NEON ARCADE
CASE STUDY
App Design / Brand Identity / Design System / UI & UX
The product
Neon Arcade is an app designed to facilitate game previews for arcades. This app specifically targets users who are looking for peer reviewed entertainment within their community.
Project duration
August 2022 to December 2022
The problem
While arcades are meant to be fun entertainment spots, oftentimes finding information for them can be a cause of extreme frustration. One issue is finding out which games they offer with review information.
The goal
The ultimate goal is to relieve some of the stress and frustration around entertainment planning by creating a one-stop shop for users to arrange their next visit to the arcade. People should remember the games they played and not the hoops they had to jump through to find them.
My Role
UX designer designing an app for Neon Arcade from conception to delivery
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs
— User Research —
Persona / Problem statement / User journey map
Summary
I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I’m designing for and their needs. A primary user group identified through research was adult students who don’t have time to research entertainment options. This user group confirmed initial assumptions about entertainment customers, but research also revealed that time was not the only factor limiting users. Other user problems included obligations, interests, or challenges that make it difficult to find entertainment options.
Pain Point - Time
Adult students are too busy to spend time on entertainment research
Pain Point - Accessibility
Platforms for entertainment are not equipped with assistive technologies
Pain Point - IA
Text-heavy content in apps are often difficult to read and interpret
Persona - matt
Problem statement:
Matt is a busy university student who needs easy access to peer reviewed entertainment options within their community because they have no time to research and compare options
Matt is a busy university student who needs easy access to peer reviewed entertainment options within their community because they have no time to research and compare options
User journey Map
Mapping Matt’s user journey revealed how helpful it would be for users to have access to a dedicated entertainment location app
— Design —
Paper wireframes / Digital wireframes / Low-fidelity prototype / Usability studies
Paper Wireframes
Taking the time to draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper ensured that the elements that made it to digital wireframes would be well-suited to address user pain points. For the home screen, I prioritized a quick and easy search process to help users save time.
Digital Wireframes
As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from user research. Easy navigation for each location was a key user need to address in the designs in addition to equipping the app to work with assistive technologies.
Low-Fidelity Prototype
The low-fidelity prototype connected the primary user flow of selecting, sharing and reviewing an arcade location, so the prototype could be used in a usability study with users.
Usability Study - Findings
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.
Round One Findings
1. Users want easy to use navigation
2. Users want more explanation on search process
Round Two Findings
1. Users want to navigate back to location easily
2. Users want more information about games
— Refining —
Mockups / High-fidelity prototype / Accessibility
Mockups
Early designs allowed for search results displayed within the same screen, but after the usability studies, I moved them to a separate page for easier comparison.
Mockups
The second usability study revealed frustration with the location share and review flow. To streamline this flow, I added hyperlinks to all location names for easy navigation back to the main location detail page.
High-Fidelity Prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype presented cleaner user flows for searching and sharing. It also met user needs for reviewing locations.
Accessibility Considerations
1. Provided access to users who are vision impaired through adding alt text to images for screen readers
2. Used icons to help make navigation easier
3. Used detailed imagery for game types to help all users better understand the designs
— Going Forward —
Takeaways / Next Steps
Impact
The app makes users feel like Neon Arcade really thinks about how to meet their needs. One quote from feedback: “The app made it easy to find an arcade with games that I like and share it with my friends.”
What I Learned
While designing the Neon Arcade app, I learned that the first ideas for the app are only the beginning of the process. Usability studies and peer feedback influenced each iteration of the app’s designs.
Next Steps
1. Conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been effectively addressed
2. Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of need
