SubScout
SubScout
SubScout
SubScout
Master's Capstone · 2026
Master's Capstone · 2026
Master's Capstone · 2026
A Chrome extension for faster FPL research on Reddit
A Chrome extension for faster FPL research on Reddit
A Chrome extension for faster FPL research on Reddit
A Chrome extension for faster FPL research on Reddit
KEY TERMS
KEY TERMS
Fantasy Premier League
(FPL)
Fantasy Premier League (FPL)
The official fantasy football game of the English Premier League. Players build a virtual 15-man squad of real footballers and earn points based on those players' real-life match performances.
The official fantasy football game of the English Premier League. Players build a virtual 15-man squad of real footballers and earn points based on those players' real-life match performances.
Manager
Manager
A person who plays FPL. Each manager has their own virtual team.
A person who plays FPL. Each manager has their own virtual team.
A social platform organized around topic-based communities, where users post and comment about the said topic.
A social platform organized around topic-based communities, where users post and comment about the said topic.
SubReddit
SubReddit
An individual community within Reddit, focused on a single topic. r/FantasyPremierLeague is the subreddit dedicated to FPL.
An individual community within Reddit, focused on a single topic. r/FantasyPremierLeague is the subreddit dedicated to FPL.
PROBLEM
PROBLEM
FPL research on Reddit costs managers hours they can't afford.
FPL research on Reddit costs managers hours they can't afford.
Time is the most valuable thing a person can spend, and Fantasy Premier League takes a lot of it. A survey of 684 active players found 81.7% rely on r/FantasyPL as their primary source, and subreddit activity has grown 12% year-on-year. More managers, more posts, more comments, but no better way to surface what's actually relevant to your squad.
Time is the most valuable thing a person can spend, and Fantasy Premier League takes a lot of it. A survey of 684 active players found 81.7% rely on r/FantasyPL as their primary source, and subreddit activity has grown 12% year-on-year. More managers, more posts, more comments, but no better way to surface what's actually relevant to your squad.
11M+
11M+
Active FPL players worldwide
Active FPL players worldwide
81.7%
81.7%
Use Reddit as they primary source of research
Use Reddit as they primary source of research
+12%
+12%
Year-on-year growth in subreddit activity
Year-on-year growth in subreddit activity
SOLUTION
SOLUTION
SubScout: an intelligence layer inside Reddit itself.
SubScout: an intelligence layer inside Reddit itself.
A Chrome extension that injects a personalised card directly into r/FantasyPL. It surfaces news for the players in your squad, distills hundreds of comments into a two-sentence consensus, and filters the feed by the criteria managers actually care about, all without pulling them out of the community they value.
A Chrome extension that injects a personalised card directly into r/FantasyPL. It surfaces news for the players in your squad, distills hundreds of comments into a two-sentence consensus, and filters the feed by the criteria managers actually care about, all without pulling them out of the community they value.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS
MAPPING THE CURRENT JOURNEY
MAPPING THE CURRENT JOURNEY
A loop that eats the manager's time away
A loop that eats the manager's time away
The current research loop on Reddit moves through the five steps illustrated below. The middle three steps are where the friction lives, managers loop back through them repeatedly, opening posts and re-scrolling the feed in search of insights.
The current research loop on Reddit moves through the five steps illustrated below. The middle three steps are where the friction lives, managers loop back through them repeatedly, opening posts and re-scrolling the feed in search of insights.
INITIAL HUNCH
INITIAL HUNCH
Build the smartest possible AI chatbot.
Build the smartest possible AI chatbot.
The first prototype was an AI chatbot powered by a large language model with access to the Reddit API and the official FPL data API. Managers could ask "Who should I captain this week?" or "Who should I bench?" and receive a synthesised, personalised recommendation that combined fixture data, player form, and community sentiment.
The first prototype was an AI chatbot powered by a large language model with access to the Reddit API and the official FPL data API. Managers could ask "Who should I captain this week?" or "Who should I bench?" and receive a synthesised, personalised recommendation that combined fixture data, player form, and community sentiment.
PRIMARY RESEARCH
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Three interviews were enough to tell me the initial hunch was a bad idea.
Three interviews were enough to tell me the initial hunch was a bad idea.
I ran 45-minute semi-structured interviews with three FPL managers, using the chatbot as a probe. The findings culminated into four insights, and they completely invalidated the chatbot's premise.
I ran 45-minute semi-structured interviews with three FPL managers, using the chatbot as a probe. The findings culminated into four insights, and they completely invalidated the chatbot's premise.
Reddit is a social space, not a database
Reddit is a social space, not a database
Participants described the subreddit as a "secondary social circle." The chatbot bypassed a huge chunk of that meaningful experience.
Trust is communal, not authoritative
Trust is communal, not authoritative
When 200 comments agree on something, that consensus carries weight. A confident chatbot answer couldn't replicate the social proof of seeing the community converge.
Switching cost outweighs AI value
Switching cost outweighs AI value
Every participant said the same thing: they did not want another app to manage. Being asked to leave Reddit imposed a cost the chatbot's answers couldn't justify.
Emotional regulation is part of the loop
Emotional regulation is part of the loop
Managers come to Reddit to share frustration as much as to gather intelligence. A tool that strips out the emotional layer fails to replicate why the community matters.
THE PIVOT
THE PIVOT
Don't replace the community, improve it.
Don't replace the community, improve it.
The constraint was now clear: any solution had to live inside Reddit, not outside it. The mission for v2 was simple. Reduce the time required to extract team-relevant insights from r/FantasyPL, without removing managers from the community they love. Preserve the social rituals. Keep the rant threads. Improve the signal-to-noise ratio.
The constraint was now clear: any solution had to live inside Reddit, not outside it. The mission for v2 was simple. Reduce the time required to extract team-relevant insights from r/FantasyPL, without removing managers from the community they love. Preserve the social rituals. Keep the rant threads. Improve the signal-to-noise ratio.
FINAL PRODUCT
FINAL PRODUCT
A browser extension that lives on top of your feed
A browser extension that lives on top of your feed
SubScout injects a single, fully interactive card directly into r/FantasyPL. It gives managers everything they need for efficient research: a live Team News carousel, a personalisation panel for filtering the feed, community consensus for each post, and a focus mode that strips visual clutter. It is styled for it to feel like a feature Reddit shipped itself, not an overlay from an external tool.
SubScout injects a single, fully interactive card directly into r/FantasyPL. It gives managers everything they need for efficient research: a live Team News carousel, a personalisation panel for filtering the feed, community consensus for each post, and a focus mode that strips visual clutter. It is styled for it to feel like a feature Reddit shipped itself, not an overlay from an external tool.
Team news, in the form of stories
Team news, in the form of stories
The Team News section automatically scans Reddit for players you actually own. An orange-green gradient means there's an unread post about them, grey means you've already viewed it, and no ring means nothing relevant has surfaced. Click any player and get an instant AI summary of the latest posts and community sentiment, with direct links to the original threads.
The Team News section automatically scans Reddit for players you actually own. An orange-green gradient means there's an unread post about them, grey means you've already viewed it, and no ring means nothing relevant has surfaced. Click any player and get an instant AI summary of the latest posts and community sentiment, with direct links to the original threads.
Filter that actually map to how managers think
Filter that actually map to how managers think
The Personalization panel lets you filter the wall of posts by flairs, specific teams, recency, and engagement level. Hit Save Changes, and your feed reorganizes instantly, surfacing a dedicated 'Your Personalized Feed' section at the top with only the posts relevant to you.
The Personalization panel lets you filter the wall of posts by flairs, specific teams, recency, and engagement level. Hit Save Changes, and your feed reorganizes instantly, surfacing a dedicated 'Your Personalized Feed' section at the top with only the posts relevant to you.
From 200 comments to 2 sentences
From 200 comments to 2 sentences
SubScout Consensus synthesises hundreds of comments on a post into a concise summary that preserves the key insight while eliminating the noise. The clickable source links are the bridge back to the community. Managers who want to verify can. Managers who don't, won't have to.
SubScout Consensus synthesises hundreds of comments on a post into a concise summary that preserves the key insight while eliminating the noise. The clickable source links are the bridge back to the community. Managers who want to verify can. Managers who don't, won't have to.
Hide the distractions, stay focused
Hide the distractions, stay focused
Focus Mode is a single toggle that hides all distractions such as, sidebars, links to other subreddits, and decorative chrome. Posts stay fully accessible. The high-value content is foregrounded; everything else fades.
Focus Mode is a single toggle that hides all distractions such as, sidebars, links to other subreddits, and decorative chrome. Posts stay fully accessible. The high-value content is foregrounded; everything else fades.
THE IMPROVED USER JOURNEY
THE IMPROVED USER JOURNEY
Still five steps, but with the friction stripped out.
Still five steps, but with the friction stripped out.
With SubScout, all steps of friction are replaced by a faster, more deliberate action.
With SubScout, all steps of friction are replaced by a faster, more deliberate action.
USABILITY TESTING
USABILITY TESTING
Faster on every task, preferred by every participant
Faster on every task, preferred by every participant
I ran a task-based comparative study with nine regular Reddit users via Maze. Each participant completed two timed tasks, once on the standard Reddit interface and once with SubScout active, alongside a post-session debrief. The conditions were counterbalanced to control for learning effects.
I ran a task-based comparative study with nine regular Reddit users via Maze. Each participant completed two timed tasks, once on the standard Reddit interface and once with SubScout active, alongside a post-session debrief. The conditions were counterbalanced to control for learning effects.
Without SubScout
Without SubScout
With SubScout
With SubScout
Find information about a player you own
Find information about a player you own
Without
72.4s
72.4s
With
42.6s
42.6s
41.2% faster
41.2% faster
Find a specific post matching given metrics
Find a specific post matching given metrics
Without
50.7s
50.7s
With
38.9s
38.9s
23.3% faster
23.3% faster
"Compared to the standard Reddit interface, using SubScout made the research feel faster."
"Compared to the standard Reddit interface, using SubScout made the research feel faster."
5-point opinion scale
5-point opinion scale
9
Responses
9
Responses
4.3
Average
4.3
Average
0%
0%
0
0
Strongly Disagree
Strongly Disagree
0%
0%
0
0
Disagree
Disagree
0%
0%
0
0
Neutral
Neutral
67%
67%
6
6
Agree
Agree
33%
33%
3
3
Strongly Agree
Strongly Agree