Situation

EventLink is Wizards of the Coast's official web-based tournament management system for Magic: The Gathering. Local game stores (LGS) use it to streamline the process of organizing, running, and reporting events. EventLink is also paired with the Magic the Gathering Companion app that allows players in LGS's to self report wins and losses during events. Reviewing feedback from Local Game Stores and online sentiment from players, we discovered that we were missing a pairing editing feature. What we learned was that

1. Human error and player misreports happen
2. There was no way to add late arrivals
3. Player Experience needs to be more flexible for causal players
4. We needed to give Local Game Stores the power to allow for fun

Local Game Stores had no way to resolve late arrivals or player misreports because all results were final, often forcing staff to give upset players free Magic cards or other product at the store's expense. Stores also couldn’t add fun or flexibility to events, like kid-only tables or avoiding frequent rematches. They needed real-time control to better support their player communities.

Actions

Subject Matter Expert Interview & Task Flow

Due to the project's high priority and tight timeline, we opted to work directly with a resident Subject Matter Expert (SME) instead of conducting time-intensive interviews or focus groups with Tournament Organizers. The SME provided critical insight into how local game stores managed player frustrations caused by the lack of manual pairing by offering free card packs or simply stating there was nothing they could do. These issues typically stemmed from small errors like misreporting or players missing the start time.

Working closely with the SME, I mapped out an ideal task flow that addressed these scenarios and captured what a streamlined manual pairing experience should look like.

Competitive Review

I conducted a competitive review of Melee, our primary competitor and the software Wizards already used for large-scale professional tournaments. This review was prompted by insights from our Subject Matter Expert and focused on how Melee handled real-time pairing edits during events. I documented the process through screenshots and step-by-step observations.

• A clunky user experience with limited guidance or affordances (e.g., reliance on double-clicking with no visual cues)
• Visually overwhelming interface with excessive UI density
• Confusing terminology, such as ambiguous use of "tables" vs. "data tables"
• Inconsistent and unclear button hierarchies (primary vs. secondary actions)

Wireframes and Prototype

• Improving the layout for paired and unpaired player tables
• More intuitive click-through interactions (no double-clicks or instructions required)
• Making the Edit Pairings button more visible and easier to find

High Fidelity Mockups and Critique

I advanced to high-fidelity mockups, adding key UI elements to reflect real-world scenarios and improve usability.

Enhancements included:

• Color to establish visual hierarchy and highlight status changes
• Error states and unfinished work indicators to support error recovery and task awareness
• Placeholder instructions (lorem ipsum) to plan for onboarding and reduce user uncertainty
• Player point displays to provide clear context during match adjustments

Usability Testing

To validate the Manual Pairing experience in real-world settings, I ran in-person usability tests at three local game stores — two in Seattle, WA, and one in Washington, DC — chosen to represent a mix of store sizes and workflows.

• A semi structured test script and follow-up interview guide
• A scenario-based walkthrough simulating misreported matches
• A custom Notion workspace for rapid note-taking and pattern analysis