Project Overview

The Project:

This product serves as an event check-in app for any and all local gaming events. Unlike other event apps, this one focuses on competitive gaming and/or gaming related events while also creating a platform for gamers to connect through social media and other interactive features.

Project Duration:

Two months (December 2021-January 2022

The Problem

  • Gaming community lacks a singular platform to connect locally with other gamers. 

  • Gaming venues want a streamlined approach to engaging with patrons and promoting their events and competitions. 

  • Reduce overall time spent with event registration and check-in lines.

The Goal

  • Creating a more gaming focused event app with social media capabilities will increase patron numbers at gaming venues in the area. 

  • Social engagement data can provide insight on events and services that venues may lack and thereby be able to improve what their offerings.

Understanding the user

This research was designed for a niche population who enjoy social gaming and/or compete in gaming tournaments. Local arcades and other venues are teaming up in an effort to reinvigorate event attendance, refine their products and services, and strengthen the local gaming community by providing a catchall event and social app. By connecting these gaming venues this app can catalogue all gaming events with notification and filtering features to customize the selection for the individual gamer profile. The social media elements can help bring attention to events while also bringing patrons together through sharing, messaging, and the ability to create social gaming groups within the app. Usability tests were conducted where level of engagement and time spent registering for an event were measured since these were consistent pain points for users within the gaming community and serve as the driving force for the development of the app.

Pain points

 

Gaming events and related content are mixed on different platforms

Users get their gaming updates and information through various websites/apps. This can lead to inconsistencies with updates and upcoming events and unless these platforms are checked on a regular basis, events can be missed.

Time spent filling out registration forms

With users filling out registration forms on various platforms it can become a long/tedious process filling out the same information whenever a user wants to go to an event.

Lack of a social platform to meet and interact with other gamers

With so many social options for interacting with people it can be difficult meeting people who have similar interests. Event apps bring together like-minded people but typically doesn’t have the social features to fully interact with others

Persona: Melody

 

Problem Statement

Melody is a competitive gamer who needs an event app geared towards her interest in social gaming because she ultimately wants to expand her competitive network and get sponsored.

 

Journey Map

  • Figuring out venue layouts and event resources/rules can bring a lot of anxiety in users, especially upon arrival at the event.

  • Event notifications and recommendations would keep players engaged with app.

  • Social components could engage users before and after an event and strengthen the overall user experience.

Paper Wireframes

1. An interactive calendar would assist users with planning out their events allowing them to see a full month’s worth of activity at once
2. Since competitive gaming was a main focus for the app there was an inclusion of a leaderboard widget that would display current ranking for tournaments
 

3. A news feed feature was considered as a way to keep gamers engaged about upcoming game news

 

Usability Study: Findings

 

  • Unmoderated usability studies were conducted where participants were given a list of instructions to accomplish as they navigated through the main user flow of the app which is to locate an event, confirm their attendance, and then find their personalized QR code to get them into the event

    • Initial prototype had page navigation issues

    • At times, navigational cues were hard to follow

    • With such a range of features in the main layout participants noticed that the app felt cluttered being on a phone screen

    • More distinct borders were needed to better separate content

    • More social features will need to be developed in future updates

Mockups

  • The interactive calendar was too small on a phone screen making it difficult to use for some users

  • A clear linear approach to the scrolling content created a clean and simplistic look that was easy and straightforward

  • Placement consistency with content and icons made overall design feel more polished


Mockups

  • More distinct borders helped separate content and improve readability

  • Cleaned up spacing issues resulted a better utilization of space



Accessibility considerations

 

The overall design relies on high contrast colors since arcades are generally set in darker spaces. With a dark screen background and light colored text and buttons the screens can be read in dark spaces without using intense light for people with light sensitivity.

Accessibility info will be provided by venues such as arcade maps with handicap icons and other contact information so users can be aware of venue accommodations ahead of time.

A language feature will be added to the menu settings to help translate content on the app

Takeaways

Impact

“This app would be immensely useful in meeting other people with similar tastes in video games. The community can be isolating but this can help bring people together and in-person.” (Omar O.)

What I learned

Trial and error was key with this project as I had a lot of ideas going in to it. In initial phases of the design I tried to include everything but in conducting the research I found that simplicity and a straightforward design is what the user wanted.

Next steps

 

1.

Focus on the social features of the prototype to include chat, mail, event and social group creator. This would allow users to interact and form social groups within the app.

2.

Create added resources to better assist with planning and going to events such as maps to venues and commuting routes.

3.

Further develop accessibility features to help users who require additional accommodations so that more people are able to use the app.