GIGO app design 👾
Creating an application for one of Japan’s most popular arcades, GiGO.
Overview
background
This project was a part of my Google UX Design Certificate course, completed in early 2023. GiGO does not have any existing web experience or application, therefore I chose to create an experience for them from scratch.
goal
Create an application for GiGO arcade that caters to the needs of users and enhances their experience at GiGO arcade locations.
Initial customer research
I began by conducting 20 minute interviews with both Japanese arcade goers and non-Japanese who frequent Japan as tourists and enjoy going to arcades there. I wanted to collect information from both demographics, as Japan sees a huge amount of tourists every year and these arcades are considered to be tourists attractions in their own right. Below are some notable quotes with themes that came up multiple times during my interviews:
“I worry about COVID when i’m in a small cramped place like an arcade”
“It’d be nice to be able to reserve a game and play with my friends”
“There are so many locations, I just wanted to know which location was the best one to go to for my tastes”
“I wish I could see which games a location has before I go”
“Sometimes its annoying if I get there and it’s crowded”
Wireframes
I used my user research and competitive audit insights to create an initial set of wireframes. My goal was to address all of the pain points brought up by my interview participants, as well as cover the bases that one of GiGO’s biggest competitors, Taito station, already had built within their web experience.
usability testing
Usability test type: Moderated
Number of tests: 5
Testing period: One week
The crowd indicator was helpful, but it was not immediately obvious what exactly it meant
It was not immediately obvious to some users how to proceed with making a reservation, which would have been done by tapping on a game title
Hierarchy issues with the “Log in” page; it was not immediately clear to some users that you could either log in or continue making a reservation as a guest
Final prototype
Click the phone to take a look at my final prototype!
This prototype takes you through the steps of finding a location, and then proceeding to make a reservation for Mario Kart at Ikebukuro.
For my final mockups and prototype, I focused on creating clearer hierarchy for the app, as well as updating the visual design. From my findings, it appeared that the features included in the app were helpful, but the clarity was lacking at points for certain users.
FINAL WIREFRAMES
lessons learned
This project proved itself to be extremely fun and rewarding at the same time. I typically do more UX oriented roles in my day-to-day work, so it was a fun challenge to have to think about how a GiGO branded app would look when one doesn’t exist currently. I enjoyed the challenge of having to do all the visual design myself, as I often work on projects where the UI/Visual design team is separate from the UX team.