The Problem
Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) for the game "Vampire: the Masquerade" offers players an immersive experience where they embody characters and navigate intricate storylines. However, a significant challenge faced by players is the need to manually track and update their in-game stats during sessions. This manual tracking disrupts the flow of gameplay and pulls players out of the immersive experience, detracting from the overall enjoyment and engagement.
The app "Not Alone in the Night" was developed to address this issue by providing an automated, real-time solution for consolidating player stats. Despite the promising concept, the initial design of the app lacked direction, resulting in a scattered and frustrating user experience. Players found the app difficult to navigate, which hindered its effectiveness in maintaining immersion.
Objectives & Goals
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Redesign the interface to create a user-friendly, intuitive app that seamlessly integrates gameplay mechanics.
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Create an in-game tracking system that monitors and updates your character's stats in real-time, ensuring that players remain fully immersed in the gameplay, without the need to manually track their progress.
Breakdown of Current Experience
No Hierarchy
The tutorial and informational pages were integrated with the actions which were unclear for the user.
Unclear
The action buttons were unclear and the information cards looked like buttons.
TL:DR
Informational pages were too long and poorly written which caused the user to skim and skip over this feature.
Difficult to Navigate
When a player was trying to select a character, it was difficult to easily toggle between playable characters.
Solution Overview
Carousel
As users swipe through their character list, they can preview each character's name and class
Button Hierarchy
The buttons are differentiated, with distinct primary action buttons to help users easily identify them
Research
Prior to my involvement in the project, I was familiar with LARPing and Vampire: the Masquerade. I familiarized myself with the game's mechanics and studied branding materials created by the company, which outlined key terms and gameplay. To enhance my understanding, I met weekly with the client where he demonstrated the app's capabilities and limitations. Lastly, the team performed a Heuristic Review to measure the apps usability.
Competitor's App
Vampire v5 Characters
Allows players to create and manage personal data for characters.
About
Users can easily find definitions and explanations of game mechanics.
Links
The outside source is underlined so users know it leads them out of the app.
Information
The information has been condensed and streamlined so it because easier to read visually and holds the users attention.
Illustrations
Clear visuals to help engage and convey information to users.
The Users
Drawing upon findings from the previous cohort's research, the team generated new personas to gain deeper insights into the behaviors, expectations, and needs of the application's users. This informed the product's design and development.
User Flow
Next, a diagram was created to facilitate comprehension of the sequential steps a user would undertake to accomplish a given task.
Sketches
In order to externalize our ideation process, the team sketched potential layouts before implementing them digitally.
Wireframes
With wireframes, the team was able to achieve a visual comprehension of each layout and its elements. After feedback from our project manager, we incorporated and refined those elements that were deemed favorable.
High Fidelity Screens
Conclusion
By addressing the initial issues and integrating new game mechanics and UX/UI improvements, "Not Alone in the Night" successfully transformed into a cohesive and captivating platform for "Vampire: the Masquerade" enthusiasts. The app now enables players to plan, coordinate, and execute unforgettable LARP sessions, guided by their decisions and enriched by immersive storytelling elements.
Swordpoint Studios Mobile App
Not Alone in the Night
This project was a collaborative effort involving two other UX designers who reported to the client. My role within the team included generating dynamic concepts, creating wireframes, and finalizing UI designs, as well as weekly presentations to the client.
Overview
"Not Alone in the Night" is a mobile application designed to assist players in organizing and executing Live Action Roleplaying (LARP) sessions centered around the "Vampire: the Masquerade" universe. The app also incorporates elements of an Augmented Reality Game (ARG) to create a more immersive experience. The objective is to provide a seamless platform for players to plan, coordinate, and execute captivating LARP sessions driven by player decisions.