Project Overview

  • Role and Duration

    ROLE: Visual Designer, Interaction Designer, UX Researcher

    DURATION: December 2021 (4 Weeks)

  • Project Vision

    This mock desktop app was created to help many Nintendo gamers acquire better communication when playing Nintendo titles. The app was also created to fulfill the needs of Nintendo’s retro gaming community by giving them a safe and legal method to play older Nintendo titles. This mock app was designed for all Nintendo gamers, but more primarily the retro gamers and the content creators.

  • Challenges

    1. Create a better line of communication during games for content creators.

    2. Providing a virtual console for gamers to play retro Nintendo titles .

    3. Creating a line of communication between Nintendo users and their friends on desktop.

  • The Beginning

    Before I acquired a solid idea of what I wanted this app to contain, I conducted some quantitative research by interviewing individuals from the Nintendo gaming community. I interviewed 5 participants, asking them about their current gaming experience as a content creator or an avid gamer. The questions I asked were an attempt to gather different pain points with their current gaming experience. With that information, I thought about various ways that these pain points could be fixed with a desktop app.

  • Key Questions

    1. What is your current gaming experience with Nintendo like?

    2. What challenges do you face when wanting to play Nintendo games?

    3. How can the problems that Nintendo users have possibly be fixed?

Interview Quotes

From my research I found that most users enjoyed their experience with Nintendo overall, but when it came to possible content creation and communication, a bit more could be done.

Many responses were about Nintendo’s lack of communication outlets. Others talked about their want for playing older Nintendo titles.

Affinity Mapping

I created an affinity map based on common themes found in my user interviews to distill key insights. Users had significant concerns about Nintendo's hardware, a desire for a universal party chat system, and a longing for easier access to retro games. By visually mapping these recurrent themes, I created a clear roadmap for addressing these critical issues and enhancing the Nintendo experience for Nintendo gamers.

The Users

I created two personas based on the information received from my interviews.

Competitive Analysis

Looking at competitors, such as Sony (Playstation) and Microsoft (Xbox), I found that they both have desktop apps that allow for communication with friends within their respective platforms, and they also allow users to play some of their older titles on PC.

User Flow

I constructed a basic user flow for individuals that wish to communicate within the current game that they’re playing, and for those that wish to play retro games.

Journey Maps and Story Boards

I then created journey maps for each persona, and storyboards for the communication persona.

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Wireframes

After journey maps and storyboards were created, I got right to work on some wireframes.

Usability Studies and SUS Surveys

After I created my wireframes, I then conducted 5 usability studies and SUS surveys. Participants overall found the app fairly easy to navigate, but subtle changes could be made to improve the overall usability of the app

Prototype

I created a prototype for the app that reflected what I learned within my research, and from my usability studies with my wireframes.

Accessibility

My most notable accessibility options are within the voice chat lobbies. Everything typed within the chat window is text-to-voice. The voice option is available for those that are not able to type.

Takeaways and Next Steps

My main takeaway is that Nintendo would greatly benefit from a desktop app. Other competitors have realized that everything is moving more digitally, and they’ve capitalized on the market moving more toward PC gaming. Nintendo still relies very heavily on physical gaming. Moving Nintendo related content to a desktop could definitely be very profitable for the company overall. Aside from profits, the app would greatly benefit regular Nintendo gamers. The communication channels would be a great asset to content creators and casual gamers alike. In addition to adding communication, adding a virtual console where gamers can access older Nintendo games would also be beneficial for gamers and the company. Nintendo could capitalize on all of their older games, and gamers can play the games that made them grow to love Nintendo. As far as next steps, I plan on doing further research to improve the design as far as communication goes. I believe more can be done to enhance the experience between friends that play together through Nintendo.