Questions List

What was the problem and hypothesis?

What was my role and how did I collaborate with my team?

How did I decide on my solution?

What is the proposed solution?

How does my solution answer the question?

What were the challenges I faced?

How did the solution affect the users and the business?

What did I learn?

My role:

• User Research 
• UX Design

Team:

• Received outside feedback from other UX Designers at various points in the process.

Interviews: 

To gain a deep understanding of our users' needs and preferences, I conducted ten interviews using a script and analyzed the collected data. The insights I gained informed my user-centered design by identifying pain points, gaming preferences, and preferred methods of accessing arcade games. Prioritizing user feedback allowed me to create a user-friendly and engaging product that meets their needs.

Working Assumptions: 

I synthesized the information I gathered from my interviews. First, I reviewed my research to identify emerging themes that captured key insights I gained from the interviews. I then clustered my ideas using sticky notes and grouped similar concepts together to create five main categories: early life, emotions, cultural influences, accessibility of knowledge, and major life events. Finally, I selected ideas for the interviews that stood out as being the most impactful.

• Early life: tended to identify as more introverted in their early years 
• Emotions: they enjoy socializing with others who share their interests. 
• Cultural Influences: Media narratives around gamers are often incorrect. (violence, socially awkward, and etc.)
• Accessibility: While game designers are increasingly recognizing the importance of accessibility and creating games that are more inclusive, many games still have barriers to accessibility for certain individuals.
• Major Life Events: Gaming can be a stress-reliever for students and be a bonding activity for parents and children

Competitive Analysis:

I conducted a thorough competitive analysis to gain insights into how others are helping users with their arcade experiences. I focused my primary competitor as Chuck E Cheese, which caters an arcade experience to children. I found that their website and mobile app are user-friendly with clear actions, but have too many options and small text. My secondary competitor was Dave and Busters, which caters an arcade experience to an older crowd. I found that they offer a lot of incentives and rewards to game with them. My tertiary competitor, Peter Piper Pizza, while they are a small local company to Arizona they are able to compete with Chuck E Cheese; however, I found the ads on their app slowed the experience for the user.  

Executive Summary:

To gain a comprehensive understanding of our objectives,  I created an executive summary. This exercise enabled me to define the current situation, identify existing challenges, and uncover opportunities to improve our end products and better assist our users. To achieve this, I brainstormed and wrote down my ideas on sticky notes within a set time limit, and then grouped similar ideas together, labeling each cluster. Next, I identified key insights that would shape each category, allowing me to gain a deeper understanding of our goals and how to achieve them.  

• Rewards program to encourage frequent visits
• Machine reservations to reduce wait times and increase satisfaction
• Multiple user profiles for families and groups of friends to track scores and compete
• App bridges gap between traditional arcade games and modern technology
• Enhances arcade experience for guests of all ages and technological expertise levels
• Notifications about special deals and promotions
• Reduces stress in the arcade experience for busy casual gamers
• Utilizes technology and innovative design to create a seamless experience. 

• Project limits: The project mandated that the end product be an app.
• Limited budget/resources: The project had a limited budget, which made it challenging to incentivize participation in testing. Additionally, relied on guidance from external sources.
• Time constraints: Limited time to complete project.

Solution:

• The Arcade App offers a range of features including rewards points, machine reservations, and multiple user profiles to enhance the arcade experience for guests of all ages and technological expertise levels.
• The app bridges the gap between traditional arcade games and modern technology, creating a seamless and stress-free experience for busy casual gamers.

Impact on Users:

• The app offers a convenient way to reserve popular machines and reduce wait times, increasing overall satisfaction.
• The rewards program encourages guests to return and play more often.
• Multiple user profiles allow families or groups of friends to track their scores and compete with each other, adding a fun and social element to the arcade experience.

Impact on Business:

• The Arcade App helps attract new customers by offering a unique and modern experience compared to traditional arcades.
• The rewards program incentivizes customers to return and play more frequently, increasing revenue.
• Machine reservations reduce wait times, increasing customer satisfaction and allowing for more efficient use of machines during busy periods.

Arcade App was created as part of a directed project by Google.

During the UX project, I learned several important skills and gained valuable insights into the UX design process. Some of the key things I learned include:

1. Importance of user research: Conducting user research to understand the needs, behaviors, and pain points of your target users is critical to developing effective user-centered solutions.
2. Value of iterative design: UX design is an iterative process that involves prototyping, testing, and refining solutions based on user feedback. Iterative design allows for continuous improvement and ensures that the final product meets the needs of the users.
3. Significance of usability testing: Usability testing is an essential step in the design process as it allows designers to identify and address usability issues and make sure that the product is intuitive and easy to use for the target users.
4. Need for collaboration: UX design is a collaborative process that involves working closely with stakeholders, developers, and users to develop solutions that meet business goals and user needs.
5. Importance of empathy: UX design requires empathy for the users and their needs to create solutions that solve their problems effectively.

Overall, the UX project provided me with a valuable opportunity to apply UX design principles and gain practical experience in the field. I feel more confident in my ability to design user-centered solutions and collaborate effectively with others, and I look forward to applying these skills in future projects.