RedLine: A Console and Mobile App Prototype for Bethesda Softworks

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Student Team Project: A prototype for a mobile and console app that allows users to connect, stream and share their online gaming experiences.  As a leading video game publisher, Bethesda Softworks would like to create an exclusive community for their existing users as well as newcomers that will set them apart and fully engage users in this new digital experience.

Timeline: Two weeks

UX Practices: Company/Competitors/User Research, Research Synthesis, Competitive Analysis, Affinity Map, Customer Journey Map, Concept Generation, Personas, Storyboard, Wireframes, Interactive Prototype, Usability Test, Visual Design/UI, Branding.

Skills & Tools: Hand sketching, Photoshop, Sketch, Principle.

Project Team and Responsibilities:

 

Pritthijit (Raja) Kundu - Project Manager, Competitive Analysis, Wireframes, Visual Design, Personas, Storyboard, Branding & Logo Design, Presentation Slides.

Lina Silverman - Company/Competitors/User Research, Research Synthesis, Affinity Map, Customer Journey Map, Concept Generation, Wireframes.

Jackie Loureiro - User Research, Concept Generation, Wireframes, Interface Design, Interactive Prototype.

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Company History: An American video game publishing company, Bethesda Softworks was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986, later to become a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media in 1999. In 2001 Bethesda Game Studios was created as the in-house development team, and Bethesda Softworks became a publisher only. Bethesda is highly regarded and best known for producing role-playing games (RPGs).

Competitive Analysis: Bethesda is an undisputed leader in the field of fantasy role-playing games, with a significant fan base. However, the company has so far fallen behind on the communication platform, in which services such as Twitch, YouTube, Mixer and Steam seem to have captivated the gaming market, with Twitch and YouTube rated as top-tier. Nevertheless, even these services do not offer some possible features that could further enhance the communication and sharing experiences of the users. It is in this area that a credible opportunity for Bethesda can be identified.

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User Research

Surveys / Personas / User Interviews Affinity Mapping

From an initial Screener Survey 12 users were identified as the target audience. A detailed questionnaire was sent to these 12 users to get their gaming behavior and experience insights. Finally, 3 users were selected from a broad spectrum of occasional gamers, serious gamers and those who share contents. I created the personas based on these 3 users to create a sample user base for the project. The interview results were used to create Affinity Mapping to study behavior patterns and identify key pain-points. User insights were noted which helped in defining the design objectives.

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I created a Storyboard to convey how users will experience the product

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Design Objectives:

  • Create a platform where gamers can view, stream, save and share gaming content in one place.
  • Make it easy for users to find, view and follow content they like.
  • Minimize the need for users to switch between platforms by allowing users to view content while playing a game.
  • Encourage users to create accounts by awarding in-game perks.Add elements that promote a sense of community among users.
  • Promote the company’s presence by providing users with updates and notifications about new content.

Design Activities:

Wireframing: As part of the early design process, wireframing exercises were done as a group activity and later developed individually. The hand sketched wireframes were then transformed to digital prototypes using the ‘Sketch’ software.

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Customer Journey Map: A detailed Customer Journey Map was created from user feedback to understand behavioral patterns for different features.

Usability Testing: Usability Tests were conducted with 5 users using the initial prototype.

 

Feedback

  • Split Screen was the most unique and thoughtful feature.
  • Liked the ability to look at past content.
  • Liked the simplicity and being able to organize content based on whether they were using the platform as a gamer or a viewer.
  • Minimize navigation elements on interface, as gamers use controller buttons.
  • Adjust stats to include a wider variety of game-specific stats.

Iterations: The prototype frames went through a number of iterations based on user feedback before a final version was selected.

Interaction Design: Functionality and use of game controllers were the basis for interaction design for this app.

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Branding: In keeping with the branding theme of the mother company and its subsidiaries, a name and logo was created.

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Prototype: An interactive prototype was created using Sketch and Principle.