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LFG APP

︎ Overview

Board gamers have a unique issue of being interested in a niche hobby, but also needing other people to participate in it! The Looking For Games app was conceived as a way to address the pain points of meeting people.

Tabletop gamers who exclusively play at in-person events struggle finding other gamers and suitable venues. The challenge was to create a mobile app used to organize and signup for in-person gaming events around your city.

UX Methodologies

User Interviews | C&C Analysis | Feature Analysis & Prioritization | Usability Testing | Affinity Mapping | Persona Development Journey Mapping | Sketching | Design Studio | Rapid Prototyping Deliverables | Persona | Journey Map | Sitemap | Lo-Fi & Mid-Fi Wireframes

Tools Used
Figma | Sketch | InVision | Adobe Illustrator | Zeplin

︎ User Research

Discovery & Interviews

The first step was making sure the users to interview would be able to give us insights into their experiences board gaming. A screener survey was sent out to find people who could provide insight into this unique community.

In determining users with relevant experience, the most important factors were: playing a tabletop game in the past year, and a willingness to meet with new people. Five interviewees were chosen to move forward with User Interviews.

Key Takeaways

Users wanted to play with others within their experience range.
Users wanted to be able to follow up with positive connections
Safety was very important

︎ Persona & Journey Map

These key insights from user interviews brought us to discover a persona through empathy with the user and prioritize next steps according to their needs. The preferences, needs, goals and frustrations of the persona reflects the interviewees lifestyle, relatable to the end user.

This Journey Map visualizes Liliana’s prior experience with finding fellow board gamers. It accents areas of opportunity and highlights focus on consideration, research, and purchase phases.

︎ Design Solution

A priority matrix was created for guiding Design Studio. The following features were addressed with solutions based on prioritization backed by our users feedback and the personas (Liliana’s) needs and pain points:

Lo-Fi Usability Testing

Approaching the creation of what the LFG design will look like, as well as how can an app serve the user based on their needs, initial Lo-Fi usability testing was conducted.

This helped hone in on the specifiations and features that users were looking for out of their experience as board gamers, as well as what they would want out of an app that has never existed before to address those needs.

Mid-Fidelity Prototype

Helping to define design, Lo-Fi sketches brought shape and sight to the features our users have shown they desire from this app concept. Out of data-backed function choices came form in this Mid-Fi Protoype showcasing streamlined updates.

Using the data from the Lo-Fi testing results, below is the throught process for the updates and changes to the Mid-Fi Design.

︎ Prototype & Testing

While some of the supporting features in LFG like Messaging and Calendar have similar functionality as other apps, the main mission, features, and market has never been tapped in an app before.

Therefore much of this design is zero-based in its research and development efforts. What is unique about these research interviews is the insight on function and necessity of this app idea as a whole in addition to research on the fuctions of the app itself.

Hi-Fidelity Design Solutions

Key Takeaways

An additional five interviews were conducted, asking the interviewees to complete the same tasks as mid-fi usability testing. Many user pain points originally rooted in finding the calendar navigation and the favorites page were alleviated with changes made in this Hi-Fi design.

Users had an overall positive outlook on the app and its features, quoted that “It feels overall smooth!” A user commented addressing Liliana’s (Persona) concerns for safety. “I liked looking at the organizer’s event, them hosting a ton of events and being verified makes me much more comfortable about meeting strangers...even if the other people are a little off-putting, I know there is someone invested in the community there.”

Future Steps

🏆 Gamification 🏆

User interviewees felt safer and more engaged by the addition of “crests” or profile borders users would gain as rewards for completing certain achievements know as “badges” in the app. Some would be small, such as attending a certain number of events, or hosting a certain number of verified events yourself.

Buy-in and confidence of users showing investment in the platform through these achievements helps make this app and its community a safe space by being active in it.

🏠 Venue Location 🏠

This app was created with NYC residents in mind. Two board gamers who love Apples to Apples finally meet and want to play together, but one lives in the Bronx and the other in Staten Island (to my non-NYC friends, this is...far). The biggest obstacle is finding a public place for them to meet, ideally a bar or park with tables and benches.

But bars have food/drink minimums, and typically do not love parties sticking around for as long as a game or two may take. This app helps parties and event hosts find venues, rate them, and provide reviews and insight based on board gamers previous expereinces. This can lead to valuable partnerships for businesses and spaces that have the room and would love to host groups like board gamers.

Reflection

One of my favorite pastimes with good friends and good drinks is a solid board game night. While I consider myself a fan of board games, I had little insight into the board gamer community before this project. I was introduced to the vast and deep community of board gamers and their dedication to this amazing craft and hobby.

This app was born from a problem that many board gamers face of finding other board gamers to play with, ensure they are safely being introduced to them, and finding a safe venue to coordinate the board gaming to commence. Besides the games themselves, the most important factor in this community are fellow board gamers, and many, like Liliana, lack the opportunities to indulge in these games due to the hurdles of finding a community.

Designers forge ahead in solving many problems with their designs, and this project was no exception. Inspired by a vast community facing a vast problem, how can a solution be reached while also bringing additional benefits and proactively addressing other concerns board gamers may face? I see so many great opportunities with an app like this one, supporting a great community like this one.

While I myself may not be an avid board gamer, this is where the saying (that I just made up) applies, which is “you can’t spell UX without EMPATHY.” Through user research and a genuine passion for the experience of engagement and community, I can see a brighter future through these efforts, especially in the board gaming community!