Project Overview
eXplore is a scavenger hunting mobile game with social capabilities. Jump into the world of gaming, solo or with friends, and go on adventures around your hometown to discover new locations or find hidden objects to gain in-game experiences.
My Role: UX/UI Designer & UX Researcher
Timeframe: 6 Months
Tools: Adobe XD, Balsamiq, Google Forms, Lucid Chart, Miro, UXPressia, Draw.io, Canva, & Previewed
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Design Process
I. Empathize
Competitive Analysis
![Pokemon Go Image. [Compressed].png](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f1877ed9c9c6d356545c8f8/1602872463347-90MG2W2WO79XYH8D7RXD/Pokemon+Go+Image.+%5BCompressed%5D.png)
Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go is an augmented reality mobile game that provides users an immersive experience in the world of Pokemon through finding and catching Pokemon as users explore surrounding areas. eXplore takes advantage of the opportunity left by Pokemon Go’s lack of social features.
![GooseChase Image. [Compressed].png](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f1877ed9c9c6d356545c8f8/1602872482510-6W5DRYNRUA9HTF7Q29PT/GooseChase+Image.+%5BCompressed%5D.png)
Goose Chase
Goose Chase is a scavenger hunting website that is played through users’ mobile devices and is marketed as the original scavenger hunting application. eXplore takes advantage of the opportunity left by Goose Chase’s restrictive in-game experience tracking.
Full Competitive Analysis can be found here
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User Surveys
Objective: Understand the user’s behaviors and attitudes towards mobile gaming, as well as, social media.
Survey Details: 21 Participants and 14 Questions using Google Forms
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User Interviews
Objective: Identify key insights into user motivations and any potential frustrations using scavenger hunting applications
Interview Details: 3 Participants and 11 Questions, findings and insights derived through Affinity Mapping
Key Insights:
Users want games to not be timed to allow for a flexible and free gaming experience
Users want to play without being distracted by abrupt ads
Users want the ability to socialize with other players
Users want progression in difficulty and to be challenged, especially veteran players
Users want to get rewarded for in-game achievements
Users want to be able to have the ability to play, no matter the distance
II. Define
Problem Statement
Users need a way to automatically set-up an adventure with the capabilities of interacting with other users in the process of exploring their surrounding areas.
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User Personas
III. Ideate
User Flows
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Sitemap
IV. Prototype
Wireframing
V. Test
Usability Testing
Objective: Assess the usability of the core features within eXplore & gain a better understanding of the overall user experience for iterations.
Next Steps:
With the creation of eXplore’s chat functionality, personalized sign-up screen, and ability to create game sessions, I believe users, both existing and new, will be able to better feel immersed in eXplore’s gaming world and socialization through the mobile game will be frequent.
Due to eXplore needing continuous improvements and updates to be a fully immersive gaming experience for all users, further iterations of eXplore would test the above hypotheses in the form of a moderated usability test in the natural outdoor setting of the mobile game.
As commonly true for many mobile gaming applications, no set timeline is predicted for improvements and implementations due to a continuous stream of feedback from all types of users that will result in frequent updates to fix any bugs/issues, reiterate on already created features, and introduce new features.