UX Case Study Game
Created a design thinking game to increase awareness of the UXD program at Wilfrid Laurier University
Challenge
Students are transferring into Wilfrid Laurier’s User Experience Design (UXD) program from other programs rather than applying to the program from the start. UX as a practice needs to be more visible and understandable for prospective Laurier students.
Team
5 User Experience Design (UXD) students at Wilfrid Laurier University
Role
Generative Research, Visual/Graphic Design, Content Writing & Editing, Prototype Production
Toolkit
Figma, Canva
Overview
Research
Consulting current UX transfer students for insights on their experience.
Design
Designing and developing game prototypes.
Outcome
Play-testing final prototype with current UX students.
Research & Concept
Understanding the Problem Space
To gain insight on why many students were transferring, we referenced past interviews/surveys team members had conducted with UX students, and discussed the topic with current UXD transfer students. Based on this research, we determined the main problem potential UX students face is a lack of awareness about what user experience design is.
Identifying a Solution
Wilfrid Laurier's open house and campus tour events attract a large number of prospective university students, and already often have both program heads and student volunteers present to market their program to applicants.
Our solution was a game for event attendees to play, which could function as an interactive and educational demonstration of user experience design. The game would be:
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A round-based multiplayer game: it can be played with two or more people and the game can be stopped or continued for as long as needed. Based on our research, students would be more willing to engage in short-term group activities than longer individual ones.
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An iterative design thinking game that guides players through designing a product and mimics an Agile design process to give a hand-on, simplified view of what UX design entails. We focused particularly on knowledge areas and processes current students said where of most interest to them.
Design
After mapping out as a team how the game would function, I began designing artifacts and developing game content. I continued to test and iterate upon designs throughout the project lifecycle.
Outcome & Final Testing
After constructing a physical prototype of our game we conducted a few playtesting sessions with current UX students and found the game met our main goals and expectations. It allowed for a quick multiplayer experience lasting between 3-15 minutes with different results and challenges presented to players each time. First-time players adapted quickly and had no issues with understanding the game or instructions. I did note a few areas where combinations of certain playable cards produced confusing or nonsensical directions. Based on those results, I reviewed and modified some content to improve clarity.
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However, due to the set timeframe in which open house events occur, we were unable to actually use the game as a demo, and therefore are unable to say whether it would effectively increase awareness of the UX program.
Based on the playtesting, I was also able to determine a few issues with nonsensical or uncomplimentary cards, non-cohesive syntax, and insufficient explanation of domain-specific terminology. The game required further revisions before use at campus events.
Learnings
Style guides & standards are vital
Many of the issues we experienced while prototyping the project were due to a lack of standardization. We did not establish effective guidelines for language, syntax, or content prior to creating the product. As we split content creation between different members of the team, we ended up with inconsistencies in card content and style. In the future, I would work with the team to create a content guideline beforehand to ensure all content is complementary and cohesive.