Arcadia hub
Redefining the gaming experience
Personal Project
Product Designer
15/10/2023 - 15/1/2024
Myself
The field of crypto and web3 is very new and people had little to no idea on what it is. Since the technology behind it is growing rapidly, we decided to create an education app that focuses on the education of web3. This problem was part of a Hackathon.
Being a one week project was definitely going to be challenging. We had to rely on our design intuition which we did in taking certain decisions which we believed would work for the final solution. In our research we wanted to understand how many people knew the term web3 and what they know about it. This would give us an idea of the existing knowledge among people. We also wanted to identify the ways they acquire new knowledge.
We sent out a survey and these were our key findings:-
-Just over 50% of our users have heard of the term Web3, from which only 11% consciously use it, and 22% do it sometimes.
-55% of users created and shared educational content.60% of the users cannot wrap their head around the idea of web3.
-80% of users regularly use educational apps with the example of Duolingo or Udemy.
-Users like to get knowledge from different resources such as books, websites and videos.
-What stops users from continuing learning is mostly: a lack of time, money, and boring materials.
-Users would like to get their knowledge from videos, pictographs, real-life examples and games. Broken down into smaller, digestible content.
In the dynamic landscape of gaming, there is an imperative need to create a gaming platform that redefines the way players discover, access, and personalize their gaming experiences. Existing platforms often fall short in effectively connecting players with games that resonate with their preferences, resulting in a disconnection between players and the vast array of available titles. This inadequacy hampers both the players' engagement and the gaming industry's growth potential.
To address this challenge, I aim to develop a gaming platform that goes beyond convention. By enhancing the discoverability, accessibility, and personalization of games based on players right off the start, I focus on creating a seamless and immersive experience. The focus is to break down barriers, intelligently curate game recommendations, and create an ecosystem where players feel valued and understood. Ultimately, our goal is to bridge the gap between players and games right in the start, elevating the gaming journey into one that is deeply enriching and individually meaningful.
As I delved into the research phase, my primary objective was to unravel the intricacies of the dynamic gaming market. This exploration involved deciphering user behaviours and preferences across gaming platforms. I aimed to harness this knowledge to elevate their overall experience in ingenious ways.
Starting with secondary research, I tapped into a wealth of readily available information. This allowed me to pinpoint essential insights regarding gaming platform users. Here Starting with secondary research, I tapped into a wealth of readily available information.
This allowed me to pinpoint essential insights regarding gaming platform users. Here are the insights I gathered:-
This preliminary data propelled me into a comprehensive competitive analysis. Scrutinizing existing products, I methodically dissected their attributes. The analysis spanned aspects such as game library, user interface, pricing, community features, performance, and security. The highlights encompassed:
With these analyses laid out, I transitioned to structuring a research plan, leading to insightful user interviews. A screener survey was dispatched to recruit participants, yielding a diverse pool of respondents. The survey were designed to unlock the mystery surrounding various gaming aspects. From the allure of different game types among diverse demographics to the impact of social interactions, these interviews ventured into the very heart of gaming experiences.
The focus of user interviews is to gain insights into several key aspects related to gaming platforms. These aspects include understanding the popularity of game types among users based on demographic factors like age, gender, and location. Additionally, the interviews aim to uncover users' perceptions of the current discoverability and accessibility of games, their motivations for engaging with games, frustrations they encounter, and the impact of social interactions on their overall experience. The interviews also seek to delve into users' decision-making processes when selecting and interacting with games, and finally, to explore ways in which user feedback an engagement metrics can be harnessed to inform design decisions and enhance the overall user experience on gaming platforms.
Four diverse participants from different countries provided their perspectives, facilitated by the intuitive Lookback software. Their insights resonated, highlighting the significance of communication tools, recommendations, accessibility, and performance. The influence of social interactions, friends' choices, and multi-device play became apparent.
Here are the detailed insights:-
These findings provided the fuel for crafting user personas and defining a problem statement. With personas personifying the essence of gamers and the problem statement succinctly encapsulating their needs, my journey seamlessly segued into the phase which is ideation and design.
We began brainstorming how to create a special gaming place that's just for you. A place where you can learn and also connect with others.
Some of the many idea that came into the picture were:-
As the brainstorming settled, a handful of these ideas earned their place in the product's MVP, while others were reserved for future strides. The chosen MVP components comprised:
The subsequent phase led me to meticulously outline user flows and craft an intuitive information architecture. This journey witnessed multiple iterations of IA designs and user flows, all seeking to condense the interactions needed to achieve users' desired objectives. My focus remained on constructing user flows that efficiently guided users through pivotal pathways towards their goals.
Once that was done I started to work on creating preliminary wireframes sketches and low fidelity wireframes. I wanted to make sure I was able to have all the information present so I can do a user testing before moving on to high fidelity design.
For this phase I focussed on two types of testing which is the tree testing and the concept testing.
Running a tree user testing was my first time. It really was interesting and gave quite a lot of useful insights. Based on the results here are the analysis below broken into the individual tasks:
Task 1: Where would you find the recommendations?
Based on the results, it appears that participants expect to find recommendations primarily in the "Featured Games" section. So I can make the featured game section to show personalized recommendations and the current location of personalized recommendations to show featured games. I think that change would make it easier for users to understand.
Task 2: Where would you find 'Friend A' game preferences?
The results suggest that participants primarily associate finding a friend's game preferences with the "Social" section. So maybe to improve the information architecture, Ican ensure that the "Social" section prominently features options for accessing friends and their related preferences. We can consider optimizing the navigation flow within the "Social" section to make it easier for users to find and access their friends' game preferences.
Task 3: Where would you find the game wish list?
Based on the results, it seems that participants associate the game wish list with the "Library" section which works well since it is there.
As the tree testing concluded, I moved onto moderated concept testing where I tested the wireframes and the user flow of the design. Here are the insights I gathered:-
I then iterated on the product and adjusted the features based on the user feedback provided.
Transitioning into the next phase of development for the gaming platform, I delved into the creation of high-fidelity mockups. This stage entailed a meticulous exploration of colors, drawing insights from market products, while remaining true to the platform's unique identity.
Channeling the essence of the dark lightning purple, our primary color, and incorporating shades of black and grey, the design sought to embody a sense of sophistication and modernity. This visual palette aimed to resonate with users familiar
with the gaming landscape, while offering a distinct and captivating experience.
With the font choice of Roboto, clarity and sleekness were at the forefront, enhancing the platform's readability and user interface. The utilization of this font seamlessly aligned with the platform's spirit, promoting a sense of familiarity within a refined digital environment.
I moved onto the final phase which is the user testing. I created multiple versions of the design, especially the filter system, so I decided to perform A/B testing for it. Here is the plan for the testing:
Scenario 1: Game Discovery
Task 1: Can you please sign up for the platform?
Scenario 2: Purchasing a Game
Task 2: You've decided to purchase the game you selected earlier. Add it to your cart, proceed to checkout, and complete the purchase.
Scenario 3: Interacting with the Community
Task 3: Explore the platform's social features. Join your friends in their gaming session?
Scenario 4: A/B Testing the filter
Task 4: Looking at the filters, what filter system do you prefer? Which looks more appealing and easy to use?
The above scenario covers all the key aspects of the product and will give us an idea of how it functions with users. Here are the user testing insights:
This research validated our problem statement and led us to focus on how we can educate the people in a way they can do it easily without being bored and while remaining engaged.
We quickly moved onto brainstorming ideas for designs and started to create wireframes. We prioritised making the main screens and eliminated the optional standard screens such as settings and account page to keep the focus on the design, how it will achieve the goal and also save time.
Overall this project was very intuitive and challenging. Despite the gaming community being very large, it was quite difficult to find people who were willing to share their opinions of game platforms. Nevertheless there was ample amount of research data online which helped me significantly in my journey.
I learned a great deal especially using new tools such as lookback for research. I believe this project has cemented my knowledge in the basics of handling a full scale project from start to finish. I am hoping to put these skills to good use in real world projects in the future.
