Reducing Onboarding Time for Beginner Board Game Players with RuleMate Mobile App: An AR-Powered Learning Experience
- ROLE: UX/UI Designer and Researcher 🔍
- TEAM MEMBERS: George Zhang, Monica Zhang, and Ko Motonaga 🧑🎨
- DURATION: SEP. 2024 - DEC. 2024 ⏰
- TOOLS: FIGMA 🎨
The Problem Statement:
Beginner Board Game Players often find it difficult and time-consuming to learn new games. Traditional rulebooks can be lengthy, confusing, and lack engaging elements, leading to frustration and a reluctance to try new games.
- This project was developed as part of HCDE 518: User-Centered Design, a graudate-level course at the University of Washington in Fall 2024. From Left to Right: Monica, Ko, Amy, George
1. Research
User Research: To gain a deep understanding of the challenges beginners face when learning new games, we conducted:
- Surveys: To gather quantitative data on user preferences, learning habits, and pain points related to rulebooks
- User Interviews: To uncover more detailed insights through one-on-one conversations
- Fly-on-the-Wall Observations: To observe groups of people learning and playing a new game to understand their natural behaviors and interactions
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People trying to learn a new board game together for Fly-on-the-Wall Observation
Key Research Insights
- Rulebook Overwhelm: Lengthy rulebooks often cause players to lose motivation before even starting
- Simultaneous Reading Limitations: Traditional rulebooks restrict multiple players from reading the rules at the same time
- Desire for Fast Gameplay: Players want to get to playing the game as quickly as possible
- Confusion and Frustration: Beginners often experience confusion and frustration while reading rulebooks, leading to a less enjoyable experience
- Social Anxiety: Some players feel embarrassed or anxious when they do not understand the rules
2. Define
Personas: Based on research findings, we created personas to represent the target user group - beginner board game players.
- Primary Persona, Ryan
- Secondary Persona, Jason
Then we established specific Design Requirements:
- Simplified Instructions: Breaking down complex rules into easy-to-understand, step-by-step instructions
- Interactive and Engaging Instructions: Incorporating interactive elements, visuals, and potentially audio cues
- Desire for Fast Gameplay: Players want to get to playing the game as quickly as possible without reading the lengthy rulebook
- On-Demand Support: Providing a way for users to get help or claification throughout the game without distrupting the flow of it
3. Ideate
Design Ideation: The team explored various design concepts, considering these factors:
- Technology Integration: AR/VR, Audio chat, mobile app, interactive projections
- Learning Modalities: Visual and auditory
- Support Mechanisms: AI chatbots, interactive tutorials, practice modes
- A Sketch of AR & Mobile App Integration
Chosen Solution: An AR-powered mobile app with an integrated AI chatbot was selected as the most promising solution
4. Prototype & 5. Test
User Flow & Prototyping: The team developed medium and high-fidelity prototypes of the RuleMate app, iteractively refining the design based on user feedback
User Flow 1: Learning the Rules
User Flow 2: Practice Round
User Flow 3: GameBot
Usability Testing: Testing sessions with beginner board game players revealed areas for improvement, leading to significant design changes, including:
- Improved Navigation: A centralized Home Page for easy access to key features
- Enhanced Visual Cues: Incorporation of more images and visual aids to make instructions more engaging
- Clearer Scoring Explanation: A step-by-step breakdown of scoring rules using AR to enhance understanding
- Suggested Chatbot Questions: Pre-set questions to make it easier for users to interact with the AI assistant
Design Solution
Key Features:
- Game Room: Allows players to create or join a virtual game room where everyone can learn the rules together
- Learn
- Components Pages: Introduction to the game pieces and their functions
- Setup Pages: Clear instructions on how to set up the game
- Gameplay Rules: Explanations of the core mechanics and rules of the game
- Scoring Rules: Detailed breakdown of how points are earned and the game is won
- Practice: Guides players through a practice round, allowing them to apply the learned rules in a simulated game environment
- Text Input: Typing their questions
- Voice Input: Speaking their questions and receiving audio responses
- Photo Input: Taking a picture of a game component they have a question about
