Project Overview

The Challenge
While studying UX design, I was prompted to design a companion app for “Big L’s Arcade”, a fictional arcade based in London. Knowing that arcades are relatively rare today, I aimed to design an app that would take advantage of the capabilities of mobile devices, and encourage users (targeted towards game enthusiasts) to go out of their way to visit the arcade’s physical locations.

The Result
​The app for Big L’s Arcade allows fans to enjoy the arcade experience from anywhere! Users can play demos and view trailers for games, view their tickets synced to the cloud, download prizes, and more.

Research

Interviews
Five young adults (2 male, 2 female, 1 non-binary individual, all between the ages of 18 and 35) were interviewed regarding their experiences, enjoyment, and frustrations with arcades. Users expressed three major pain points with the existing experience, shown at right.

1. Too far!
   Today, arcades are few and far in between, providing little incentive for people to go out of their way to visit.
   
   
2. Little integration
   The current arcade experience stays within the building itself; there’s little integration with user’s devices.
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3. Difficult to plan
   It can be hard to tell which games are fun from a video alone. Frustrations can arise when a user pays for a game, only to find they don’t enjoy it.
   

Foundations & Ideation

Brainstorming

The Crazy Eights exercise was used to brainstorm 8 ideas within 8 minutes. Some of these concepts made it into the final app, such as demos and accessing tickets/prizes from the phone app!

The Big Picture

Storyboarding the app being used in the real world...

...with a closer look in another set of storyboards!

Paper Wireframes
​In planning the app’s layout, my goal was to cut down on the number of screen presses a user would need to navigate to content. This necessitated a flow that stripped away the hamburger menu often seen on mobile sites/apps, and use both a top and bottom navigation bar in its place.

Digital Wireframes
The transition from paper to digital wireframes revolved around solidifying choices in layout and design. Prototype available in description.

Usability Study

Parameters

Study Type: Unmoderated, users asked to complete tasks within app
Location: Remote
Participants: 5 young adults (2 men, 3 women)
Length: 30 minutes

Findings

1. Users Enjoy Exploring
   A strong design gives users confidence that even if they venture off the beaten path, not only will they be rewarded for it, but they’ll easily be able to get back home.
   
2. Users Want Unique Experiences
   An app must be unique to thrive; just offering pictures and video is not enough!
   
3. Users Need Consistency
   If an app must suddenly change its presentation, the user must be warned, and given control to make the change on their own.
   

High-Fidelity Prototype
​Feedback from the usability study was used as I finalized the visual design, layout, and general user experience. Prototype available for viewing in description. User accessibility was also kept in mind, as high-contrast text was used, and iconography was used in place of text wherever possible, aiding those who may struggle with English.

Sticker Sheet

Takeaways

As the first app I’ve designed from start to finish in an educational setting focused solely on UX design, this has been a great exercise in taking a holistic approach to design. I’ve spent much more time with foundational research and experimentation than in my work in the past, and it paid off in making the design process much more smooth.

Links

Completed prototype

Mockup prototype

Stock images used under Unsplash's free use license. All icons (except for profile icon, designed by myself) found on materialdesignicons.com. Icons are free for use as described by Pictogrammers Free License on Github. All other visual assets and designs created by myself.