💬 Building "Discussions" — A Cricket Community Inside CREX
💬 Building "Discussions" — A Cricket Community Inside CREX
During IPL 2025, we launched Discussions — a match-specific community within the CREX app that allowed users to share opinions, banter, and connect over live cricket. I led the entire design effort, from research to handoff, aiming to create a fan-first space that encourages healthy interaction while minimizing spam. Within weeks, over 800K users engaged daily, making it one of the most actively used features of the season.
During IPL 2025, we launched Discussions — a match-specific community within the CREX app that allowed users to share opinions, banter, and connect over live cricket. I led the entire design effort, from research to handoff, aiming to create a fan-first space that encourages healthy interaction while minimizing spam. Within weeks, over 800K users engaged daily, making it one of the most actively used features of the season.
🎯 The Problem
🎯 The Problem
CREX had built a strong platform around live cricket scores and editorial content. However, it lacked a space for direct user-to-user interaction.
Cricket is an extremely opinionated sport — fans love to debate, joke, and vent in real time. Yet, this conversation was happening elsewhere — in WhatsApp groups, Reddit threads, or Twitter replies. We wanted to bring it all inside CREX, creating an owned, safe, and deeply fan community.
CREX had built a strong platform around live cricket scores and editorial content. However, it lacked a space for direct user-to-user interaction.
Cricket is an extremely opinionated sport — fans love to debate, joke, and vent in real time. Yet, this conversation was happening elsewhere — in WhatsApp groups, Reddit threads, or Twitter replies. We wanted to bring it all inside CREX, creating an owned, safe, and deeply fan community.
💡 The Idea
💡 The Idea
Inspired by our own internal discussions and the behavior of cricket fans across platforms, we decided to design an MVP: a match-specific community where fans could express themselves, discover trending posts, and interact with fellow supporters — all without missing out on the match.
Inspired by our own internal discussions and the behavior of cricket fans across platforms, we decided to design an MVP: a match-specific community where fans could express themselves, discover trending posts, and interact with fellow supporters — all without missing out on the match.
🔬 Research & Insights
🔬 Research & Insights
Continuous Observations
Continuous Observations
Being a cricket-heavy product and a fan myself, research never stops. Whether it’s watching how fans behave at a stadium, in WhatsApp groups, or during gully cricket — we absorb it all.
Being a cricket-heavy product and a fan myself, research never stops. Whether it’s watching how fans behave at a stadium, in WhatsApp groups, or during gully cricket — we absorb it all.
Structured Research
Structured Research
CREX WhatsApp Community: We onboarded our power users to a private WhatsApp group via in-app prompts across cohorts. This helped us learn what fans love to talk about — and what breaks the flow.
CREX WhatsApp Community: We onboarded our power users to a private WhatsApp group via in-app prompts across cohorts. This helped us learn what fans love to talk about — and what breaks the flow.
3rd-party Market Study (2024): Helped us map how Indian fans consume cricket and where digital gaps lie.
3rd-party Market Study (2024): Helped us map how Indian fans consume cricket and where digital gaps lie.
Competitive Scan: Platforms like Twitter or YouTube Live had discussions, but often cluttered and not friendly for passive readers.
Competitive Scan: Platforms like Twitter or YouTube Live had discussions, but often cluttered and not friendly for passive readers.
Key Insights
Key Insights
72% of fans are passive readers, not active contributors. So the UI needed to prioritize readability.
72% of fans are passive readers, not active contributors. So the UI needed to prioritize readability.
Spam is inevitable: We identified patterns from our community groups to plan proactive moderation.
Spam is inevitable: We identified patterns from our community groups to plan proactive moderation.
Fans hate missing live action: Any UI that blocked scores killed engagement.
Fans hate missing live action: Any UI that blocked scores killed engagement.
✍️ Designing the Experience
✍️ Designing the Experience
We started with internal brainstorms and quickly moved to prototypes.
We started with internal brainstorms and quickly moved to prototypes.
Early Concept: Bottom Sheet Discussion
Early Concept: Bottom Sheet Discussion
We integrated discussions as a bottom sheet inside the live match. It was quick to access, but users didn’t spend time there. Why?
We integrated discussions as a bottom sheet inside the live match. It was quick to access, but users didn’t spend time there. Why?
Because the bottom sheet hid the score — and users feared missing live action.
Because the bottom sheet hid the score — and users feared missing live action.
✅ Final Solution: Dedicated Tab with Live Score
✅ Final Solution: Dedicated Tab with Live Score
We created a separate Discussions tab within every match — with live scores visible at all times. This gave users confidence to stay and engage, without FOMO.
We created a separate Discussions tab within every match — with live scores visible at all times. This gave users confidence to stay and engage, without FOMO.
Bottom sheet Discussions
Dedicated tab with Live Scores
🧪 UX Decisions That Shaped It
🧪 UX Decisions That Shaped It
Match-Specific Discussions Only
Keeps things relevant, reduces spam, and matches user intent.
Match-Specific Discussions Only
Keeps things relevant, reduces spam, and matches user intent.
Live Score Always Visible
Never block the primary user's need.
Live Score Always Visible
Never block the primary user's need.
Discussion Filters
Filter chips for Featured, Latest, and My Posts to aid discovery.
Discussion Filters
Filter chips for Featured, Latest, and My Posts to aid discovery.
Real Time Notification
Shows who upvoted or replied to your posts.
Real Time Notification
Shows who upvoted or replied to your posts.
Discussions Filters
Real time Notification
Limited access
Top contributors unlock badges and visibility.
Limited access
Top contributors unlock badges and visibility.
AI-driven Moderation Layer
Auto-flagging and scoring of abusive content
AI-driven Moderation Layer
Auto-flagging and scoring of abusive content
📈 The Results
📈 The Results
We launched Discussions in mid-IPL 2025 — the perfect time to test engagement.
We launched Discussions in mid-IPL 2025 — the perfect time to test engagement.
Here’s what we saw:
Here’s what we saw:
800K+ Daily Active Users during IPL
800K+ Daily Active Users during IPL
5% Creators (posting), 23% Contributors (voting), 72% Consumers (reading)
5% Creators (posting), 23% Contributors (voting), 72% Consumers (reading)
Positive early feedback from our WhatsApp beta group
Positive early feedback from our WhatsApp beta group
Strong signs of retention and repeat usage
Strong signs of retention and repeat usage
🔐 Tackling Spam & Abuse
🔐 Tackling Spam & Abuse
Moderation was our biggest challenge.
Moderation was our biggest challenge.
Multi-layered Moderation: Editorial curation, AI filters, and behavior-based scores.
Multi-layered Moderation: Editorial curation, AI filters, and behavior-based scores.
AI-Powered Scoring: Every comment was evaluated contextually before getting featured.
AI-Powered Scoring: Every comment was evaluated contextually before getting featured.
Reader-first UX: We prioritized clarity and quality over volume.
Reader-first UX: We prioritized clarity and quality over volume.