Matchmaking! I choose you!

* * * Design work presented reflects my specific contributions during the project tenure. All trademarks and final production implementations remain the property and responsibility of the respective owners.

The old Lobby was just a single, fast-moving list. Games jumped so quickly that players couldn’t track time controls or see who they were joining. The interface felt empty even during peak hours. From a business side, we needed a way to introduce new game modes, handle multiple match requests at once, and integrate AI opponents.

The Goal

Legacy user interface design of the World Chess online lobby, showing a single text-heavy vertical list of active games prone to sudden layout jumps.
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The Process

I started by mapping out every possible system state: anonymous users, free vs. PRO accounts, FIDE-connected profiles, and bot fallbacks for when no opponent was found. This defined exactly what each user type would see in the Lobby and during game creation.

I tested several layouts for the active games list. Accordions didn't work because the fast-moving content caused too many layout jumps. A standard table was also too hard to filter. I settled on a multi-column grid where each column represents a specific time control. This let players stay focused on their preferred style and gave us a clear way to highlight FIDE-rated games with their own colors and lock logic.

On mobile, I changed the logic. Columns became separate category pages because nested scrolling was a mess. Start Your Game was moved to its own page with collapsible sections to save vertical space. Because of API limits, we used static avatars to keep a sense of presence without the technical overhead of real-time syncing.

FigJam system state matrix diagram mapping out user permissions, entry points, and lobby interface logic for anonymous, free, PRO, and FIDE-connected accounts.
UI layout exploration wireframes comparing accordion lists, data tables, and multi-column grid structures for the active chess match listings.
Final high-fidelity desktop user interface of the World Chess Lobby, featuring a clean multi-column match selection grid, distinct FIDE-rated styling, and custom bot challenge blocks.
Mid-fidelity desktop layout design showing a multi-column chess lobby grid categorized by match time controls such as bullet, blitz, and rapid.
Mobile UI wireframes demonstrating the transition from horizontal grid columns to separate category tabs and collapsible menu sections to save vertical screen space.
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The Results

The new Lobby became a proper control room. It’s a place to build matches that fit your tempo, rating, and preferences. Quick invites, customisable bots, and smart suggestions now have their own space. Over 60% of players said the update made things better. The new foundation is ready for new features and higher loads.

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