IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES IN NEW PRODUCT DESIGN
Conduct expert assessment of gaming devices and identify user points after conducting an expert assessment of the unpacking and initial setup steps of three different gaming devices. - IN PROGRESS
THE PROBLEM
Journey mapping is a good way to empathize with the end user and to communicate an understanding of the user experience of a product or service with all stakeholders involved. It reveals opportunities to address customer pain points to create a better experience for users.
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This is a hypothetical project to demonstrate some of my prior experience working with program teams. To understand the user experience of gamers, I created a journey map for each device to identify their different touchpoints and pain points as they unpack the gaming device and set it up to be able to play their first game. Based on the friction points, hardware and experience improvements for the new device can be identified.
Based on product details on the website and unboxing YouTube videos I formulated the device journey maps to identify the touchpoints and user pain points.
HIGH LEVEL TIMELINE
This project took 2 weeks from start to finish.
MAKE OF THE TEAM
This was a single person team.
KEY GOAL
The goal of this assessment is to find out which device offers a seamless setup experience to users.
Storyboard of a Typical Gamer post-purchase journey
During the Unboxing & Setup of all three devices, the actor (or the persona) in the journey will go through a few common steps that are indicated in the storyboard below. The storyboard was generated through a Gen AI tool.​
Target user persona, New_Gamer receives a new gaming device in a package. He unboxes it and methodically empties the contents in the package. He is very excited about this purchase.
After unpacking the gaming device, New_Gamer connects the gaming device to the power chord and completes remaining steps listed in the setup guide or instructional video.
New_Gamer now connects the device to the TV and is able to play his very first game on his new device.
Journey map documenting the unboxing and gaming device setup steps of a novice gamer.
MY ROLE
As a UX Designer, I completed a heuristic evaluation (using Jakob Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics as a guide) and an expert review to check for possible usability issues.
I documented all the readings and build journey maps to communicate the user journey for each gaming device.
THE PROCESS & THE FRAMEWORK
Each device was analyzed to identify its strengths and weaknesses.
Consistency and standards, error prevention, and user control and freedom were some of the themes that guided the expert review.
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The final deliverable is a report containing findings and recommended solutions for improving the user experience including discussions of best practices, actionable recommendations, and a simplified journey map for each device.
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Note: This evaluation was conducted without physical interaction with the gaming devices. Observations are based on unboxing videos of influencers and information on the manufacturer's website.
Unbiased Expert Review
As someone who was not involved in the product design of these devices, I evaluated the interface--for usability issues and areas for improvement from unboxing to setup--with an unbiased mindset.
WHAT THE USERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE SETUP EXPERIENCE
Nintendo OLED
Hardware Improvement
"The biggest flaw we have experienced with the OLED model is that the cover for the cartridge slot is very hard to open, especially if you have very short fingernails." Reddit User
Sony PS 5
Overall Ease of Setup
"It started right up got signed in downloaded my games and it has been working flawlessly."
XBOX Series X
Overall Ease of Setup
"Much, much easier to use and set up than the Playstation 5, I have both consoles. A very friendly system and a pleasure to use. Everything about it works perfectly! I own 4 Xbox Series X and they all work excellent..."
Image generated using Wix's AI Image Creator
LESSONS LEARNED
Some of the lessons learned from this exercise
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One of the lessons learned was that in spite of similarities in these devices, there are still a lot of differences
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There are a lot of gen-over-gen improvements, but the loyal user base notices if the improvements are not significant or if there haven't been enough platform-level improvements.
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Users are very passionate about their gaming devices and share their opinions and feedback freely online. This makes my work as an inquisitive user researcher easy.
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I conducted similar UX activities as a UX lead during new product development projects.