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The Tavern

A UX Case Study

Introduction

   The Tavern is a unique app designed to connect people interested in playing tabletop role-playing games (RPGs). Catering to both beginners and experts, the app facilitates connections among RPG enthusiasts from around the world.

Problem Statement

How might we group people together to not only play tabletop role playing games, but also create lasting friendships for future games?

The Solution

By creating a platform that blends the best parts of social media and dating apps, while removing the pitfalls of similar services, we aim to foster strong, lasting connections among users who share a passion for RPGs.

User Interviews

I conducted interviews with a diverse group of tabletop RPG players, including both beginners and experienced gamers. Key insights from these interviews include:

  • Desire for Community: Players want to find like-minded individuals who share their passion for RPGs.

  • Ease of Use: Users seek an intuitive and straightforward platform to find and join games.

  • Safety and Inclusivity: Concerns about online harassment and exclusion were prevalent.

  • Long-Term Connections: Players want to form lasting friendships, not just short-term gaming groups.

My Process

Discover

● Background research

● User interviews

● User personas

Define

● User journey mapping

● Empathy mapping

Develop

● Wireframes

● Interactive designs

Deliver

● User testing

● Feedback analysis

● Research report

Background Info

  • Industry research shows there are no other mobile apps that connect analog gamers to each other.

  • There has been a resurgence of tabletop gaming due to pop culture media, and more people than ever before want to learn how to play tabletop role playing games and be involved in the community.

  • I want to take out some of the vulnerability in reaching out to making new friends as adults.

  • It’s more than finding another to player, it’s about matching people who would be compatible as friends.

Initial Research Insights

75%

Of people say the most important factor in a game is player compatibility

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6.3%

From initial interviews, only 6.3% of gamers have used an app or website to find other players.

51%

Of people have never played with random people but 100% are open to playing with new people.

88%

Out of the users who are looking for a Game Master, 88% of people claimed they had anxiety finding a GM will have patience with new players.

Users Needs

  • Easy system to find other gamers similar to themselves.

  • Find a group who is accepting and teaching new players.

  • Find a Game Master who can run a campaign for a pre existing group.

  • Rating system to evaluate the quality of players.

User Personas

User Journey Mapping

My Process

Identify the
Problem

I identified a hole in the market  based on countless requests for a game matching service.

Research

This step includes the researching of the solution to the given problem by self.

Ideate

I came up with solutions based on the research.

Wireframing

I drew the screens as on paper according to the ideation phase.

Design

Based on the wireframes, I created the designs and a functional prototype in Figma and fine tuned it according to the mood board and style guide.

Analyse

The designs  are then analyzed for any errors in colors or font size, spacing. After testing more revisions were made based on user feedback.

Primary Sketches

Wire Frames

Pain Points

Prototype Screens

Open Game Search

New Player Sign-up

Player Search

Moodboard

  • Most apps are clean and minimal, however for an app catering to fantasy enthusiasts, the designs needed to reflect the rough sepia world that is common in high fantasy media.

  • The colors were based on sepia and jewel tones.

  • The icons were designed to have a sketch like quality. Similar to a doodle on a character sheet.

Style Guide

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