Owner encompassed:

• Client relationship management and stakeholder communication
• Facilitation of in-person design workshops
• Strategic planning and project roadmap development
• Design team leadership and guidance
• Production oversight and quality assurance

As development progressed, my role became more hands-off, focussing primarily on regular client check-ins and UI oversight to ensure the design vision was maintained throughout the implementation phase.

Client Workshop Facilitation in London

One of the most significant aspects of this project was travelling to London to conduct an in-person client design workshop with the ECB team. This workshop was crucial for understanding the client's vision, requirements, and constraints while building strong relationships with key stakeholders.

The workshop included:

• Stakeholder interviews and requirements gathering
• User journey mapping and persona development
• Feature prioritisation and scope definition
• Design principles and brand alignment discussions
• Technical constraints and platform considerations

This face-to-face collaboration was invaluable for establishing trust, clarifying expectations, and ensuring all parties were aligned on the project goals and deliverables.

Design Workshop and Strategic Planning

Following the initial client workshop, I led a comprehensive design workshop that brought together the design team, developers, and key stakeholders. This session focussed on translating the client's requirements into actionable design strategies and user experience principles.

Key workshop outcomes included:

• User experience strategy and information architecture
• Design system requirements and component planning
• User interface guidelines and interaction patterns
• Content strategy and information hierarchy
• Technical implementation approach and constraints

Design Leadership and Team Guidance

Throughout the production phase, I provided ongoing leadership and guidance to the design team, ensuring that the vision established in the workshops was consistently applied across all aspects of the application.

My leadership responsibilities included:

• Regular design reviews and feedback sessions
• User experience optimisation and iteration
• Cross-functional team coordination
• Quality assurance and design consistency
• Client communication and progress updates

Strategic Platform Migration: React to Unity

A significant technical decision during this project was the strategic migration from React to Unity as the development platform. This decision was driven by the need to support future gaming features and interactive elements that would enhance user engagement.

The platform migration was carefully planned and executed to:

• Enable future gaming features and interactive experiences
• Provide better performance for complex animations and interactions
• Support cross-platform development more efficiently
• Allow for more sophisticated user engagement mechanics
• Future-proof the application for evolving user expectations

Moving from React to Unity was the most efficient approach for this project, as it provided the necessary foundation for advanced features while streamlining the development process. The Unity platform offered superior capabilities for the interactive and gaming elements that were central to the project's long-term vision.

Production and Release Management

The production phase involved close collaboration between design, development, and quality assurance teams. I maintained oversight of the entire process, ensuring that design decisions were properly implemented and that the final product met the high standards expected by the ECB.

Key production activities included:

• Design handoff and developer collaboration
• User testing and feedback integration
• Performance optimisation and accessibility compliance
• Final quality assurance and bug resolution
• Release planning and deployment coordination

Challenges and Solutions

The project presented several challenges that required innovative solutions:

Stakeholder Alignment

With multiple stakeholders involved in the decision-making process, maintaining alignment was crucial. The in-person workshop helped establish clear communication channels and decision-making frameworks that served the project throughout its lifecycle.

Platform Migration Complexity

The transition from React to Unity presented significant technical challenges that required careful planning and execution. This included migrating existing functionality, ensuring that the user experience remained consistent throughout the transition, and maintaining project timelines. The migration was carefully planned with extensive testing phases to minimise disruption to users while positioning the platform for future advanced features.

Technical Constraints

The existing platform had technical limitations that needed to be considered in the redesign. Working closely with the development team, we identified creative solutions that maintained design integrity while working within technical constraints. The Unity migration actually helped overcome many of these limitations, providing more flexibility for future enhancements.

User Experience Complexity

The app serves multiple user types (young players, parents, coaches) with different needs and technical abilities. The design process focussed on creating intuitive experiences that could serve all user groups effectively, while the Unity platform provided the tools needed to create more engaging and interactive experiences.

Future-Proofing for Gaming Features

One of the key challenges was ensuring that the platform could support future gaming features while maintaining the core functionality of the cricket app. The Unity migration was specifically chosen to address this challenge, providing a robust foundation for both current needs and future gaming enhancements.

Outcomes and Impact

The ECB Dynamos app redesign successfully delivered:

• A modern, user-friendly interface that better serves the cricket community
• Improved user engagement and satisfaction
• Enhanced accessibility and usability across different user groups
• Streamlined user journeys and reduced friction points
• Strong client relationships and successful project delivery
• A robust Unity-based platform ready for future gaming features
• Improved performance and cross-platform compatibility
• Foundation for interactive experiences and gamification elements, including the Topps card collecting mechanic that connects digital rewards to real-world cricket training

Future Gaming Capabilities

The strategic migration to Unity has positioned the ECB Dynamos app for significant future enhancements:

• Interactive Cricket Games: The platform now supports development of cricket-themed mini-games and interactive training modules
• Gamification Elements: Unity enables sophisticated reward systems, achievements, and progress tracking
• 3D Visualizations: Future features can include 3D cricket field visualizations and player statistics
• Multiplayer Features: The platform supports real-time multiplayer gaming experiences
• Enhanced Animations: Unity's animation capabilities allow for more engaging visual content

Key Learnings and Insights

This project reinforced several important principles in product ownership and design leadership:

• The value of in-person collaboration for complex stakeholder relationships
• The importance of clear communication and alignment in multi-stakeholder projects
• The need for ongoing leadership and guidance throughout the production process
• The balance between design vision and technical constraints
• The impact of user-centered design on project success