Nomie
Nomie asked our design team to improve the UX/UI of their social game, "Guess the Answer."
Services
UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, UX Research
Services
UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, UX Research
Services
UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, UX Research
Tools
Figma, Miro, Procreate
Tools
Figma, Miro, Procreate
Tools
Figma, Miro, Procreate
Value
Optimising Design & Flow in Nomie's Game "Guess the Answer"
Value
Optimising Design & Flow in Nomie's Game "Guess the Answer"
Value
Optimising Design & Flow in Nomie's Game "Guess the Answer"
Timeline
2 months
Timeline
2 months
Timeline
2 months
Introduction
Nomie, a social bonding game company, approached our team of designers with a request to improve the user experience and interface (UX/UI) of their game "Guess the Answer." The goal was to create an engaging and intuitive interface that would resonate with players and foster meaningful connections.
Click here to view the mobile app prototype
Problem & Solution
Problem: Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" lacks sufficient engagement to effectively foster social bonding among students and teachers, hindering its intended impact on classroom dynamics.
Solution: Enhance Nomie's game through immersive gamification elements, intuitive interface design, and optimized accessibility features to foster social bonding and engagement among students and teachers.
My Role: Team Lead, Lead Designer, UX Research, Game UX, Accessibility, and UX Writing
Introduction
Nomie, a social bonding game company, approached our team of designers with a request to improve the user experience and interface (UX/UI) of their game "Guess the Answer." The goal was to create an engaging and intuitive interface that would resonate with players and foster meaningful connections.
Click here to view the mobile app prototype
Problem & Solution
Problem: Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" lacks sufficient engagement to effectively foster social bonding among students and teachers, hindering its intended impact on classroom dynamics.
Solution: Enhance Nomie's game through immersive gamification elements, intuitive interface design, and optimized accessibility features to foster social bonding and engagement among students and teachers.
My Role: Team Lead, Lead Designer, UX Research, Game UX, Accessibility, and UX Writing
Introduction
Nomie, a social bonding game company, approached our team of designers with a request to improve the user experience and interface (UX/UI) of their game "Guess the Answer." The goal was to create an engaging and intuitive interface that would resonate with players and foster meaningful connections.
Click here to view the mobile app prototype
Problem & Solution
Problem: Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" lacks sufficient engagement to effectively foster social bonding among students and teachers, hindering its intended impact on classroom dynamics.
Solution: Enhance Nomie's game through immersive gamification elements, intuitive interface design, and optimized accessibility features to foster social bonding and engagement among students and teachers.
My Role: Team Lead, Lead Designer, UX Research, Game UX, Accessibility, and UX Writing
Design Process
The design process involved thorough research, ideation based on user personas and How Might We statements, iterative refinement through sketches and wireframes, integration of accessibility considerations, creation of high-fidelity designs, and final adjustments based on usability test results.
Understanding the Challenge
Nomie recognized the need to enhance the current UX/UI design of their game "Guess the Answer" to improve user engagement and overall satisfaction. The existing interface lacked clarity, consistency, and responsiveness, hindering the player's ability to navigate seamlessly and fully enjoy the gaming experience.
Findings and Reports
Our design process was anchored in thorough research, incorporating insights from previous competitive and primary research conducted by the former team. Leveraging this foundation, we conducted heuristic evaluations, game audits, and accessibility reports to comprehensively assess Nomie's game "Guess the Answer."
Heuristic Evaluation:
Visibility of System Status: The game lacks feedback during critical stages, leaving users uninformed about ongoing processes such as group formation and question submission.
User Control and Freedom: Users face limitations in controlling their actions, particularly evident during question and answer entry, where the absence of editing options restricts user freedom.
Help and Documentation: Nomie's game lacks adequate help features, leaving users confused about certain processes and lacking clear guidance for task completion.
Game Audit:
Social Features and Multiplayer Elements: Lack of reactions like emojis or interactions.
Input and Output Randomness: Absence of input or output randomness.
Host Control: Hosts lack visibility on questions submitted by players.
Accessibility Report:
Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" displays a mix of successful and failed accessibility features, highlighting areas for improvement to meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
While the game successfully provides adaptable content, maintains a meaningful reading sequence, and allows for text resizing without loss of functionality, it faces challenges in contrast ratios, time adjustment options, and error handling.
Design Process
The design process involved thorough research, ideation based on user personas and How Might We statements, iterative refinement through sketches and wireframes, integration of accessibility considerations, creation of high-fidelity designs, and final adjustments based on usability test results.
Understanding the Challenge
Nomie recognized the need to enhance the current UX/UI design of their game "Guess the Answer" to improve user engagement and overall satisfaction. The existing interface lacked clarity, consistency, and responsiveness, hindering the player's ability to navigate seamlessly and fully enjoy the gaming experience.
Findings and Reports
Our design process was anchored in thorough research, incorporating insights from previous competitive and primary research conducted by the former team. Leveraging this foundation, we conducted heuristic evaluations, game audits, and accessibility reports to comprehensively assess Nomie's game "Guess the Answer."
Heuristic Evaluation:
Visibility of System Status: The game lacks feedback during critical stages, leaving users uninformed about ongoing processes such as group formation and question submission.
User Control and Freedom: Users face limitations in controlling their actions, particularly evident during question and answer entry, where the absence of editing options restricts user freedom.
Help and Documentation: Nomie's game lacks adequate help features, leaving users confused about certain processes and lacking clear guidance for task completion.
Game Audit:
Social Features and Multiplayer Elements: Lack of reactions like emojis or interactions.
Input and Output Randomness: Absence of input or output randomness.
Host Control: Hosts lack visibility on questions submitted by players.
Accessibility Report:
Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" displays a mix of successful and failed accessibility features, highlighting areas for improvement to meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
While the game successfully provides adaptable content, maintains a meaningful reading sequence, and allows for text resizing without loss of functionality, it faces challenges in contrast ratios, time adjustment options, and error handling.
Design Process
The design process involved thorough research, ideation based on user personas and How Might We statements, iterative refinement through sketches and wireframes, integration of accessibility considerations, creation of high-fidelity designs, and final adjustments based on usability test results.
Understanding the Challenge
Nomie recognized the need to enhance the current UX/UI design of their game "Guess the Answer" to improve user engagement and overall satisfaction. The existing interface lacked clarity, consistency, and responsiveness, hindering the player's ability to navigate seamlessly and fully enjoy the gaming experience.
Findings and Reports
Our design process was anchored in thorough research, incorporating insights from previous competitive and primary research conducted by the former team. Leveraging this foundation, we conducted heuristic evaluations, game audits, and accessibility reports to comprehensively assess Nomie's game "Guess the Answer."
Heuristic Evaluation:
Visibility of System Status: The game lacks feedback during critical stages, leaving users uninformed about ongoing processes such as group formation and question submission.
User Control and Freedom: Users face limitations in controlling their actions, particularly evident during question and answer entry, where the absence of editing options restricts user freedom.
Help and Documentation: Nomie's game lacks adequate help features, leaving users confused about certain processes and lacking clear guidance for task completion.
Game Audit:
Social Features and Multiplayer Elements: Lack of reactions like emojis or interactions.
Input and Output Randomness: Absence of input or output randomness.
Host Control: Hosts lack visibility on questions submitted by players.
Accessibility Report:
Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" displays a mix of successful and failed accessibility features, highlighting areas for improvement to meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
While the game successfully provides adaptable content, maintains a meaningful reading sequence, and allows for text resizing without loss of functionality, it faces challenges in contrast ratios, time adjustment options, and error handling.
User Personas
Drawing from primary and secondary research, we crafted user personas to capture the diverse needs and preferences of our target audience. These personas served as invaluable guides throughout the design process, ensuring our solutions were user-centric and aligned with real-world user behaviors and motivations.
How Might We...
To frame our problem-solving efforts, we formulated How Might We (HMW) statements, which provided a structured approach to tackling challenges and optimising opportunities identified during our research phase. These statements served as actionable prompts, guiding our ideation and solution development process toward addressing user needs and alleviating pain points effectively.
1. How might we...Encourage students to be excited and interested in forming meaningful connections with their peers through the gaming platform?
2. How might we...Enhance the level of social engagement and participation amongst students and teachers on the gaming platform to foster a more interactive and collaborative environment?
3. How might we...Amplify teacher interaction and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students, creating a more interconnected and engaging experience for both parties?
User Personas
Drawing from primary and secondary research, we crafted user personas to capture the diverse needs and preferences of our target audience. These personas served as invaluable guides throughout the design process, ensuring our solutions were user-centric and aligned with real-world user behaviors and motivations.
How Might We...
To frame our problem-solving efforts, we formulated How Might We (HMW) statements, which provided a structured approach to tackling challenges and optimising opportunities identified during our research phase. These statements served as actionable prompts, guiding our ideation and solution development process toward addressing user needs and alleviating pain points effectively.
1. How might we...Encourage students to be excited and interested in forming meaningful connections with their peers through the gaming platform?
2. How might we...Enhance the level of social engagement and participation amongst students and teachers on the gaming platform to foster a more interactive and collaborative environment?
3. How might we...Amplify teacher interaction and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students, creating a more interconnected and engaging experience for both parties?
User Personas
Drawing from primary and secondary research, we crafted user personas to capture the diverse needs and preferences of our target audience. These personas served as invaluable guides throughout the design process, ensuring our solutions were user-centric and aligned with real-world user behaviors and motivations.
How Might We...
To frame our problem-solving efforts, we formulated How Might We (HMW) statements, which provided a structured approach to tackling challenges and optimising opportunities identified during our research phase. These statements served as actionable prompts, guiding our ideation and solution development process toward addressing user needs and alleviating pain points effectively.
1. How might we...Encourage students to be excited and interested in forming meaningful connections with their peers through the gaming platform?
2. How might we...Enhance the level of social engagement and participation amongst students and teachers on the gaming platform to foster a more interactive and collaborative environment?
3. How might we...Amplify teacher interaction and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students, creating a more interconnected and engaging experience for both parties?
User Flows
An intuitive user flow was tailored for both students and teachers. Students navigate through onboarding screens to gameplay, while teachers access additional features for managing settings and monitoring progress, ensuring an engaging and effective classroom experience for all.
Gamification
The game incorporates gamification elements such as progress bars, timers, and celebratory animations to enhance player engagement and motivation. These features provide feedback, encourage participation, and create a dynamic and rewarding experience for students.
Game UX Approach
In the game’s redesign, emotional engagement and social interaction principles were central. Through celebratory animations and multiplayer features like group collaboration, the game fosters excitement and connection among players. These elements aim to create a vibrant and engaging experience, enhancing user satisfaction.
User Flows
An intuitive user flow was tailored for both students and teachers. Students navigate through onboarding screens to gameplay, while teachers access additional features for managing settings and monitoring progress, ensuring an engaging and effective classroom experience for all.
Gamification
The game incorporates gamification elements such as progress bars, timers, and celebratory animations to enhance player engagement and motivation. These features provide feedback, encourage participation, and create a dynamic and rewarding experience for students.
Game UX Approach
In the game’s redesign, emotional engagement and social interaction principles were central. Through celebratory animations and multiplayer features like group collaboration, the game fosters excitement and connection among players. These elements aim to create a vibrant and engaging experience, enhancing user satisfaction.
User Flows
An intuitive user flow was tailored for both students and teachers. Students navigate through onboarding screens to gameplay, while teachers access additional features for managing settings and monitoring progress, ensuring an engaging and effective classroom experience for all.
Gamification
The game incorporates gamification elements such as progress bars, timers, and celebratory animations to enhance player engagement and motivation. These features provide feedback, encourage participation, and create a dynamic and rewarding experience for students.
Game UX Approach
In the game’s redesign, emotional engagement and social interaction principles were central. Through celebratory animations and multiplayer features like group collaboration, the game fosters excitement and connection among players. These elements aim to create a vibrant and engaging experience, enhancing user satisfaction.
Sketches
Sketches were used to conceptualize and lay out the wireframes, providing a visual roadmap for the design process.
Wireframes
Wireframes were pivotal in visualizing and refining the user interface, ensuring clarity and usability throughout the design process.
Guerilla Test Feedback
The insights gained from these tests were pivotal for our redesign efforts, identifying key findings that later became integral to the design's success.
Mixed reactions: Some found the game easy and enjoyable for classrooms.
Confusion over game titles and unclear instructions.
Frustration with touch delays and after-delays.
Suggestions to improve screen clarity and provide clearer guidance.
Accessibility (WCAG)
Accessibility was a key focus, particularly in enhancing contrast levels to meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Additionally, we implemented a form of Bionic reading within the design, which subtly aids users with ADHD, ADD, and Dyslexia by facilitating quicker reading, improved focus, and better retention of information. This approach encourages active engagement with the content and facilitates connections between different parts of the text, promoting a more inclusive user experience.
High-Fidelity Design
The high-fidelity design phase brought the wireframes to life with polished visuals and refined interactions.
Sketches
Sketches were used to conceptualize and lay out the wireframes, providing a visual roadmap for the design process.
Wireframes
Wireframes were pivotal in visualizing and refining the user interface, ensuring clarity and usability throughout the design process.
Guerilla Test Feedback
The insights gained from these tests were pivotal for our redesign efforts, identifying key findings that later became integral to the design's success.
Mixed reactions: Some found the game easy and enjoyable for classrooms.
Confusion over game titles and unclear instructions.
Frustration with touch delays and after-delays.
Suggestions to improve screen clarity and provide clearer guidance.
Accessibility (WCAG)
Accessibility was a key focus, particularly in enhancing contrast levels to meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Additionally, we implemented a form of Bionic reading within the design, which subtly aids users with ADHD, ADD, and Dyslexia by facilitating quicker reading, improved focus, and better retention of information. This approach encourages active engagement with the content and facilitates connections between different parts of the text, promoting a more inclusive user experience.
High-Fidelity Design
The high-fidelity design phase brought the wireframes to life with polished visuals and refined interactions.
Sketches
Sketches were used to conceptualize and lay out the wireframes, providing a visual roadmap for the design process.
Wireframes
Wireframes were pivotal in visualizing and refining the user interface, ensuring clarity and usability throughout the design process.
Guerilla Test Feedback
The insights gained from these tests were pivotal for our redesign efforts, identifying key findings that later became integral to the design's success.
Mixed reactions: Some found the game easy and enjoyable for classrooms.
Confusion over game titles and unclear instructions.
Frustration with touch delays and after-delays.
Suggestions to improve screen clarity and provide clearer guidance.
Accessibility (WCAG)
Accessibility was a key focus, particularly in enhancing contrast levels to meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Additionally, we implemented a form of Bionic reading within the design, which subtly aids users with ADHD, ADD, and Dyslexia by facilitating quicker reading, improved focus, and better retention of information. This approach encourages active engagement with the content and facilitates connections between different parts of the text, promoting a more inclusive user experience.
High-Fidelity Design
The high-fidelity design phase brought the wireframes to life with polished visuals and refined interactions.
Usability Testing
A total of four students and four teachers participated in usability testing, providing valuable feedback on the game interface. Usability tests confirmed the need for improved navigation cues, clearer instructions, and enhanced visual aesthetics. Responsive design elements and game UX principles guided our iterative design process, ensuring optimal user experiences across devices and platforms.
Test Results
Teacher View Test Results:
The usability tests identified issues with teacher task clarity, progress bar comprehension, game purpose misinterpretation, button label ambiguity, and game start flexibility, suggesting improvements in task communication, visual representation, rule elaboration, label simplification, and initiation flexibility.
Student View Test Results:
Tests highlighted issues with game onboarding clarity, reward terminology communication, navigation smoothness, answer confirmation language, group formation instructions, and text color visibility, suggesting enhancements in clarity, simplicity, progression, language, instruction, and visibility for an improved user experience.
Final Design Adjustments
Teacher View Adjustments:
Clarification in Teacher To-Do: Added more detailed tasks, especially for skip students.
Enhanced Progress Bars: Displayed percentage on the progress bar in the opened up view.
Refinement of Game Purpose Presentation: Attached more pages (slides) on the starting screen for clearer understanding.
Additional Features and Organization: Enabled teachers to start a game at their convenience, added a reinvite link in the dashboard, and alphabetized the queue up and status screens.
Student View Adjustments:
Improved Game Onboarding: Added a screen before rule 1 to introduce Nomie as the game master.
Enhanced Navigation Clarity: Added a screen to confirm if the student wishes to skip the rules.
Term Clarity Improvement: Changed "is checking the answer" to "Player is confirming the answer."
Text Redundancy Removal: Removed unnecessary text like "Felix is answering question."
Refinement in Find Your Group Screen: Added more body text and a timer for disabled "ready to play" button.
Color Adjustment for Text: Experimented with light blue color instead of purple for better visibility.
Interaction Design
The brief detailed essential features and interactions for Nomie's student side of the game, such as intuitive swipe gestures, a visible readiness timer, clickable questions, celebratory animations, a redo question option, and skip rules confirmation prompts. These instructions were meticulously communicated to the Nomie development team to ensure the seamless integration of user-centric design elements into the game interface.
Results & Impact
The redesigned game interface received positive feedback from both users and Nomie's team, highlighting improvements in usability, engagement, and overall appeal. Usability tests confirmed enhanced navigation clarity, improved visual aesthetics, and greater user satisfaction with the overall experience.
Conclusion
As team lead, I facilitated decision-making and organisation, serving as the primary point of contact for Nomie and ensuring a unified team voice throughout the project. Our collaboration with Nomie exemplifies the power of user-centric design principles in creating impactful digital experiences that delight and engage players.
Our team of designers successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and innovative gaming solutions for Nomie, contributing to the company's mission of fostering social bonding through interactive gameplay.
Usability Testing
A total of four students and four teachers participated in usability testing, providing valuable feedback on the game interface. Usability tests confirmed the need for improved navigation cues, clearer instructions, and enhanced visual aesthetics. Responsive design elements and game UX principles guided our iterative design process, ensuring optimal user experiences across devices and platforms.
Test Results
Teacher View Test Results:
The usability tests identified issues with teacher task clarity, progress bar comprehension, game purpose misinterpretation, button label ambiguity, and game start flexibility, suggesting improvements in task communication, visual representation, rule elaboration, label simplification, and initiation flexibility.
Student View Test Results:
Tests highlighted issues with game onboarding clarity, reward terminology communication, navigation smoothness, answer confirmation language, group formation instructions, and text color visibility, suggesting enhancements in clarity, simplicity, progression, language, instruction, and visibility for an improved user experience.
Final Design Adjustments
Teacher View Adjustments:
Clarification in Teacher To-Do: Added more detailed tasks, especially for skip students.
Enhanced Progress Bars: Displayed percentage on the progress bar in the opened up view.
Refinement of Game Purpose Presentation: Attached more pages (slides) on the starting screen for clearer understanding.
Additional Features and Organization: Enabled teachers to start a game at their convenience, added a reinvite link in the dashboard, and alphabetized the queue up and status screens.
Student View Adjustments:
Improved Game Onboarding: Added a screen before rule 1 to introduce Nomie as the game master.
Enhanced Navigation Clarity: Added a screen to confirm if the student wishes to skip the rules.
Term Clarity Improvement: Changed "is checking the answer" to "Player is confirming the answer."
Text Redundancy Removal: Removed unnecessary text like "Felix is answering question."
Refinement in Find Your Group Screen: Added more body text and a timer for disabled "ready to play" button.
Color Adjustment for Text: Experimented with light blue color instead of purple for better visibility.
Interaction Design
The brief detailed essential features and interactions for Nomie's student side of the game, such as intuitive swipe gestures, a visible readiness timer, clickable questions, celebratory animations, a redo question option, and skip rules confirmation prompts. These instructions were meticulously communicated to the Nomie development team to ensure the seamless integration of user-centric design elements into the game interface.
Results & Impact
The redesigned game interface received positive feedback from both users and Nomie's team, highlighting improvements in usability, engagement, and overall appeal. Usability tests confirmed enhanced navigation clarity, improved visual aesthetics, and greater user satisfaction with the overall experience.
Conclusion
As team lead, I facilitated decision-making and organisation, serving as the primary point of contact for Nomie and ensuring a unified team voice throughout the project. Our collaboration with Nomie exemplifies the power of user-centric design principles in creating impactful digital experiences that delight and engage players.
Our team of designers successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and innovative gaming solutions for Nomie, contributing to the company's mission of fostering social bonding through interactive gameplay.
Usability Testing
A total of four students and four teachers participated in usability testing, providing valuable feedback on the game interface. Usability tests confirmed the need for improved navigation cues, clearer instructions, and enhanced visual aesthetics. Responsive design elements and game UX principles guided our iterative design process, ensuring optimal user experiences across devices and platforms.
Test Results
Teacher View Test Results:
The usability tests identified issues with teacher task clarity, progress bar comprehension, game purpose misinterpretation, button label ambiguity, and game start flexibility, suggesting improvements in task communication, visual representation, rule elaboration, label simplification, and initiation flexibility.
Student View Test Results:
Tests highlighted issues with game onboarding clarity, reward terminology communication, navigation smoothness, answer confirmation language, group formation instructions, and text color visibility, suggesting enhancements in clarity, simplicity, progression, language, instruction, and visibility for an improved user experience.
Final Design Adjustments
Teacher View Adjustments:
Clarification in Teacher To-Do: Added more detailed tasks, especially for skip students.
Enhanced Progress Bars: Displayed percentage on the progress bar in the opened up view.
Refinement of Game Purpose Presentation: Attached more pages (slides) on the starting screen for clearer understanding.
Additional Features and Organization: Enabled teachers to start a game at their convenience, added a reinvite link in the dashboard, and alphabetized the queue up and status screens.
Student View Adjustments:
Improved Game Onboarding: Added a screen before rule 1 to introduce Nomie as the game master.
Enhanced Navigation Clarity: Added a screen to confirm if the student wishes to skip the rules.
Term Clarity Improvement: Changed "is checking the answer" to "Player is confirming the answer."
Text Redundancy Removal: Removed unnecessary text like "Felix is answering question."
Refinement in Find Your Group Screen: Added more body text and a timer for disabled "ready to play" button.
Color Adjustment for Text: Experimented with light blue color instead of purple for better visibility.
Interaction Design
The brief detailed essential features and interactions for Nomie's student side of the game, such as intuitive swipe gestures, a visible readiness timer, clickable questions, celebratory animations, a redo question option, and skip rules confirmation prompts. These instructions were meticulously communicated to the Nomie development team to ensure the seamless integration of user-centric design elements into the game interface.
Results & Impact
The redesigned game interface received positive feedback from both users and Nomie's team, highlighting improvements in usability, engagement, and overall appeal. Usability tests confirmed enhanced navigation clarity, improved visual aesthetics, and greater user satisfaction with the overall experience.
Conclusion
As team lead, I facilitated decision-making and organisation, serving as the primary point of contact for Nomie and ensuring a unified team voice throughout the project. Our collaboration with Nomie exemplifies the power of user-centric design principles in creating impactful digital experiences that delight and engage players.
Our team of designers successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and innovative gaming solutions for Nomie, contributing to the company's mission of fostering social bonding through interactive gameplay.
Reach out anytime
Let’s Stay Connected
Got questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out—I'm open to new projects or just a casual chat!
martin.rebeccaelise@gmail.com
Reach out anytime
Let’s Stay Connected
Got questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out—I'm open to new projects or just a casual chat!
martin.rebeccaelise@gmail.com
Reach out anytime
Let’s Stay Connected
Got questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out—I'm open to new projects or just a casual chat!
martin.rebeccaelise@gmail.com
Nomie
Nomie asked our design team to improve the UX/UI of their social game, "Guess the Answer."
Services
UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, UX Research
Services
UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, UX Research
Services
UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, UX Research
Tools
Figma, Miro, Procreate
Tools
Figma, Miro, Procreate
Tools
Figma, Miro, Procreate
Value
Optimising Design & Flow in Nomie's Game "Guess the Answer"
Value
Optimising Design & Flow in Nomie's Game "Guess the Answer"
Value
Optimising Design & Flow in Nomie's Game "Guess the Answer"
Timeline
2 months
Timeline
2 months
Timeline
2 months
Introduction
Nomie, a social bonding game company, approached our team of designers with a request to improve the user experience and interface (UX/UI) of their game "Guess the Answer." The goal was to create an engaging and intuitive interface that would resonate with players and foster meaningful connections.
Click here to view the mobile app prototype
Problem & Solution
Problem: Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" lacks sufficient engagement to effectively foster social bonding among students and teachers, hindering its intended impact on classroom dynamics.
Solution: Enhance Nomie's game through immersive gamification elements, intuitive interface design, and optimized accessibility features to foster social bonding and engagement among students and teachers.
My Role: Team Lead, Lead Designer, UX Research, Game UX, Accessibility, and UX Writing
Introduction
Nomie, a social bonding game company, approached our team of designers with a request to improve the user experience and interface (UX/UI) of their game "Guess the Answer." The goal was to create an engaging and intuitive interface that would resonate with players and foster meaningful connections.
Click here to view the mobile app prototype
Problem & Solution
Problem: Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" lacks sufficient engagement to effectively foster social bonding among students and teachers, hindering its intended impact on classroom dynamics.
Solution: Enhance Nomie's game through immersive gamification elements, intuitive interface design, and optimized accessibility features to foster social bonding and engagement among students and teachers.
My Role: Team Lead, Lead Designer, UX Research, Game UX, Accessibility, and UX Writing
Introduction
Nomie, a social bonding game company, approached our team of designers with a request to improve the user experience and interface (UX/UI) of their game "Guess the Answer." The goal was to create an engaging and intuitive interface that would resonate with players and foster meaningful connections.
Click here to view the mobile app prototype
Problem & Solution
Problem: Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" lacks sufficient engagement to effectively foster social bonding among students and teachers, hindering its intended impact on classroom dynamics.
Solution: Enhance Nomie's game through immersive gamification elements, intuitive interface design, and optimized accessibility features to foster social bonding and engagement among students and teachers.
My Role: Team Lead, Lead Designer, UX Research, Game UX, Accessibility, and UX Writing
Design Process
The design process involved thorough research, ideation based on user personas and How Might We statements, iterative refinement through sketches and wireframes, integration of accessibility considerations, creation of high-fidelity designs, and final adjustments based on usability test results.
Understanding the Challenge
Nomie recognized the need to enhance the current UX/UI design of their game "Guess the Answer" to improve user engagement and overall satisfaction. The existing interface lacked clarity, consistency, and responsiveness, hindering the player's ability to navigate seamlessly and fully enjoy the gaming experience.
Findings and Reports
Our design process was anchored in thorough research, incorporating insights from previous competitive and primary research conducted by the former team. Leveraging this foundation, we conducted heuristic evaluations, game audits, and accessibility reports to comprehensively assess Nomie's game "Guess the Answer."
Heuristic Evaluation:
Visibility of System Status: The game lacks feedback during critical stages, leaving users uninformed about ongoing processes such as group formation and question submission.
User Control and Freedom: Users face limitations in controlling their actions, particularly evident during question and answer entry, where the absence of editing options restricts user freedom.
Help and Documentation: Nomie's game lacks adequate help features, leaving users confused about certain processes and lacking clear guidance for task completion.
Game Audit:
Social Features and Multiplayer Elements: Lack of reactions like emojis or interactions.
Input and Output Randomness: Absence of input or output randomness.
Host Control: Hosts lack visibility on questions submitted by players.
Accessibility Report:
Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" displays a mix of successful and failed accessibility features, highlighting areas for improvement to meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
While the game successfully provides adaptable content, maintains a meaningful reading sequence, and allows for text resizing without loss of functionality, it faces challenges in contrast ratios, time adjustment options, and error handling.
Design Process
The design process involved thorough research, ideation based on user personas and How Might We statements, iterative refinement through sketches and wireframes, integration of accessibility considerations, creation of high-fidelity designs, and final adjustments based on usability test results.
Understanding the Challenge
Nomie recognized the need to enhance the current UX/UI design of their game "Guess the Answer" to improve user engagement and overall satisfaction. The existing interface lacked clarity, consistency, and responsiveness, hindering the player's ability to navigate seamlessly and fully enjoy the gaming experience.
Findings and Reports
Our design process was anchored in thorough research, incorporating insights from previous competitive and primary research conducted by the former team. Leveraging this foundation, we conducted heuristic evaluations, game audits, and accessibility reports to comprehensively assess Nomie's game "Guess the Answer."
Heuristic Evaluation:
Visibility of System Status: The game lacks feedback during critical stages, leaving users uninformed about ongoing processes such as group formation and question submission.
User Control and Freedom: Users face limitations in controlling their actions, particularly evident during question and answer entry, where the absence of editing options restricts user freedom.
Help and Documentation: Nomie's game lacks adequate help features, leaving users confused about certain processes and lacking clear guidance for task completion.
Game Audit:
Social Features and Multiplayer Elements: Lack of reactions like emojis or interactions.
Input and Output Randomness: Absence of input or output randomness.
Host Control: Hosts lack visibility on questions submitted by players.
Accessibility Report:
Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" displays a mix of successful and failed accessibility features, highlighting areas for improvement to meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
While the game successfully provides adaptable content, maintains a meaningful reading sequence, and allows for text resizing without loss of functionality, it faces challenges in contrast ratios, time adjustment options, and error handling.
Design Process
The design process involved thorough research, ideation based on user personas and How Might We statements, iterative refinement through sketches and wireframes, integration of accessibility considerations, creation of high-fidelity designs, and final adjustments based on usability test results.
Understanding the Challenge
Nomie recognized the need to enhance the current UX/UI design of their game "Guess the Answer" to improve user engagement and overall satisfaction. The existing interface lacked clarity, consistency, and responsiveness, hindering the player's ability to navigate seamlessly and fully enjoy the gaming experience.
Findings and Reports
Our design process was anchored in thorough research, incorporating insights from previous competitive and primary research conducted by the former team. Leveraging this foundation, we conducted heuristic evaluations, game audits, and accessibility reports to comprehensively assess Nomie's game "Guess the Answer."
Heuristic Evaluation:
Visibility of System Status: The game lacks feedback during critical stages, leaving users uninformed about ongoing processes such as group formation and question submission.
User Control and Freedom: Users face limitations in controlling their actions, particularly evident during question and answer entry, where the absence of editing options restricts user freedom.
Help and Documentation: Nomie's game lacks adequate help features, leaving users confused about certain processes and lacking clear guidance for task completion.
Game Audit:
Social Features and Multiplayer Elements: Lack of reactions like emojis or interactions.
Input and Output Randomness: Absence of input or output randomness.
Host Control: Hosts lack visibility on questions submitted by players.
Accessibility Report:
Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" displays a mix of successful and failed accessibility features, highlighting areas for improvement to meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
While the game successfully provides adaptable content, maintains a meaningful reading sequence, and allows for text resizing without loss of functionality, it faces challenges in contrast ratios, time adjustment options, and error handling.
User Personas
Drawing from primary and secondary research, we crafted user personas to capture the diverse needs and preferences of our target audience. These personas served as invaluable guides throughout the design process, ensuring our solutions were user-centric and aligned with real-world user behaviors and motivations.
How Might We...
To frame our problem-solving efforts, we formulated How Might We (HMW) statements, which provided a structured approach to tackling challenges and optimising opportunities identified during our research phase. These statements served as actionable prompts, guiding our ideation and solution development process toward addressing user needs and alleviating pain points effectively.
1. How might we...Encourage students to be excited and interested in forming meaningful connections with their peers through the gaming platform?
2. How might we...Enhance the level of social engagement and participation amongst students and teachers on the gaming platform to foster a more interactive and collaborative environment?
3. How might we...Amplify teacher interaction and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students, creating a more interconnected and engaging experience for both parties?
User Personas
Drawing from primary and secondary research, we crafted user personas to capture the diverse needs and preferences of our target audience. These personas served as invaluable guides throughout the design process, ensuring our solutions were user-centric and aligned with real-world user behaviors and motivations.
How Might We...
To frame our problem-solving efforts, we formulated How Might We (HMW) statements, which provided a structured approach to tackling challenges and optimising opportunities identified during our research phase. These statements served as actionable prompts, guiding our ideation and solution development process toward addressing user needs and alleviating pain points effectively.
1. How might we...Encourage students to be excited and interested in forming meaningful connections with their peers through the gaming platform?
2. How might we...Enhance the level of social engagement and participation amongst students and teachers on the gaming platform to foster a more interactive and collaborative environment?
3. How might we...Amplify teacher interaction and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students, creating a more interconnected and engaging experience for both parties?
User Personas
Drawing from primary and secondary research, we crafted user personas to capture the diverse needs and preferences of our target audience. These personas served as invaluable guides throughout the design process, ensuring our solutions were user-centric and aligned with real-world user behaviors and motivations.
How Might We...
To frame our problem-solving efforts, we formulated How Might We (HMW) statements, which provided a structured approach to tackling challenges and optimising opportunities identified during our research phase. These statements served as actionable prompts, guiding our ideation and solution development process toward addressing user needs and alleviating pain points effectively.
1. How might we...Encourage students to be excited and interested in forming meaningful connections with their peers through the gaming platform?
2. How might we...Enhance the level of social engagement and participation amongst students and teachers on the gaming platform to foster a more interactive and collaborative environment?
3. How might we...Amplify teacher interaction and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students, creating a more interconnected and engaging experience for both parties?
User Flows
An intuitive user flow was tailored for both students and teachers. Students navigate through onboarding screens to gameplay, while teachers access additional features for managing settings and monitoring progress, ensuring an engaging and effective classroom experience for all.
Gamification
The game incorporates gamification elements such as progress bars, timers, and celebratory animations to enhance player engagement and motivation. These features provide feedback, encourage participation, and create a dynamic and rewarding experience for students.
Game UX Approach
In the game’s redesign, emotional engagement and social interaction principles were central. Through celebratory animations and multiplayer features like group collaboration, the game fosters excitement and connection among players. These elements aim to create a vibrant and engaging experience, enhancing user satisfaction.
User Flows
An intuitive user flow was tailored for both students and teachers. Students navigate through onboarding screens to gameplay, while teachers access additional features for managing settings and monitoring progress, ensuring an engaging and effective classroom experience for all.
Gamification
The game incorporates gamification elements such as progress bars, timers, and celebratory animations to enhance player engagement and motivation. These features provide feedback, encourage participation, and create a dynamic and rewarding experience for students.
Game UX Approach
In the game’s redesign, emotional engagement and social interaction principles were central. Through celebratory animations and multiplayer features like group collaboration, the game fosters excitement and connection among players. These elements aim to create a vibrant and engaging experience, enhancing user satisfaction.
User Flows
An intuitive user flow was tailored for both students and teachers. Students navigate through onboarding screens to gameplay, while teachers access additional features for managing settings and monitoring progress, ensuring an engaging and effective classroom experience for all.
Gamification
The game incorporates gamification elements such as progress bars, timers, and celebratory animations to enhance player engagement and motivation. These features provide feedback, encourage participation, and create a dynamic and rewarding experience for students.
Game UX Approach
In the game’s redesign, emotional engagement and social interaction principles were central. Through celebratory animations and multiplayer features like group collaboration, the game fosters excitement and connection among players. These elements aim to create a vibrant and engaging experience, enhancing user satisfaction.
Sketches
Sketches were used to conceptualize and lay out the wireframes, providing a visual roadmap for the design process.
Wireframes
Wireframes were pivotal in visualizing and refining the user interface, ensuring clarity and usability throughout the design process.
Guerilla Test Feedback
The insights gained from these tests were pivotal for our redesign efforts, identifying key findings that later became integral to the design's success.
Mixed reactions: Some found the game easy and enjoyable for classrooms.
Confusion over game titles and unclear instructions.
Frustration with touch delays and after-delays.
Suggestions to improve screen clarity and provide clearer guidance.
Accessibility (WCAG)
Accessibility was a key focus, particularly in enhancing contrast levels to meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Additionally, we implemented a form of Bionic reading within the design, which subtly aids users with ADHD, ADD, and Dyslexia by facilitating quicker reading, improved focus, and better retention of information. This approach encourages active engagement with the content and facilitates connections between different parts of the text, promoting a more inclusive user experience.
High-Fidelity Design
The high-fidelity design phase brought the wireframes to life with polished visuals and refined interactions.
Sketches
Sketches were used to conceptualize and lay out the wireframes, providing a visual roadmap for the design process.
Wireframes
Wireframes were pivotal in visualizing and refining the user interface, ensuring clarity and usability throughout the design process.
Guerilla Test Feedback
The insights gained from these tests were pivotal for our redesign efforts, identifying key findings that later became integral to the design's success.
Mixed reactions: Some found the game easy and enjoyable for classrooms.
Confusion over game titles and unclear instructions.
Frustration with touch delays and after-delays.
Suggestions to improve screen clarity and provide clearer guidance.
Accessibility (WCAG)
Accessibility was a key focus, particularly in enhancing contrast levels to meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Additionally, we implemented a form of Bionic reading within the design, which subtly aids users with ADHD, ADD, and Dyslexia by facilitating quicker reading, improved focus, and better retention of information. This approach encourages active engagement with the content and facilitates connections between different parts of the text, promoting a more inclusive user experience.
High-Fidelity Design
The high-fidelity design phase brought the wireframes to life with polished visuals and refined interactions.
Sketches
Sketches were used to conceptualize and lay out the wireframes, providing a visual roadmap for the design process.
Wireframes
Wireframes were pivotal in visualizing and refining the user interface, ensuring clarity and usability throughout the design process.
Guerilla Test Feedback
The insights gained from these tests were pivotal for our redesign efforts, identifying key findings that later became integral to the design's success.
Mixed reactions: Some found the game easy and enjoyable for classrooms.
Confusion over game titles and unclear instructions.
Frustration with touch delays and after-delays.
Suggestions to improve screen clarity and provide clearer guidance.
Accessibility (WCAG)
Accessibility was a key focus, particularly in enhancing contrast levels to meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Additionally, we implemented a form of Bionic reading within the design, which subtly aids users with ADHD, ADD, and Dyslexia by facilitating quicker reading, improved focus, and better retention of information. This approach encourages active engagement with the content and facilitates connections between different parts of the text, promoting a more inclusive user experience.
High-Fidelity Design
The high-fidelity design phase brought the wireframes to life with polished visuals and refined interactions.
Usability Testing
A total of four students and four teachers participated in usability testing, providing valuable feedback on the game interface. Usability tests confirmed the need for improved navigation cues, clearer instructions, and enhanced visual aesthetics. Responsive design elements and game UX principles guided our iterative design process, ensuring optimal user experiences across devices and platforms.
Test Results
Teacher View Test Results:
The usability tests identified issues with teacher task clarity, progress bar comprehension, game purpose misinterpretation, button label ambiguity, and game start flexibility, suggesting improvements in task communication, visual representation, rule elaboration, label simplification, and initiation flexibility.
Student View Test Results:
Tests highlighted issues with game onboarding clarity, reward terminology communication, navigation smoothness, answer confirmation language, group formation instructions, and text color visibility, suggesting enhancements in clarity, simplicity, progression, language, instruction, and visibility for an improved user experience.
Final Design Adjustments
Teacher View Adjustments:
Clarification in Teacher To-Do: Added more detailed tasks, especially for skip students.
Enhanced Progress Bars: Displayed percentage on the progress bar in the opened up view.
Refinement of Game Purpose Presentation: Attached more pages (slides) on the starting screen for clearer understanding.
Additional Features and Organization: Enabled teachers to start a game at their convenience, added a reinvite link in the dashboard, and alphabetized the queue up and status screens.
Student View Adjustments:
Improved Game Onboarding: Added a screen before rule 1 to introduce Nomie as the game master.
Enhanced Navigation Clarity: Added a screen to confirm if the student wishes to skip the rules.
Term Clarity Improvement: Changed "is checking the answer" to "Player is confirming the answer."
Text Redundancy Removal: Removed unnecessary text like "Felix is answering question."
Refinement in Find Your Group Screen: Added more body text and a timer for disabled "ready to play" button.
Color Adjustment for Text: Experimented with light blue color instead of purple for better visibility.
Interaction Design
The brief detailed essential features and interactions for Nomie's student side of the game, such as intuitive swipe gestures, a visible readiness timer, clickable questions, celebratory animations, a redo question option, and skip rules confirmation prompts. These instructions were meticulously communicated to the Nomie development team to ensure the seamless integration of user-centric design elements into the game interface.
Results & Impact
The redesigned game interface received positive feedback from both users and Nomie's team, highlighting improvements in usability, engagement, and overall appeal. Usability tests confirmed enhanced navigation clarity, improved visual aesthetics, and greater user satisfaction with the overall experience.
Conclusion
As team lead, I facilitated decision-making and organisation, serving as the primary point of contact for Nomie and ensuring a unified team voice throughout the project. Our collaboration with Nomie exemplifies the power of user-centric design principles in creating impactful digital experiences that delight and engage players.
Our team of designers successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and innovative gaming solutions for Nomie, contributing to the company's mission of fostering social bonding through interactive gameplay.
Usability Testing
A total of four students and four teachers participated in usability testing, providing valuable feedback on the game interface. Usability tests confirmed the need for improved navigation cues, clearer instructions, and enhanced visual aesthetics. Responsive design elements and game UX principles guided our iterative design process, ensuring optimal user experiences across devices and platforms.
Test Results
Teacher View Test Results:
The usability tests identified issues with teacher task clarity, progress bar comprehension, game purpose misinterpretation, button label ambiguity, and game start flexibility, suggesting improvements in task communication, visual representation, rule elaboration, label simplification, and initiation flexibility.
Student View Test Results:
Tests highlighted issues with game onboarding clarity, reward terminology communication, navigation smoothness, answer confirmation language, group formation instructions, and text color visibility, suggesting enhancements in clarity, simplicity, progression, language, instruction, and visibility for an improved user experience.
Final Design Adjustments
Teacher View Adjustments:
Clarification in Teacher To-Do: Added more detailed tasks, especially for skip students.
Enhanced Progress Bars: Displayed percentage on the progress bar in the opened up view.
Refinement of Game Purpose Presentation: Attached more pages (slides) on the starting screen for clearer understanding.
Additional Features and Organization: Enabled teachers to start a game at their convenience, added a reinvite link in the dashboard, and alphabetized the queue up and status screens.
Student View Adjustments:
Improved Game Onboarding: Added a screen before rule 1 to introduce Nomie as the game master.
Enhanced Navigation Clarity: Added a screen to confirm if the student wishes to skip the rules.
Term Clarity Improvement: Changed "is checking the answer" to "Player is confirming the answer."
Text Redundancy Removal: Removed unnecessary text like "Felix is answering question."
Refinement in Find Your Group Screen: Added more body text and a timer for disabled "ready to play" button.
Color Adjustment for Text: Experimented with light blue color instead of purple for better visibility.
Interaction Design
The brief detailed essential features and interactions for Nomie's student side of the game, such as intuitive swipe gestures, a visible readiness timer, clickable questions, celebratory animations, a redo question option, and skip rules confirmation prompts. These instructions were meticulously communicated to the Nomie development team to ensure the seamless integration of user-centric design elements into the game interface.
Results & Impact
The redesigned game interface received positive feedback from both users and Nomie's team, highlighting improvements in usability, engagement, and overall appeal. Usability tests confirmed enhanced navigation clarity, improved visual aesthetics, and greater user satisfaction with the overall experience.
Conclusion
As team lead, I facilitated decision-making and organisation, serving as the primary point of contact for Nomie and ensuring a unified team voice throughout the project. Our collaboration with Nomie exemplifies the power of user-centric design principles in creating impactful digital experiences that delight and engage players.
Our team of designers successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and innovative gaming solutions for Nomie, contributing to the company's mission of fostering social bonding through interactive gameplay.
Usability Testing
A total of four students and four teachers participated in usability testing, providing valuable feedback on the game interface. Usability tests confirmed the need for improved navigation cues, clearer instructions, and enhanced visual aesthetics. Responsive design elements and game UX principles guided our iterative design process, ensuring optimal user experiences across devices and platforms.
Test Results
Teacher View Test Results:
The usability tests identified issues with teacher task clarity, progress bar comprehension, game purpose misinterpretation, button label ambiguity, and game start flexibility, suggesting improvements in task communication, visual representation, rule elaboration, label simplification, and initiation flexibility.
Student View Test Results:
Tests highlighted issues with game onboarding clarity, reward terminology communication, navigation smoothness, answer confirmation language, group formation instructions, and text color visibility, suggesting enhancements in clarity, simplicity, progression, language, instruction, and visibility for an improved user experience.
Final Design Adjustments
Teacher View Adjustments:
Clarification in Teacher To-Do: Added more detailed tasks, especially for skip students.
Enhanced Progress Bars: Displayed percentage on the progress bar in the opened up view.
Refinement of Game Purpose Presentation: Attached more pages (slides) on the starting screen for clearer understanding.
Additional Features and Organization: Enabled teachers to start a game at their convenience, added a reinvite link in the dashboard, and alphabetized the queue up and status screens.
Student View Adjustments:
Improved Game Onboarding: Added a screen before rule 1 to introduce Nomie as the game master.
Enhanced Navigation Clarity: Added a screen to confirm if the student wishes to skip the rules.
Term Clarity Improvement: Changed "is checking the answer" to "Player is confirming the answer."
Text Redundancy Removal: Removed unnecessary text like "Felix is answering question."
Refinement in Find Your Group Screen: Added more body text and a timer for disabled "ready to play" button.
Color Adjustment for Text: Experimented with light blue color instead of purple for better visibility.
Interaction Design
The brief detailed essential features and interactions for Nomie's student side of the game, such as intuitive swipe gestures, a visible readiness timer, clickable questions, celebratory animations, a redo question option, and skip rules confirmation prompts. These instructions were meticulously communicated to the Nomie development team to ensure the seamless integration of user-centric design elements into the game interface.
Results & Impact
The redesigned game interface received positive feedback from both users and Nomie's team, highlighting improvements in usability, engagement, and overall appeal. Usability tests confirmed enhanced navigation clarity, improved visual aesthetics, and greater user satisfaction with the overall experience.
Conclusion
As team lead, I facilitated decision-making and organisation, serving as the primary point of contact for Nomie and ensuring a unified team voice throughout the project. Our collaboration with Nomie exemplifies the power of user-centric design principles in creating impactful digital experiences that delight and engage players.
Our team of designers successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and innovative gaming solutions for Nomie, contributing to the company's mission of fostering social bonding through interactive gameplay.
Reach out anytime
Let’s Stay Connected
Got questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out—I'm open to new projects or just a casual chat!
martin.rebeccaelise@gmail.com
Reach out anytime
Let’s Stay Connected
Got questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out—I'm open to new projects or just a casual chat!
martin.rebeccaelise@gmail.com
Reach out anytime
Let’s Stay Connected
Got questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out—I'm open to new projects or just a casual chat!
martin.rebeccaelise@gmail.com
Nomie
Nomie asked our design team to improve the UX/UI of their social game, "Guess the Answer."
Services
UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, UX Research
Services
UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, UX Research
Services
UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, UX Research
Tools
Figma, Miro, Procreate
Tools
Figma, Miro, Procreate
Tools
Figma, Miro, Procreate
Value
Optimising Design & Flow in Nomie's Game "Guess the Answer"
Value
Optimising Design & Flow in Nomie's Game "Guess the Answer"
Value
Optimising Design & Flow in Nomie's Game "Guess the Answer"
Timeline
2 months
Timeline
2 months
Timeline
2 months
Introduction
Nomie, a social bonding game company, approached our team of designers with a request to improve the user experience and interface (UX/UI) of their game "Guess the Answer." The goal was to create an engaging and intuitive interface that would resonate with players and foster meaningful connections.
Click here to view the mobile app prototype
Problem & Solution
Problem: Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" lacks sufficient engagement to effectively foster social bonding among students and teachers, hindering its intended impact on classroom dynamics.
Solution: Enhance Nomie's game through immersive gamification elements, intuitive interface design, and optimized accessibility features to foster social bonding and engagement among students and teachers.
My Role: Team Lead, Lead Designer, UX Research, Game UX, Accessibility, and UX Writing
Introduction
Nomie, a social bonding game company, approached our team of designers with a request to improve the user experience and interface (UX/UI) of their game "Guess the Answer." The goal was to create an engaging and intuitive interface that would resonate with players and foster meaningful connections.
Click here to view the mobile app prototype
Problem & Solution
Problem: Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" lacks sufficient engagement to effectively foster social bonding among students and teachers, hindering its intended impact on classroom dynamics.
Solution: Enhance Nomie's game through immersive gamification elements, intuitive interface design, and optimized accessibility features to foster social bonding and engagement among students and teachers.
My Role: Team Lead, Lead Designer, UX Research, Game UX, Accessibility, and UX Writing
Introduction
Nomie, a social bonding game company, approached our team of designers with a request to improve the user experience and interface (UX/UI) of their game "Guess the Answer." The goal was to create an engaging and intuitive interface that would resonate with players and foster meaningful connections.
Click here to view the mobile app prototype
Problem & Solution
Problem: Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" lacks sufficient engagement to effectively foster social bonding among students and teachers, hindering its intended impact on classroom dynamics.
Solution: Enhance Nomie's game through immersive gamification elements, intuitive interface design, and optimized accessibility features to foster social bonding and engagement among students and teachers.
My Role: Team Lead, Lead Designer, UX Research, Game UX, Accessibility, and UX Writing
Design Process
The design process involved thorough research, ideation based on user personas and How Might We statements, iterative refinement through sketches and wireframes, integration of accessibility considerations, creation of high-fidelity designs, and final adjustments based on usability test results.
Understanding the Challenge
Nomie recognized the need to enhance the current UX/UI design of their game "Guess the Answer" to improve user engagement and overall satisfaction. The existing interface lacked clarity, consistency, and responsiveness, hindering the player's ability to navigate seamlessly and fully enjoy the gaming experience.
Findings and Reports
Our design process was anchored in thorough research, incorporating insights from previous competitive and primary research conducted by the former team. Leveraging this foundation, we conducted heuristic evaluations, game audits, and accessibility reports to comprehensively assess Nomie's game "Guess the Answer."
Heuristic Evaluation:
Visibility of System Status: The game lacks feedback during critical stages, leaving users uninformed about ongoing processes such as group formation and question submission.
User Control and Freedom: Users face limitations in controlling their actions, particularly evident during question and answer entry, where the absence of editing options restricts user freedom.
Help and Documentation: Nomie's game lacks adequate help features, leaving users confused about certain processes and lacking clear guidance for task completion.
Game Audit:
Social Features and Multiplayer Elements: Lack of reactions like emojis or interactions.
Input and Output Randomness: Absence of input or output randomness.
Host Control: Hosts lack visibility on questions submitted by players.
Accessibility Report:
Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" displays a mix of successful and failed accessibility features, highlighting areas for improvement to meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
While the game successfully provides adaptable content, maintains a meaningful reading sequence, and allows for text resizing without loss of functionality, it faces challenges in contrast ratios, time adjustment options, and error handling.
Design Process
The design process involved thorough research, ideation based on user personas and How Might We statements, iterative refinement through sketches and wireframes, integration of accessibility considerations, creation of high-fidelity designs, and final adjustments based on usability test results.
Understanding the Challenge
Nomie recognized the need to enhance the current UX/UI design of their game "Guess the Answer" to improve user engagement and overall satisfaction. The existing interface lacked clarity, consistency, and responsiveness, hindering the player's ability to navigate seamlessly and fully enjoy the gaming experience.
Findings and Reports
Our design process was anchored in thorough research, incorporating insights from previous competitive and primary research conducted by the former team. Leveraging this foundation, we conducted heuristic evaluations, game audits, and accessibility reports to comprehensively assess Nomie's game "Guess the Answer."
Heuristic Evaluation:
Visibility of System Status: The game lacks feedback during critical stages, leaving users uninformed about ongoing processes such as group formation and question submission.
User Control and Freedom: Users face limitations in controlling their actions, particularly evident during question and answer entry, where the absence of editing options restricts user freedom.
Help and Documentation: Nomie's game lacks adequate help features, leaving users confused about certain processes and lacking clear guidance for task completion.
Game Audit:
Social Features and Multiplayer Elements: Lack of reactions like emojis or interactions.
Input and Output Randomness: Absence of input or output randomness.
Host Control: Hosts lack visibility on questions submitted by players.
Accessibility Report:
Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" displays a mix of successful and failed accessibility features, highlighting areas for improvement to meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
While the game successfully provides adaptable content, maintains a meaningful reading sequence, and allows for text resizing without loss of functionality, it faces challenges in contrast ratios, time adjustment options, and error handling.
Design Process
The design process involved thorough research, ideation based on user personas and How Might We statements, iterative refinement through sketches and wireframes, integration of accessibility considerations, creation of high-fidelity designs, and final adjustments based on usability test results.
Understanding the Challenge
Nomie recognized the need to enhance the current UX/UI design of their game "Guess the Answer" to improve user engagement and overall satisfaction. The existing interface lacked clarity, consistency, and responsiveness, hindering the player's ability to navigate seamlessly and fully enjoy the gaming experience.
Findings and Reports
Our design process was anchored in thorough research, incorporating insights from previous competitive and primary research conducted by the former team. Leveraging this foundation, we conducted heuristic evaluations, game audits, and accessibility reports to comprehensively assess Nomie's game "Guess the Answer."
Heuristic Evaluation:
Visibility of System Status: The game lacks feedback during critical stages, leaving users uninformed about ongoing processes such as group formation and question submission.
User Control and Freedom: Users face limitations in controlling their actions, particularly evident during question and answer entry, where the absence of editing options restricts user freedom.
Help and Documentation: Nomie's game lacks adequate help features, leaving users confused about certain processes and lacking clear guidance for task completion.
Game Audit:
Social Features and Multiplayer Elements: Lack of reactions like emojis or interactions.
Input and Output Randomness: Absence of input or output randomness.
Host Control: Hosts lack visibility on questions submitted by players.
Accessibility Report:
Nomie's game "Guess the Answer" displays a mix of successful and failed accessibility features, highlighting areas for improvement to meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards.
While the game successfully provides adaptable content, maintains a meaningful reading sequence, and allows for text resizing without loss of functionality, it faces challenges in contrast ratios, time adjustment options, and error handling.
User Personas
Drawing from primary and secondary research, we crafted user personas to capture the diverse needs and preferences of our target audience. These personas served as invaluable guides throughout the design process, ensuring our solutions were user-centric and aligned with real-world user behaviors and motivations.
How Might We...
To frame our problem-solving efforts, we formulated How Might We (HMW) statements, which provided a structured approach to tackling challenges and optimising opportunities identified during our research phase. These statements served as actionable prompts, guiding our ideation and solution development process toward addressing user needs and alleviating pain points effectively.
1. How might we...Encourage students to be excited and interested in forming meaningful connections with their peers through the gaming platform?
2. How might we...Enhance the level of social engagement and participation amongst students and teachers on the gaming platform to foster a more interactive and collaborative environment?
3. How might we...Amplify teacher interaction and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students, creating a more interconnected and engaging experience for both parties?
User Personas
Drawing from primary and secondary research, we crafted user personas to capture the diverse needs and preferences of our target audience. These personas served as invaluable guides throughout the design process, ensuring our solutions were user-centric and aligned with real-world user behaviors and motivations.
How Might We...
To frame our problem-solving efforts, we formulated How Might We (HMW) statements, which provided a structured approach to tackling challenges and optimising opportunities identified during our research phase. These statements served as actionable prompts, guiding our ideation and solution development process toward addressing user needs and alleviating pain points effectively.
1. How might we...Encourage students to be excited and interested in forming meaningful connections with their peers through the gaming platform?
2. How might we...Enhance the level of social engagement and participation amongst students and teachers on the gaming platform to foster a more interactive and collaborative environment?
3. How might we...Amplify teacher interaction and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students, creating a more interconnected and engaging experience for both parties?
User Personas
Drawing from primary and secondary research, we crafted user personas to capture the diverse needs and preferences of our target audience. These personas served as invaluable guides throughout the design process, ensuring our solutions were user-centric and aligned with real-world user behaviors and motivations.
How Might We...
To frame our problem-solving efforts, we formulated How Might We (HMW) statements, which provided a structured approach to tackling challenges and optimising opportunities identified during our research phase. These statements served as actionable prompts, guiding our ideation and solution development process toward addressing user needs and alleviating pain points effectively.
1. How might we...Encourage students to be excited and interested in forming meaningful connections with their peers through the gaming platform?
2. How might we...Enhance the level of social engagement and participation amongst students and teachers on the gaming platform to foster a more interactive and collaborative environment?
3. How might we...Amplify teacher interaction and strengthen the bonds between teachers and students, creating a more interconnected and engaging experience for both parties?
User Flows
An intuitive user flow was tailored for both students and teachers. Students navigate through onboarding screens to gameplay, while teachers access additional features for managing settings and monitoring progress, ensuring an engaging and effective classroom experience for all.
Gamification
The game incorporates gamification elements such as progress bars, timers, and celebratory animations to enhance player engagement and motivation. These features provide feedback, encourage participation, and create a dynamic and rewarding experience for students.
Game UX Approach
In the game’s redesign, emotional engagement and social interaction principles were central. Through celebratory animations and multiplayer features like group collaboration, the game fosters excitement and connection among players. These elements aim to create a vibrant and engaging experience, enhancing user satisfaction.
User Flows
An intuitive user flow was tailored for both students and teachers. Students navigate through onboarding screens to gameplay, while teachers access additional features for managing settings and monitoring progress, ensuring an engaging and effective classroom experience for all.
Gamification
The game incorporates gamification elements such as progress bars, timers, and celebratory animations to enhance player engagement and motivation. These features provide feedback, encourage participation, and create a dynamic and rewarding experience for students.
Game UX Approach
In the game’s redesign, emotional engagement and social interaction principles were central. Through celebratory animations and multiplayer features like group collaboration, the game fosters excitement and connection among players. These elements aim to create a vibrant and engaging experience, enhancing user satisfaction.
User Flows
An intuitive user flow was tailored for both students and teachers. Students navigate through onboarding screens to gameplay, while teachers access additional features for managing settings and monitoring progress, ensuring an engaging and effective classroom experience for all.
Gamification
The game incorporates gamification elements such as progress bars, timers, and celebratory animations to enhance player engagement and motivation. These features provide feedback, encourage participation, and create a dynamic and rewarding experience for students.
Game UX Approach
In the game’s redesign, emotional engagement and social interaction principles were central. Through celebratory animations and multiplayer features like group collaboration, the game fosters excitement and connection among players. These elements aim to create a vibrant and engaging experience, enhancing user satisfaction.
Sketches
Sketches were used to conceptualize and lay out the wireframes, providing a visual roadmap for the design process.
Wireframes
Wireframes were pivotal in visualizing and refining the user interface, ensuring clarity and usability throughout the design process.
Guerilla Test Feedback
The insights gained from these tests were pivotal for our redesign efforts, identifying key findings that later became integral to the design's success.
Mixed reactions: Some found the game easy and enjoyable for classrooms.
Confusion over game titles and unclear instructions.
Frustration with touch delays and after-delays.
Suggestions to improve screen clarity and provide clearer guidance.
Accessibility (WCAG)
Accessibility was a key focus, particularly in enhancing contrast levels to meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Additionally, we implemented a form of Bionic reading within the design, which subtly aids users with ADHD, ADD, and Dyslexia by facilitating quicker reading, improved focus, and better retention of information. This approach encourages active engagement with the content and facilitates connections between different parts of the text, promoting a more inclusive user experience.
High-Fidelity Design
The high-fidelity design phase brought the wireframes to life with polished visuals and refined interactions.
Sketches
Sketches were used to conceptualize and lay out the wireframes, providing a visual roadmap for the design process.
Wireframes
Wireframes were pivotal in visualizing and refining the user interface, ensuring clarity and usability throughout the design process.
Guerilla Test Feedback
The insights gained from these tests were pivotal for our redesign efforts, identifying key findings that later became integral to the design's success.
Mixed reactions: Some found the game easy and enjoyable for classrooms.
Confusion over game titles and unclear instructions.
Frustration with touch delays and after-delays.
Suggestions to improve screen clarity and provide clearer guidance.
Accessibility (WCAG)
Accessibility was a key focus, particularly in enhancing contrast levels to meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Additionally, we implemented a form of Bionic reading within the design, which subtly aids users with ADHD, ADD, and Dyslexia by facilitating quicker reading, improved focus, and better retention of information. This approach encourages active engagement with the content and facilitates connections between different parts of the text, promoting a more inclusive user experience.
High-Fidelity Design
The high-fidelity design phase brought the wireframes to life with polished visuals and refined interactions.
Sketches
Sketches were used to conceptualize and lay out the wireframes, providing a visual roadmap for the design process.
Wireframes
Wireframes were pivotal in visualizing and refining the user interface, ensuring clarity and usability throughout the design process.
Guerilla Test Feedback
The insights gained from these tests were pivotal for our redesign efforts, identifying key findings that later became integral to the design's success.
Mixed reactions: Some found the game easy and enjoyable for classrooms.
Confusion over game titles and unclear instructions.
Frustration with touch delays and after-delays.
Suggestions to improve screen clarity and provide clearer guidance.
Accessibility (WCAG)
Accessibility was a key focus, particularly in enhancing contrast levels to meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines. Additionally, we implemented a form of Bionic reading within the design, which subtly aids users with ADHD, ADD, and Dyslexia by facilitating quicker reading, improved focus, and better retention of information. This approach encourages active engagement with the content and facilitates connections between different parts of the text, promoting a more inclusive user experience.
High-Fidelity Design
The high-fidelity design phase brought the wireframes to life with polished visuals and refined interactions.
Usability Testing
A total of four students and four teachers participated in usability testing, providing valuable feedback on the game interface. Usability tests confirmed the need for improved navigation cues, clearer instructions, and enhanced visual aesthetics. Responsive design elements and game UX principles guided our iterative design process, ensuring optimal user experiences across devices and platforms.
Test Results
Teacher View Test Results:
The usability tests identified issues with teacher task clarity, progress bar comprehension, game purpose misinterpretation, button label ambiguity, and game start flexibility, suggesting improvements in task communication, visual representation, rule elaboration, label simplification, and initiation flexibility.
Student View Test Results:
Tests highlighted issues with game onboarding clarity, reward terminology communication, navigation smoothness, answer confirmation language, group formation instructions, and text color visibility, suggesting enhancements in clarity, simplicity, progression, language, instruction, and visibility for an improved user experience.
Final Design Adjustments
Teacher View Adjustments:
Clarification in Teacher To-Do: Added more detailed tasks, especially for skip students.
Enhanced Progress Bars: Displayed percentage on the progress bar in the opened up view.
Refinement of Game Purpose Presentation: Attached more pages (slides) on the starting screen for clearer understanding.
Additional Features and Organization: Enabled teachers to start a game at their convenience, added a reinvite link in the dashboard, and alphabetized the queue up and status screens.
Student View Adjustments:
Improved Game Onboarding: Added a screen before rule 1 to introduce Nomie as the game master.
Enhanced Navigation Clarity: Added a screen to confirm if the student wishes to skip the rules.
Term Clarity Improvement: Changed "is checking the answer" to "Player is confirming the answer."
Text Redundancy Removal: Removed unnecessary text like "Felix is answering question."
Refinement in Find Your Group Screen: Added more body text and a timer for disabled "ready to play" button.
Color Adjustment for Text: Experimented with light blue color instead of purple for better visibility.
Interaction Design
The brief detailed essential features and interactions for Nomie's student side of the game, such as intuitive swipe gestures, a visible readiness timer, clickable questions, celebratory animations, a redo question option, and skip rules confirmation prompts. These instructions were meticulously communicated to the Nomie development team to ensure the seamless integration of user-centric design elements into the game interface.
Results & Impact
The redesigned game interface received positive feedback from both users and Nomie's team, highlighting improvements in usability, engagement, and overall appeal. Usability tests confirmed enhanced navigation clarity, improved visual aesthetics, and greater user satisfaction with the overall experience.
Conclusion
As team lead, I facilitated decision-making and organisation, serving as the primary point of contact for Nomie and ensuring a unified team voice throughout the project. Our collaboration with Nomie exemplifies the power of user-centric design principles in creating impactful digital experiences that delight and engage players.
Our team of designers successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and innovative gaming solutions for Nomie, contributing to the company's mission of fostering social bonding through interactive gameplay.
Usability Testing
A total of four students and four teachers participated in usability testing, providing valuable feedback on the game interface. Usability tests confirmed the need for improved navigation cues, clearer instructions, and enhanced visual aesthetics. Responsive design elements and game UX principles guided our iterative design process, ensuring optimal user experiences across devices and platforms.
Test Results
Teacher View Test Results:
The usability tests identified issues with teacher task clarity, progress bar comprehension, game purpose misinterpretation, button label ambiguity, and game start flexibility, suggesting improvements in task communication, visual representation, rule elaboration, label simplification, and initiation flexibility.
Student View Test Results:
Tests highlighted issues with game onboarding clarity, reward terminology communication, navigation smoothness, answer confirmation language, group formation instructions, and text color visibility, suggesting enhancements in clarity, simplicity, progression, language, instruction, and visibility for an improved user experience.
Final Design Adjustments
Teacher View Adjustments:
Clarification in Teacher To-Do: Added more detailed tasks, especially for skip students.
Enhanced Progress Bars: Displayed percentage on the progress bar in the opened up view.
Refinement of Game Purpose Presentation: Attached more pages (slides) on the starting screen for clearer understanding.
Additional Features and Organization: Enabled teachers to start a game at their convenience, added a reinvite link in the dashboard, and alphabetized the queue up and status screens.
Student View Adjustments:
Improved Game Onboarding: Added a screen before rule 1 to introduce Nomie as the game master.
Enhanced Navigation Clarity: Added a screen to confirm if the student wishes to skip the rules.
Term Clarity Improvement: Changed "is checking the answer" to "Player is confirming the answer."
Text Redundancy Removal: Removed unnecessary text like "Felix is answering question."
Refinement in Find Your Group Screen: Added more body text and a timer for disabled "ready to play" button.
Color Adjustment for Text: Experimented with light blue color instead of purple for better visibility.
Interaction Design
The brief detailed essential features and interactions for Nomie's student side of the game, such as intuitive swipe gestures, a visible readiness timer, clickable questions, celebratory animations, a redo question option, and skip rules confirmation prompts. These instructions were meticulously communicated to the Nomie development team to ensure the seamless integration of user-centric design elements into the game interface.
Results & Impact
The redesigned game interface received positive feedback from both users and Nomie's team, highlighting improvements in usability, engagement, and overall appeal. Usability tests confirmed enhanced navigation clarity, improved visual aesthetics, and greater user satisfaction with the overall experience.
Conclusion
As team lead, I facilitated decision-making and organisation, serving as the primary point of contact for Nomie and ensuring a unified team voice throughout the project. Our collaboration with Nomie exemplifies the power of user-centric design principles in creating impactful digital experiences that delight and engage players.
Our team of designers successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and innovative gaming solutions for Nomie, contributing to the company's mission of fostering social bonding through interactive gameplay.
Usability Testing
A total of four students and four teachers participated in usability testing, providing valuable feedback on the game interface. Usability tests confirmed the need for improved navigation cues, clearer instructions, and enhanced visual aesthetics. Responsive design elements and game UX principles guided our iterative design process, ensuring optimal user experiences across devices and platforms.
Test Results
Teacher View Test Results:
The usability tests identified issues with teacher task clarity, progress bar comprehension, game purpose misinterpretation, button label ambiguity, and game start flexibility, suggesting improvements in task communication, visual representation, rule elaboration, label simplification, and initiation flexibility.
Student View Test Results:
Tests highlighted issues with game onboarding clarity, reward terminology communication, navigation smoothness, answer confirmation language, group formation instructions, and text color visibility, suggesting enhancements in clarity, simplicity, progression, language, instruction, and visibility for an improved user experience.
Final Design Adjustments
Teacher View Adjustments:
Clarification in Teacher To-Do: Added more detailed tasks, especially for skip students.
Enhanced Progress Bars: Displayed percentage on the progress bar in the opened up view.
Refinement of Game Purpose Presentation: Attached more pages (slides) on the starting screen for clearer understanding.
Additional Features and Organization: Enabled teachers to start a game at their convenience, added a reinvite link in the dashboard, and alphabetized the queue up and status screens.
Student View Adjustments:
Improved Game Onboarding: Added a screen before rule 1 to introduce Nomie as the game master.
Enhanced Navigation Clarity: Added a screen to confirm if the student wishes to skip the rules.
Term Clarity Improvement: Changed "is checking the answer" to "Player is confirming the answer."
Text Redundancy Removal: Removed unnecessary text like "Felix is answering question."
Refinement in Find Your Group Screen: Added more body text and a timer for disabled "ready to play" button.
Color Adjustment for Text: Experimented with light blue color instead of purple for better visibility.
Interaction Design
The brief detailed essential features and interactions for Nomie's student side of the game, such as intuitive swipe gestures, a visible readiness timer, clickable questions, celebratory animations, a redo question option, and skip rules confirmation prompts. These instructions were meticulously communicated to the Nomie development team to ensure the seamless integration of user-centric design elements into the game interface.
Results & Impact
The redesigned game interface received positive feedback from both users and Nomie's team, highlighting improvements in usability, engagement, and overall appeal. Usability tests confirmed enhanced navigation clarity, improved visual aesthetics, and greater user satisfaction with the overall experience.
Conclusion
As team lead, I facilitated decision-making and organisation, serving as the primary point of contact for Nomie and ensuring a unified team voice throughout the project. Our collaboration with Nomie exemplifies the power of user-centric design principles in creating impactful digital experiences that delight and engage players.
Our team of designers successfully delivered exceptional user experiences and innovative gaming solutions for Nomie, contributing to the company's mission of fostering social bonding through interactive gameplay.
Reach out anytime
Let’s Stay Connected
Got questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out—I'm open to new projects or just a casual chat!
martin.rebeccaelise@gmail.com
Reach out anytime
Let’s Stay Connected
Got questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out—I'm open to new projects or just a casual chat!
martin.rebeccaelise@gmail.com
Reach out anytime
Let’s Stay Connected
Got questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out—I'm open to new projects or just a casual chat!
martin.rebeccaelise@gmail.com