Introducing NFTs to new audiences: Most AFL fans were unfamiliar with NFTs. We designed an experience that focused on tangible rewards like exclusive merch and events to make digital ownership feel valuable.
Changing perceptions: There’s a lot of skepticism around NFTs, so we leaned on AFL’s credibility to help fans see the benefits of joining the community and owning digital items along with exclusive rewards and experiences.
Simplifying Complex Tech: Web3 can be complicated, so we kept things simple and familiar, making it easy for fans to join without needing to know the tech behind it.
Competitor analysis
Understanding the market
I researched industry leaders like NBA Topshot, NFL All Day, and broader marketplaces like Opensea, creating accounts to map out purchase and selling flows. This allowed me to identify best practices and opportunities where we could better serve AFL’s new users. I also analysed user patterns from more traditional online marketplaces and familiar AFL platforms to reduce any learning curves for our audience.
User research
Building with community insights
Early on, we launched a Discord community and spoke with active members who had experience in digital collectibles. Their feedback and suggestions were essential in shaping the platform’s features. During initial marketplace testing we also engaged selected users for our first release and monitored the channels for sentiment.
Quick remote collaboration
Prioritising features and planning rollouts
We captured and grouped user stories, using tools like an impact/effort matrix to align features with key goals: acquisition, retention, and sales. Features were roadmapped to balance quick wins and larger drops that would keep users engaged while we developed more complex aspects like the marketplace. Collaborating in Figjam allowed for fast brainstorming, and tasks were then detailed in Asana for the dev team to follow.
Journeys
Mapping user journeys
Sitemaps helped to communicate with the dev team how all the parts worked together and highlighted MVP pages while we worked towards a full launch. Low definition user journeys were created ahead of carefully annotated design for every new feature for the dev team to follow and prototyped in high def when stakeholder or wider AFL club buy in was needed.
Creating an account
Simplifying a complex signup process
The Mint signup process involved creating an AFL iD, a digital wallet, and a Mint profile. As these products evolved, I iterated on the signup journey to support both new and existing users. With the rollout of AFL iD across other AFL products and the introduction of new wallets, we streamlined the process by automating wallet creation and setting up personalised profiles, complete with auto-generated usernames to reduce signup friction and team-themed styling pulled from their AFL iD profile.
Getting started with starter packs
The signed in homepage prioritises the always available starter packs for new collectors so they can try the complete pack purchase process for just $10
Customising the homepage for new collectors
New collectors are greeted with a homepage highlighting their teams moments and ways to get started with growing their collection.
The Mint Guide
Highlighting all of the key features across the Mint platform at a glance with tips of details to look out for as a collector.
Contextual FAQs
Including any answers right where they're needed on features such as listing an item for sale or buying a pack.
Learn articles
A series of articles that could go more in depth about different aspects of the digital collectibles, wallets and all things AFL Mint.
The Discord Community
Encouraging new collectors to join the AFL Mint discord to learn from other collectors.
Buy a pack
Seamless and efficient checkout
Collectors could purchase first-release 'lucky dip' packs of digital collectibles during a limited drop window. To ensure faster transactions and avoid issues with delayed payments, we encouraged collectors to preload their wallets, facilitating instant, seamless checkouts. After user testing, we streamlined the process by allowing collectors to choose to save the pack and open later or to now rip open their packs directly from the purchase page, making it easier for them to reveal their collectibles and make repeat purchases without unnecessary steps.
The reveal
Unveiling Moments and Rare Collectibles
The reveal is a pivotal moment for collectors, and I wanted to make it feel special, whether users were opening a pack of moments or discovering a rare one-of-one Genesis ball. I worked closely with our motion designer, sound designer, and developer to craft captivating reveal experiences that built anticipation and excitement. Following the reveal, collectors could download and share their haul with others in the Discord community, fueling further engagement and keeping the momentum going.
A phased rollout
Building the marketplace from scratch was a significant task, so I coordinated a phased rollout to maintain user engagement while we worked on the full feature set. In Phase 1, users could browse and filter the entire collection, offering visibility beyond their own owned moments. Phase 2 added the ability to add their favourites to a watchlist, and Phase 3 completed the experience with full buying and selling functionality. This approach allowed us to introduce features incrementally, testing, getting community feedback along the way and maintaining engagement throughout the rollout.
Buying
Helping collectors find their favourites
Purchasing packs was an exciting but randomised experience, with collectors receiving moments and serial numbers by chance. With the introduction of the marketplace, we wanted to give collectors more control. I led the design of an intuitive interface that allowed users to easily filter and sort through moments based on key properties, such as serial number or player. This made it easy for collectors to find the exact moment they wanted—whether it was a specific jumper number or a low serial—and gave them the tools to make smarter buying decisions.
Selling
Simplifying the listing process
I wanted the selling experience to be easy for new collectors while also providing the details that experienced sellers expected. Collectors could simply select an item from their collection, enter a price, and confirm the listing. To assist with pricing, I included a guide that displayed current listings and historical sales data for the same item, helping sellers set a fair and competitive price. This streamlined process made it simple for anyone to list items, while still offering the depth and insights that seasoned users needed to optimise their sales.
Final thoughts
Building a unique platform with an incredible team
When this project came my way, I didn't know anything about NFTs or web 3, it wasn't an area I had much interest in. But the chance to build something completely from scratch was too good to pass up. From creating a whole new design system to teaming up with designers who were pushing AFL’s traditional brand boundaries with some truly amazing motion graphics and video content, it was a great opportunity to work with a fantastic team and push my own skills further.
Simplifying technical concepts for new users, designing for accounts and the marketplace, integrating digital wallets, and tackling unique challenges kept things interesting. Even though the NFT space has shifted and it’s not as popular as it once was, working on these cutting-edge digital challenges made this a project I’m really proud to have been part of.
Shoutouts to the design team at AFL Studios including art direction by Marty Cook, motion & 3D by John Robinson, graphic design by Zoe Caracatsanoudis and copy by Laura Donnelly. And to the dev team at Animoca/Sportpass, including Shane Pollard, Grant Cahn and Julian Rutherford.
