UX Design Certificate by Google

Over the last few months, I have been working towards getting my Certificate in UX Design in a course offered by Google. My favorite thing I have learned so far is the process of creating ideas and prototyping with wireframes. I knew that drawing out different ideas was a good thing to do for any design work, but when it came to quickly sketching for wireframes, the ideas naturally flow. Understanding how design translates from games to apps is my greatest strength because so much of the design process is the same. Having an idea that you want to prototype or a problem that you want to solve, coming up with different ways that problem could be completed, then thoroughly testing it with users to make sure the experience is well done. I am currently expecting to have the course completed by December with my current pace, but don't want to rush and present bad designs. The design I am currently working on is a high score tracker for an arcade.

High Score Tracker App

Role: UX Designer | Duration 2 months

This was the randomly generated idea that I got during my course and I thought that it fitted me and my background well. The biggest problem I have ran into is how big to make the app. It is relatively small where the user can only select from a variety of games to view the score, then submit the score. I added in some places for a wait time and tip videos about the game. This allows users to know how long they will need to wait to play a certain game, and if they want to get better or learn more about a game, they can view a video right there in the app.

Project Overview

The Product: The High Score Tracker is an app that helps arcade goers track their scores, see tip videos on each game, and show an estimated wait time to play each game.

The Problem: Users have a hard time seeing the high scores of games without playing them first, which can take time while they wait in line.

The Goal: Design an app that allows users to see a games high scores easily, while also being able to see how long the wait is for a game.

My Responsibilities: Conducting interviews, wireframing and prototyping, conducting usability studies, and iterating on the designs.

Understanding the user

User Research Summary: I conducted interviews with several people who study game development and others who simply enjoy playing games. I found that some arcade players love to compete at their favorite games and want to be at the top of the leaderboards, while others enjoyed playing games but didn't care as much as being the best. My assumptions I had going into these interviews is that people wanted to see their favorite games first, while also wanting tips on how to get better at each game. My assumptions were right and wrong, depending on the user. The hardcore players want to see tips on playing games before they play so they can figure out an optimal strategy and set high score quickly, while others didn't feel it was necessary to have tips.

Persona: Will is a competitive gamer who needs an easier way to see the high score of different games because he doesn’t want to waste time playing through games just to see if he has the current high score.

 

Starting the Design

Paper Wireframes: When completing my paper wireframes, I like to gather references from other apps. This allows me to see how those apps flow and how mine can flow well, while still feeling similar to something users have used before.

 

Digital Wireframes: As the initial design phase for this app, I wanted users to feel like they’ve used the app before through similar design choices of popular apps. Having an easy way of submitting a score, viewing other scores, or offering tip videos were key user needs that needed to be addressed.

 

Low-Fidelity Prototype: The Low-fidelity prototype showcases the primary user flow from creating an account to submitting a score for the user’s favorite games.

 

Refining the design

High-Fidelity Prototype

Takeaways

Impact: This app helps users track high scores of their favorite games, while also helping to showcase tips and estimated wait times for each game.

What I learned: I learned that although a design is simple, it doesn’t mean that it necessarily works well. Utilizing different methods like iconography and elevation really helps showcase different features of the app and make it work smoothly.

Next Steps

  1. Conduct more research to help validate the design and flush out any additional pain points that might arise.

  2. Add more accessibility to the app in terms of using screen readers, brightness of the colors, and additional color-blindness improvements.

Let’s Connect!

Thank you for your time reviewing the High Score Tracker app! You can get in touch with me below.

Email: JDDonham@gmail.com