OveRules — The research process behind a new digital product
2022 has just begun, and I have faced a new challenge. This time I wanted to focus on the research process to find the best way to develop a solution based on humans. Starting from this investigation, I, with my team, was going to create a completely coherent and tested prototype.
Empathize
Our users were children students. In particular, we focused on “how to capture and improve their attention.” Attention seems to be a big issue, and during the pandemic, with the remote school, this has been highlighted.
Starting with secondary research, we understood the topic better so that we had the right question to ask to go deeper, thanks to interviews.
The main obstacle was finding how to train and improve children’s attention.
During the interview process, we got in touch not only with children but also with their parents and teachers. We tried to focus on job stories, needs, and pains. The goal was to find a product that matches the user’s desires, expectations, or pains.
The interviews raised that children lack attention during a lesson after an average of 40 minutes. On the other hand, they can stay focused while playing games for about 2 hours. At first glance, it seems to be only a problem related to the difference between “the boring homework” and “the fun and dynamic game.” As we advanced, we discovered another exciting contrast: the children don’t have a goal to achieve at school that isn’t related to satisfying others (like parents or teachers).
Define
We found out that it isn’t exclusively a lack of attention but also a lack of motivation. We used the experiences from the teachers to find out which is the best way to maintain an entire classroom focused just as a single child. The main point is to break the regular flow and add something more engaging and interactive.
Children desire to compete, win, be rewarded, and have fun together. Found and prioritized the needs, we were able to create the best solution that responds to the problem.
The solution, for us, seemed to be a game that would help children students who want to play and unlock new features by committing more at school and feeling challenged with others to be more motivated to study.
Ideate
The time to sketch the solution arrived, and we started focusing on the game’s mechanics and topic.
Thanks to some Lo-Fi paper prototypes, we tested different game types. Luckily children tend to be very honest regarding how they feel playing a game, and this helped us to refine our solution following their feedback.
Games based on turns seem not to be engaging for children. Instead, they said to us that they wanted something more dynamic. A child wants to open the game and be ready to play.
Prototype
Once chosen, the game mechanic that seems to be more engaging, the development of the Hi-Fi prototype starts.
In the game, each player starts from a different location on the map. A view from the top follows the player’s movements on the two axes. The player aims to find the flag and capture it to earn points and win the game.
Each character has a special power that he will use either to gain an advantage or damage others.
Exploring the map, solo or with your team, you will find particular elements, like stars, that would give you various types of bonuses.
How will all of this get children more motivated at school?
Here comes our solution: each child will be weekly rewarded by their teacher with a badge that will unlock new in-game elements and characters. The assignment will be not based on marks but on the child’s commitment at school.
Validate
We discussed the rewarding game system with teachers who agree with our idea of badges. Children are also happy to know that there will be a nice reward for their work in this way. They seem interested in how many characters they can unlock only through hard work, without asking for in-app purchases like they do playing other games.
The Hi-Fi mockups create two navigation flows, the one for children who only want to choose their characters and play, and the one for teachers who can access their personal area where there will be a section for the classroom’s creation and the badges assignment.
Using interacting Marvel prototypes, we were able to identify, through recordings and the heatmap, where the game needs to be polished or redesigned. We iterated the process until we arrived at the most successful solution for the game’s navigation flow.
Conclusion
At the end of this challenge, I’ve learned a lot about how essential it is to collect data and hear feedback from real users’ interviews. The process of prototype and validation is a crucial component in the development cycle.
Usability testing makes your product great. It helped me understand the overall user experience, thinking like the user that is meant to use the app/game.
The primary purpose of a developer, during the development process, is to create a solution that matches as much as possible all the customer’s profiles. If the user can use your product, without too many explanations, means that the product speaks for itself and fits the user’s needs.
Thanks for reading! If you want to talk or take a coffee, contact me at vincenz.pascarella@gmail.com or connect via LinkedIn.
