Snapshots taken in wave 3 of testing. I was able to observe usability and order components were found in the tray to inform design updates for the next wave of research.
GOLDEN PATH USER RESEARCH
"We involved real gamers to get feedback on the pack as we made those design choices and refinements" - The Dieline article highlighting the Xbox One launch project. We believe that this was game-changing + allowed us to reach the most consumer-centric design as quickly as possible.
A Golden Path is the consumer journey for any product/service from earliest awareness through extended use, and there is an entire team of anthropologists and human-computer interaction specialists dedicated to leading this research at Microsoft.
The Xbox One Golden Path, as it was identified, included 6 steps: demand generation > retail > physical out of box experience > digital out of box experience > first use > continued discovery. I was able to plug into 5 waves of the physical out of box experience testing over an 11 week period.
Below is a sample of the cyclical workflow I moved through for each of the 5 waves. One "wave" was 2 weeks: one week in research + one week out of research synthesizing data, strategizing for the next wave and making mock ups reflecting design choices we wanted to test next.
Unbranded packaging assets tested in wave 1.
__
WAVE 1
First wave of research with bare bones structural packaging assets + hardware. Goal was to get a pulse on how the consumer sets up the hardware, as plugging the Xbox into your cable box was a new step for even the most hard-core gamers.
Assets tested
- White, unprinted packaging. 2 door top tray design with tabs to aid removal from the box. Goal: learn about usability.
- A/B test with 1-page instructions (directs you set-up instructions online) and 6-page instructions (all instructions printed). Goal: do the 1-page instructions lead to set-up success? (Team was excited about this option due to cost savings possibility).
Findings
- Users emptied the tray of all cords and cables before removing it and were confused by the 2 doors.
- Users completely missed the tabs.
- 1-page instructions was viewed as marketing junk and not viewed as set-up guide.
Approach for next wave
- Develop new tray design to test.
- "Accessory sandbox" or 1 door tray design was developed and mocked up for wave 2.
- Make tabs bright neon colored to replicate most extreme scenario.
- If they aren't seen then, scrap them. (And they weren't, so we did.)
- No-go on 1-page instructions due to complexity of hardware set up and risk of consumer unsatisfaction.
"The final design is two tier with the new Kinect camera as hero on opening the box. The top tier is a tray containing the controller, headset, power pack and cables as well as quick start guide and marketing materials under a lift-up cover. When the contents are removed, the tray can be lifted out to reveal the console itself below." - The Dieline
